How to effectively manage Google Business Profiles for 10, 50, and 100+ locations

Many marketing managers still spend weeks manually verifying each location individually. Google is systematically moving away from traditional methods, focusing on SMS codes, phone calls, and increasingly on the somewhat problematic video verification. For 50 locations, this means engaging staff at each point to record verification videos that meet Google’s guidelines, which is operationally inefficient.

If your brand has at least 10 locations, the only sensible approach is bulk verification. This is a process where Google authorizes the entire organization account instead of verifying each location separately.

How to do it technically? The foundation is an account in the company domain (e.g., [email protected]) linked to the website in Google Search Console. After submitting a bulk verification request and having it approved by Google, you gain a real advantage – every new location added to the dashboard is automatically verified, without SMS codes, phone calls, or staff recording videos.

Errors in permission management are one of the most common reasons for losing access to a Google Business Profile. There are cases where access to dozens, or even hundreds, of listings is tied to a former employee’s or agency’s private Gmail account. From a brand security perspective, this should never happen.

To minimize the risk of losing the profile or access to it, the permission structure should be clearly defined.

Primary Owner (organization account)
Main email in the company domain, accessible only by management and/or the person responsible for marketing. This is a real safeguard that minimizes the risk of losing control over the profile and login credentials.

Location Groups
It’s not advisable to keep the entire network in a single dashboard. Dividing by city, region, or type of location allows assigning managers only to their area of responsibility and maintaining operational order.

Manager vs. Owner Role
Local managers should have only “Manager” permissions. This allows them to handle day-to-day tasks, like responding to reviews or adding photos, while blocking access to delete the profile.

As a brand becomes more recognizable on Google Maps, duplicate listings can appear. They are created by customers, former employees, or automatically generated by Google bots from outdated databases.

Why are duplicates in Google Maps a problem?

• Multiple profiles of the same business at one address weaken SEO. Instead of one strong listing in the top 3 search results, you have several weaker profiles lower down;
• Users may encounter outdated listings with incorrect phone numbers or addresses, leading directly to lost customers and revenue.

How to maintain Google Maps profile hygiene?

Regular audits of the profile should be a permanent part of your marketing calendar. Duplicates should be:

• Reported for removal;
• Or merged with the main profile via Google support, if they contain valuable reviews, preserving accumulated authority and review history.

For a very large number of profiles, it is worth investing in specialized tools for managing listings, which automatically detect and help remove duplicates.

When managing 100+ locations, you no longer have time to read each review individually. Your role shifts from responding to individual comments to analyzing macro data and managing reputation across the entire network. As a Marketing Manager, you must stop seeing reviews as a tedious task and start viewing them as a hard, measurable indicator of operational quality, i.e., a real signal of whether the network operates efficiently and whether company standards are followed.

Automated model assumes all reviews go to a single team, which responds using templates and AI support. This approach ensures consistent communication and near-instant response time, important for networks with many locations. However, it risks losing the personal touch of responses, making clients feel they receive a generated answer.

Decentralized model for stores/branches places responsibility for responding on local managers (or designated persons) of each point. This allows the most authentic and precise answers reflecting actual customer experiences and location specifics. The downside is the need for additional staff training, clear communication standards, and maintaining a consistent Tone of Voice across the network.

In practice, the best solution is a hybrid model, combining both approaches. Automation can handle positive 5-star reviews, speeding up the process and maintaining consistency, while negative or sensitive reviews go to the local manager, who can resolve the issue based on real data and restore the location’s image.

Which review filtering systems help your brand avoid reputation crises?

In large networks, you cannot rely on chance or spontaneous customer reviews. Systems must automate review requests intelligently. Many companies combine classic satisfaction surveys with filtering mechanisms, deciding which reviews go directly to Google and which are processed internally first.

Typically: after a purchase or visit, a customer receives a short survey (via SMS or email, integrated with CRM). High ratings lead to an automatic prompt to leave a review on Google Business Profile. Low ratings go to an internal complaint form, allowing the company to resolve the issue “at the source” and avoid negative online comments. This ensures Google listings show high ratings, improving perceived value of locations.

See also: How to get reviews on Google Business Profile? 5 practical tips.

The biggest challenge in managing a large network of locations is keeping Google Maps content fully up to date without hiring additional dedicated staff. Google understands marketing managers’ needs and introduced bulk editing tools while maintaining full control over each location.

Mass posting

Previously, announcing a nationwide promotion in each store individually was nearly Sisyphean and practically impossible without external tools. Now Google allows posting to multiple locations simultaneously, a powerful tool for marketing managers.

You can post information about a “50% Sale” in all 120 stores in one step, without repeating the process manually. You can also target specific groups, e.g., only stores in Krakow, and post about local events. Communication is precise, reaching the right customers.

Global management of opening hours – holidays and trading Sundays

Nothing frustrates customers more than going to a store listed as open on Google Maps that is actually closed. Manually updating hours for 50+ locations during holidays or long weekends almost guarantees errors.

The management panel allows global opening hours changes from the Business Profile. Few clicks update all locations nationwide. Google also allows scheduling special hours in advance – once set, changes take effect automatically and revert to the standard schedule afterward. This ensures consistency and avoids mistakes.

Do your Google Maps photos build trust?

While posts and hours can be automated, photos require balance. The most effective strategy is a 70/30 model:

• 70% corporate materials: professional interior shots, logo, product photos sent centrally;
• 30% local materials: encourage managers to post local photos – new window displays, smiling team in a city, local event preparation. These build trust and show real presence in the community.

Google favors profiles regularly receiving fresh, unique local photos, improving positioning and visibility in search results.

Managing a network of locations on Google Maps evolves as the business grows. Moving from individual listings to a centralized management system is not just a technological convenience, but a business necessity. Companies that combine automation with local authenticity win the fight for customer attention in local results.

Remember that each profile is a separate sales opportunity, but only consistent management of the entire structure ensures it isn’t wasted due to a wrong phone number or lack of response to a negative comment. A well-planned process, investment in proper procedures, and tools for managing multiple profiles is an investment in a real competitive advantage.