Google Business Profile verification: every method, and how to pass the video check
To verify your Google Business Profile, open it, select Get verified and use one of the methods Google offers you: phone or text, email, a live video call, a recorded video or a postcard. Google picks the methods for each business, and its review takes up to 5 business days once you finish.
Key takeaways
- You can't choose the method: Google sets it from your business type, public info, region and hours, and some profiles need two.
- Google recommends video verification when your profile offers it, and the recording must be at least 30 seconds, unedited and filmed live in the app.
- The video shows three things: where you are, that the business exists, and that you run it.
- A postcard code usually arrives within 14 days and expires after 30 days, so leave the name, address and category alone while you wait.
Why do you have to verify a Google Business Profile?
Because until you do, you can't edit the profile people see. Verification is how Google hands you ownership of your Google Business Profile, so you can fix the hours, answer reviews and post updates. A restaurant with old opening times or a tour company listed at the wrong meeting point loses the customer who drove there, and only a verified owner can correct it. If the listing doesn't show up at all, start with why a business isn't showing on Google Maps.
How do you verify your business on Google?
1. Find or add your profile
Sign in to the Google Account you want to own the profile, then search for your business name and city, or for my business. If the profile exists and nobody has claimed it, claim it; if it doesn't exist, add it. Use a company email on that account if you have one, so the profile stays with the business when staff change.1
2. Pick from the methods Google shows you
Select Get verified. Phone or text sends a code to your business number, which must reach a person: an automated phone menu won't get it. Email sends a message with the steps to the address on screen. A live video call puts you through to a Google support rep during your opening hours. The methods you see depend on your business type, public info, region and hours, and Google says they can't be changed.1
3. Plan the video before you record it
For a storefront or a place that also delivers, such as a café with takeaway, film the street sign or building number, then your sign with the business name exactly as it is on your profile, then something only staff can open: the till, the kitchen, the storeroom. Record one unbroken take of at least 30 seconds on your phone, in the Business Profile, with no edits. Keep card numbers, ID documents and other people's faces out of the shot.2
4. Film the service area if you don't host customers
A transfer company or a guide who meets guests elsewhere is a service-area business, and Google asks it to leave its address off the profile. The video then shows the area you work from, the tools of the job (a branded van, your equipment, business cards) and proof you run it: unlock the van, do part of the work, or show a permit or invoice with the business name on it.2
5. Wait for the review, then fix what it flags
Google reviews what you sent in up to 5 business days, sometimes longer. If the Get verified button comes back, Google couldn't finish, so try again or try another method it offers. A Review issues notice means the video was rejected: Google lists the reasons, such as the name not visible on the storefront, and the new video must show everything from the first one plus what was missing.1
6. Wait out a postcard without touching the profile
If Google offers a postcard, check the mailing address and request it once. Most codes arrive within 14 days and expire after 30 days. Editing the name, address or category voids the code on its way, and asking for a new card cancels the first, so leave both alone. Enter the 5-digit code on your profile when it comes, and share it with nobody: Google never asks for it.1
7. Check the verified profile
Once the confirmation email lands, read the profile as a customer would: name, hours, category, phone and the link to your site. The free Google Business Profile audit checks those fields for you and lists what's missing.
Checklist
- Signed in with the account that should own the profile
- Profile found, claimed or added
- Verification method chosen from the ones Google offers
- Video planned: location, signage, staff-only proof
- One unedited take, filmed live in the app
- Name, address and category left alone while a code is on its way
- Review issues read and every point shown in the new video
Questions
How long does Google Business Profile verification take?
Google says its review takes up to five business days after you finish the steps, and on rare occasions longer. A postcard adds the time it takes to arrive, which Google puts at up to two weeks for most codes.
Can I verify my Google Business Profile without a video?
Only if Google offers you another method. Google decides which methods each business gets from its type, public info, region and hours, and you can't swap them, so some businesses see video as the only option.
What do I show in a Google verification video?
Your location, such as street signs and nearby businesses, your business name on a permanent sign or the tools you work with, and something only the owner or staff can access, like the till or a locked van.
Why was my verification video rejected?
It missed something Google needed to see. Open the profile on your phone, select Review issues to read the reasons, and record a new video that shows everything from the first one plus what was missing.
Can I verify my Business Profile with a home address?
Yes, as a service-area business. Leave the home address off the public profile and film the street signs and landmarks around it, plus your tools and a document with the business name.
Sources
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