Chapter 8: Verification

8.1 What Verification Actually Means

Verification sounds more complicated than it really is.

At its simplest, Google is trying to establish that the business exists as represented and that the person trying to manage it is authorised to do so.[1]

Finding a business on Google does not mean the business has been verified. As we established earlier, Google can already have information about a business before anybody from that business claims the profile. It may appear on Google Search and Google Maps with photographs, reviews, opening hours, a telephone number and a website, but that does not necessarily mean the business controls it.

Verification is part of establishing that control.

Eligibility and verification answer different questions. Eligibility asks whether the business should have a Google Business Profile. Verification establishes the relationship between the profile, the business it represents and the person trying to manage it.

The eligibility and representation rules we covered in Chapter 5 still determine how the business should be represented.

Google automatically determines the verification methods available for the profile, and those methods cannot be changed. The options available can depend on the business type, public information, region or opening hours, and in some cases Google may require more than one method.[1]

Depending on what Google offers for the profile, verification may involve phone or text, email, video recording, live video call or mail.[1]

The useful approach is to work with the verification options Google provides for the profile.

One person says, "I verified mine by text."

Another says, "Google made me record a video."

Somebody else received a code by mail.

They may all be telling the truth. Their experience does not predict yours.

Work with the options Google actually gives the profile.

The interface and the available methods can change. The principle is more useful than memorising a particular button: Google wants credible evidence connecting the Business Profile to the real business and the person authorised to manage it.

That becomes particularly clear with video verification.

8.2 Prepare Before You Press the Button

The best time to prepare for verification is before pressing the verification button.

That does not mean creating evidence for Google. It means making sure the profile accurately represents a business that already exists.

Start with the important information on the profile: the business name, address where applicable, service area, category, telephone number, website and opening hours. Those details should describe the real business accurately.

This sounds obvious, but verification is a terrible time to discover that the profile you are trying to verify does not match the business you are standing in.

Imagine the Business Profile says:

Manchester Emergency Locksmiths

But the business actually trades as:

Smith & Sons Locksmiths

The website says Smith & Sons. The van says Smith & Sons. The invoices and business documents say Smith & Sons.

Now we have created a problem for ourselves.

The Business Profile should use the genuine business name that the website, signage and other real-world evidence support.

The same applies to the location.

If we are verifying a storefront business, the location should genuinely be the customer-facing location represented on the profile. Google's current video guidance says storefront and hybrid businesses should show the surrounding location and the business itself, including permanent signage carrying a business name that matches the Business Profile.[2]

If the business operates from a coworking space, virtual office or some other arrangement, confirm that the location meets the eligibility rules before attempting verification.

For a service-area business, the evidence looks different because customers may never visit the operating address. Google says a service-area business can show the area around the business address, together with evidence of the business such as professional tools, equipment, workspace, business cards or branded clothing. It also asks for evidence that the person recording the video manages or represents the business.[2]

Think about a locksmith working from home. The business might have a branded van, tools, stock, key-cutting equipment, invoices and other evidence connecting the real business to the person managing it.

A cleaner may have a vehicle, cleaning equipment, branded clothing and business documents. A plumber may have a van full of plumbing equipment. A mobile dog groomer may have a fitted grooming vehicle.

The evidence changes with the business.

The principle does not.

Location. Business. Management.

Before you start recording, know how you are going to demonstrate all three.

8.3 Video Verification

Video verification is much easier when you think about what the person reviewing the video needs to establish.

Google's current guidance requires a video recording to be unique, complete, unedited and without breaks. It must be at least 30 seconds long and recorded and uploaded from a mobile device through the Business Profile. You cannot record it beforehand, edit it and upload the finished video later.[2]

That makes preparation worthwhile.

If you need to show the street outside, know where you will start. If you need to show permanent signage, make sure it is visible. If you need to go inside and demonstrate that you manage the business, make sure you can actually get into the staff-only area, unlock the vehicle or access whatever legitimate business-only evidence you intend to show.

Have the keys, vehicle and any business-only areas or evidence ready before you begin recording.

Thirty seconds is the minimum. Show enough clear, relevant evidence for somebody who knows nothing about the business to understand what they are looking at.

For storefront and hybrid businesses, Google's guidance focuses on three things: the location, evidence that the business exists there and evidence that the person recording manages or represents it. That can mean showing street signs or nearby businesses, permanent signage matching the Business Profile and access to areas or systems that customers would not normally control.[2]

For service-area businesses, the same three questions remain, but the evidence changes. Google suggests location identifiers around the business address, professional tools or equipment and proof of management such as accessing a branded vehicle or showing appropriate business documents.[2]

The evidence should match the way the business is genuinely represented. A service-area business needs evidence appropriate to a service-area business, while a storefront or hybrid business needs evidence of its customer-facing location.

