Deleting a Google Business Profile is permanent and immediate once processed. Sign into your Business Profile Manager at business.google.com, select the specific location, navigate to Settings in the left menu, then click 'Close or remove this profile.' You'll see two options: 'Mark as temporarily closed' or 'Delete profile.' Choose delete, confirm, and Google usually processes it within 24–48 hours. All reviews, photos, Q&A, insights, and ranking history disappear permanently and cannot be recovered. Before deleting, consider alternatives. If you're rebranding or moving, you can edit the business name, address, and category instead. If you're temporarily closing, mark it as such rather than deleting—you keep your review equity and rankings. If you have duplicate listings causing problems, verify which one has more reviews and engagement, then delete only the duplicate. At Ottawa SEO, we see businesses delete profiles impulsively during relocations or ownership changes, then regret losing years of five-star reviews and local pack rankings. One critical issue: if you're not the verified owner, you cannot delete the profile yourself. You'll need to claim ownership first, which requires verification by postcard, phone, or email. If the previous owner won't transfer access, you can request ownership through Google support, but this takes 5–14 days and requires proving your legal right to manage the business. If you're deleting because of negative reviews or a competitor hijacking your listing, deletion is the wrong move. For review issues, respond professionally and build new positive reviews. For hijacked listings, reclaim ownership through Google's support process. Deleting lets competitors or spammers create a new listing in your place, and you lose all authority. Only delete when the business has genuinely ceased operations and you have zero plans to operate at that location or under that name again.