To verify a Google Business Profile, sign in to the Google Account that owns it, open the profile, select Get verified and finish whichever method Google offers you: a phone call or text, an email, a recorded video, a live video call or a postcard. Google then reviews the profile, which takes up to 5 business days, and emails you when you’re verified.
The catch is that you don’t choose the method. Google picks it based on your business type, public information, region and hours, and some businesses have to complete more than one. This guide covers each method, what Google wants to see in a verification video, and what to do when the Get verified button keeps coming back. Everything here is checked against Google’s Business Profile help pages as of October 2026.
Why verification matters
An unverified profile can exist on Google, but you can’t properly manage it. Google’s help page says verification is what lets you edit your business info and interact with customers, and only after it can you add managers or transfer primary ownership. Until then, you’re a visitor to your own listing.
If you’re new to local search, verification is step one of everything else. Our five-step local SEO plan starts here for that reason.
Verification is free. Google’s own FAQ says “creating a Business Profile and listing your business on Google is free of cost.” If someone calls asking for money to verify or “protect” your listing, that isn’t Google’s process.
Before you start: check you’re eligible
Many failed verifications aren’t technical. The business didn’t qualify in the first place, or the profile didn’t match the real world. Google’s business guidelines set the rules:
- You need in-person contact with customers. Either customers visit you, or you travel to them. Online-only businesses can’t have a profile, and Google’s video help page says they aren’t eligible for verification.
- The address must be real. P.O. boxes and “mailboxes located at remote locations” aren’t acceptable. Virtual offices aren’t eligible. A co-working space only counts if your office there has clear signage.
- Storefronts need permanent signage with the business name at the address.
- Service-area businesses hide the address. A plumber or house cleaner who works from home should hide the street address and set a service area of no more than about 2 hours’ drive from the base.
- The name must match the real world. No added cities, services or slogans.
- The phone number must be under your direct control.
Fix any of these before you press Get verified. A profile with a keyword-stuffed name or a shipping-store mailbox address may get through a phone code and then fail review, or be suspended later.
How to verify your Google Business Profile
These steps follow Google’s verify your business help page.
- Sign in to the Google Account that manages the profile.
- Find the profile. Search Google for your business name and city, or search “my business”. If it doesn’t exist yet, add it. If it exists but nobody has claimed it, claim it.
- Select Get verified. Google shows the methods available to you.
- Complete the method, as described in the next section.
- Wait for review. Google says up to 5 business days, and rarely longer.
- Check your email. Google sends a confirmation when the profile is verified.
Step 1 matters most. If you verify from a personal Gmail you later lose access to, or from an employee’s account, you’ll be fighting to get the profile back when they leave. Use an account the business owns, and add others as managers once you’re verified.
The verification methods compared
Google says it recommends video verification when you’re eligible. Here’s how the options differ, from Google’s verification and video verification help pages.
| Method | What you do | Watch out for | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phone or text | Enter the code Google calls or texts | Phone menus (IVR) can’t receive the code | Then review, up to 5 business days |
| Follow the steps in Google’s email | Use an address you can open right away | Then review, up to 5 business days | |
| Video recording | Record a live, unedited clip of 30+ seconds in the app | Must show location, business and proof you run it | Review up to 5 business days |
| Live video call | Show a Google rep around on camera | Only during your listed business hours | Then review, up to 5 business days |
| Postcard | Enter the 5-digit code mailed to you | Don’t edit name, address or category while waiting | Most arrive within 14 days, codes expire after 30 |
Phone or text
Select Get verified, choose phone or SMS, and enter the code on your profile. The trap is automated phone systems. Google warns that a phone menu won’t receive the code, so if your main line goes to “press 1 for sales”, forward it to a cell phone for the few minutes you need, or pick text.
Select Get verified, choose email and follow the steps in the message. Google says to use an address you can reach from the verification screen, so have the inbox open before you start.
Video recording
The video must be recorded live through your Business Profile on a phone. Pre-recorded clips, edits and breaks aren’t allowed, and it must run at least 30 seconds. The full checklist is in the next section.
Live video call
You show a Google representative around your premises in real time. Calls are only available during your business hours, and you need to be physically at the business. Google says you need to show your location (outside signs, nearby businesses or a street sign), your products or equipment, and proof you manage the business, such as an employee-only area, the register, the kitchen, a storage room, non-sensitive business documents or the keys to open up.
Postcard
Check your mailing address, request the postcard, and wait. Google says most codes arrive within 14 days and expire after 30. When it arrives, enter the 5-digit code in the Code field and select Submit. Two rules cost people weeks:
- Don’t edit your name, address or category while you wait. The code stops working.