There is also information you should not include. Google says verification videos must not show sensitive information such as bank account, tax or identification numbers, private information about you or other people, or other people's faces.[2]

Once the recording is complete, upload it through the verification process and let Google review it. Google's current guidance says review can take up to five working days.[1][2]

If the video is accepted, the profile is verified.

If it is not accepted, Google can show the reasons the video did not meet the requirements, and its guidance tells businesses to review those issues before recording a new one.[2]

Look at what was missing.

Was the location clear?

Was the business name visible where required?

Did the evidence show that the business genuinely exists?

Did we demonstrate that the person recording manages or represents it?

Fix the weakness and record again.

Google is looking for credible evidence of the business represented on the profile.

So instead of asking, "What did somebody else show in their video?", ask:

"If I knew nothing about this business, what would I need to see to understand that it exists as represented and that this person genuinely manages it?"

Then show that.

8.4 Other Verification Methods

Video gets a lot of attention because it requires more preparation, while Google can also offer several other verification methods.

If Google offers phone or text verification, the business needs to be able to receive the call or text at the number used for the process. If Google offers email, the business needs access to the email address shown in the verification screen. Live video and mail can also appear as available methods.[1]

Follow the method Google actually offers.

Verification codes should also be treated as security information. Google explicitly says it will never ask for the verification code and that the code should not be shared, including with people who manage the Business Profile.[1]

That is worth remembering in an agency environment.

If the client receives a code, guide them through the legitimate process and keep the verification code secure.

Google says that after the verification steps are completed, it reviews the information provided and that this review can take up to five working days. In some cases, verification can be instant, including situations where Google can connect the business through Search Console or bulk verification.[1]

Again, the exact route can vary.

The objective does not.

Establish the real business and the authorised manager.

8.5 Reverification

Google says changes to business information may require re-verification.[2]

The profile continues to represent a real business, so when important information changes Google may ask for fresh evidence of that relationship.

This is one reason I like keeping business evidence organised: a sensible record of the real business, including its correct name and contact details, relevant documents, legitimate signage and premises, vehicles or equipment where appropriate, and the information needed to demonstrate how the business actually operates.

That evidence is useful far beyond verification. It also helps with Mirroring, ownership problems and the reinstatement work we will deal with later.

When a profile is asked to verify again, start by checking the real business.

Check the profile.

Understand what Google is asking for.

Then provide the appropriate evidence.

8.6 Multiple Locations and Bulk Verification

Verification becomes a different operational problem when a business has many locations.

Google provides bulk management and bulk verification processes for eligible businesses with 10 or more locations of the same business.[3][4]

Google still expects those profiles to comply with its requirements, and it may require further confirmation, including video verification in some cases.[3]

Service-area businesses also need particular care. Google's bulk-verification guidance says service-area businesses can bulk verify only where the locations are also customer-facing during regular hours; service-area businesses without customer-facing locations need to verify their locations individually.[5]

The lesson is the same one we used when discussing eligibility.

Represent the real locations correctly first, then use the verification process that applies to them.

For an agency or multi-location organisation, preparation becomes a data-management job as much as a verification job. Names, addresses, telephone numbers, websites and location information need to be correct and consistent before trying to verify a large set of profiles.

Bad data multiplied across fifty locations becomes fifty problems at once.

We will return to multi-location management properly in Chapter 16.

8.7 Verification Is Evidence

Most verification problems become easier to understand when we treat verification as a process for demonstrating the real business.

We have already established whether the business is eligible. We know whether it is a storefront, service-area or hybrid business. We know the genuine location from which it operates, which information should be displayed and who should control the profile.

Verification asks us to demonstrate those facts when Google requires it.

Make sure the Business Profile uses the genuine business name, displays the address only when appropriate and represents an eligible location correctly.

That is why verification belongs here in the book, after eligibility and ownership. The work we have already done should make verification easier because the Business Profile and the real business should agree.

We are showing Google the business that actually exists.

That is verification.

And once it is complete, the next job is to continue representing that business accurately and within Google's policies.

That is where Chapter 9 begins.

Notes

1. Google Business Profile Help, “Verify your business on Google”, https://support.google.com/business/answer/7107242?hl=en-GB. Checked 3 September 2026.
2. Google Business Profile Help, “Verify your business with a video recording”, https://support.google.com/business/answer/14271705?hl=en-GB. Checked 3 September 2026.
3. Google Business Profile Help, “Verify Business Profiles in bulk”, https://support.google.com/business/answer/4490296?hl=en. Checked 3 September 2026.
4. Google Business Profile Help, “Bulk location management overview”, https://support.google.com/business/answer/3217744?hl=en. Checked 3 September 2026.
5. Google Business Profile Help, “Understand delays in bulk verification”, https://support.google.com/business/answer/3217747?hl=en. Checked 3 September 2026.