Site Manager User Role Disappears from Google My Business

Google has taken upon itself to remove the ‘Site Manager’ level of user rights within Google My Business. Previously one of the three roles that could be assigned to a Google My Business user, Site Manager has disappeared and been replaced with ‘Manager’.

Previously, the three options available with regard to assigning user rights were Owner, Manager and Site Manager; these were replaced with three new roles within the Google My Business hierarchy – Primary Owner, Owner and Manager. Something that will now see all managers at all levels bracketed within the same category while prompting questions as to the distinction between a Primary Owner and an Owner.

Surely an Owner is an Owner, meaning it would be far better to have at least two levels of manager roles when assigning rights.

Google has been sending out emails to users of Google My Business to inform them that the Site Manager role is no longer a thing. Specifically, users have been told that after October 24, anybody who is listed as a Site Manager will be transferred to the Manager Field.

Anyone getting started on Google My Business for the first time will not be able to assign Site Manager Roles in the first place.

Rather than simply changing the titles of the roles, user rights have also been adjusted for those who have now found themselves in the Manager bracket. Site Managers who become Managers will now be permitted to make additional Business Profile changes on Search, Maps, and other Google services.

Hence, anyone who would prefer not to provide their current Site Managers with these additional privileges is advised to remove them from their Google My Business Profiles, prior to the automated switch going ahead in a few weeks.

The email being sent to Google My Business users looks like this:

Unsurprisingly, Google has offered no explanation whatsoever for reaching this debatable decision. The Site Manager role has been an option in Google My Business since December 2018, prior to which there was a Communications Manager role.

The transition to Site Manager was also far more than just a name change, granting additional permissions and rights to those who were effectively ‘promoted’ to their new status.