What is a Google Account's "Object Type" and why should you care?


GooglePlus launched looking very different than it does today and without "Brand Pages" (brand profiles). Later when brand profiles proper launched they looked slightly different than standard profiles: but in the current UI (user interface) they both look outwardly identical.

This similarity means that people can be confused, thinking that a "brand profile" is different only in terminology. That is incorrect. There are two different objectTypes: "person" and "page" (brand).

Why does it matter? 

Well if you are a one man band it might not matter to you really. If you never need help managing your business it probably won't matter. BUT, if you want BIGGER things for your business and want to manage it properly you should start off with a Brand Account, not a standard account for your business.

Standard Accounts: objectType: "person"

A standard account is designed for an individual to use and access. There is no safe way to share access to a standard account. You will have created your standard Google account when you signed into Google or "signed up" for a Google owned service like Gmail, YouTube etc.

Brand Accounts: objectType: "page"

A brand account is created when using a standard account. It is "owned" and managed by that account. Other accounts can be given manager access for the brand account and if required ownership can be transferred to a different standard account. Brand accounts do NOT have login details or passwords.


You can create a brand account when doing things like creating a GooglePlus Page or creating a brand channel on YouTube. More on brand accounts here.

How to tell whether a profile is a Brand Account Profile, or a Standard Account Profile? 


The only way to see what objectType a profile has is to query the GooglePlus API with the profile ID.  My profile ID is: 111667704476323287430 the profile ID for a brand account that I manage is: 118008305675879084685. They would return objectType: "person" and objectType: "page" respectively. 

I sometimes look up a profile's objectType if it is dressed up as a "Brand" but might actually be set up as a person. Many profiles which should be using brand accounts are set up on standard accounts: here are a few examples

If you are running a business it is important to start out right, as it is not possible to change a standard account into a brand account at a later date. 

Brands managers which make this mistake are condemning management of the brand: the GooglePlus profile and the associated YouTube channel to poor and insecure management practices.  

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