Google Requires Custom Domain Email for Business Profile Ownership Transfers

Google Business Profile (formerly GMB) is the primary way local shops appear on Maps and Search; ownership transfer is essential when a coffee shop is sold or a salon joins a franchise.

Effective immediately, Google’s verification policy mandates a custom‑domain email (e.g., owner@coffeeshop.com) for the new owner; generic Gmail or Yahoo accounts trigger a rejection and the profile remains locked.

Without a verified owner, the business cannot edit hours, respond to reviews, or run local ads, directly cutting off reservation traffic and causing potential revenue loss during the transition period.

A coffee shop acquired by a regional chain must create a domain‑based email before the hand‑off; a hair salon rebranding under a new brand should add the brand‑email as a manager and verify via DNS; a pet groomer merging with a competitor needs to migrate the GMB email to the shared domain; a fitness studio franchise must ensure each location’s email matches the franchise domain before transfer.

The change is being rolled out globally over the next 30 days. Watch for the “Verification required: custom email” banner in the GMB console and prepare DNS TXT records or HTML file verification in advance.