- Don’t request a new code. That cancels the one in the mail and starts the wait over.
Google also says it will never ask you for the code, so don’t read it out to anyone who calls.
What to show in a verification video
Google’s video verification page asks for three things, and the evidence depends on your business type.
Storefronts and hybrid businesses (a shop, salon, clinic or restaurant):
- Location: street signs, building numbers, nearby businesses or landmarks that match your address on Google Maps.
- Existence: your storefront or signage, with the business name on a permanent fixture such as a sign, wall or window. The name must match your profile.
- Management: the register, point-of-sale system, kitchen or storage room.
Service-area businesses (plumbers, cleaners, mobile groomers):
- Operating area: street signs or landmarks at your business address. Google says to avoid empty land. If you work from home, film signs and landmarks in your immediate neighborhood.
- Existence: your tools, equipment, products, workspace, business cards or branded clothing.
- Management: you doing the work or opening something only the business uses, such as a branded van. You can also show a business permit, invoice or utility bill that matches the profile name.
Don’t film bank, tax or ID numbers, other people’s private information or other people’s faces.
Here’s the order I’d film it in, as one continuous take of 60 to 90 seconds. Google’s minimum is 30 seconds, but rushing is the usual reason a video misses something.
- Start on the street sign or nearest intersection, then pan to a neighboring business.
- Walk to your door or van and hold on the business name for a few seconds.
- Go inside or open the van and show the equipment.
- Show one thing only staff can access: open the back room with your key, open the register or show a utility bill with the business name.
To record, open your profile on your phone, tap Get verified, choose Business video, allow camera, microphone and location access, then record and upload. You can watch it back and tap Try again before you upload.
Why your verification failed, and how to fix it
Google’s help pages describe three failure signals:
- The Get verified button is back. Google couldn’t fully verify the business. Try again, or pick another method if more than one is offered.
- A “Review issues” notice after a video. Your video was rejected. Tap Review issues to see what was missing, then record a new video with everything from the first one plus the missing items. Google’s examples include the name not being visible on the storefront, no surrounding area shown and no proof you’re authorized to run the business.
- A request for more information. This usually follows recent changes to your business details. Select Get verified and provide what’s asked.
If none of those apply and you’re still stuck, go back to the eligibility list. Name, address and phone mismatches are the cause I’d check first. Make your website, signage and directory listings say exactly the same thing as the profile, then try again. If that still fails, contact Business Profile support from the help center, or post in the Business Profile community forum, which Google links from the same page.
When you’ll need to verify again
Verification isn’t always one and done. Google’s edit your Business Profile page says that if you change your business name after verification you might need to verify again, and if you move to a new address you must. Our guide to editing a Google Business Profile sorts every field by how risky it is to change.
Plan re-verification like a move: update the address close to the date you actually move, keep the old phone number working, and have signage up at the new place before you record a video.
Faster routes for some businesses
Two shortcuts can skip the usual wait:
- Search Console. Google says some profiles are verified instantly when you’ve verified the business website in Google Search Console If you haven’t set it up, our Search Console vs Google Analytics guide explains what it is.
- Bulk verification. Chains with 10 or more locations of the same business can request it from Business Profile Manager on a computer: Verifications, then Chain, then Start. Duplicate, suspended or disabled profiles don’t count toward the 10. Service-area businesses aren’t eligible, and neither are agencies holding more than one business in one account, so agencies verify each client profile one at a time.
FAQ
How long does Google Business Profile verification take?
Google says review takes up to 5 business days after you complete a method, and rarely longer. If you get a postcard, add the mailing time: most arrive within 14 days.
How much does it cost to verify a business on Google?
Nothing. Google says creating a Business Profile and listing your business is free. Anyone asking for payment to verify your profile is not following Google’s process.
Can I choose my verification method?
No. Google decides which methods you get based on your business type, public information, region and hours, and you can’t change it. If more than one option appears and the first fails, try another.
Why is my Google Business Profile not verifying?
The common causes are a video that misses one of the three required elements, an address Google doesn’t accept (a P.O. box or virtual office), a name with extra keywords, or editing the profile while a postcard is in the mail. Check the Review issues notice first, since it lists what Google found.
Get it right the first time
Before you press Get verified, make the profile match the real world: the name on your sign, an address customers can visit or a hidden one with a service area, and a phone you answer. If Google gives you video, plan the take before you hit record. Most failed verifications come down to one missing shot or one mismatched detail, not bad luck.
