The Short Answer
To verify your Google Business Profile, open your profile on Google Search or Maps, click Get verified, and complete the method Google offers you. In 2026 that is usually a short video recording made in the Google Maps app, a phone or text code, or an email. Postcards still exist but are rarely the only option. Google chooses the methods, you cannot pick them. Reviewed methods like video take up to 5 business days.
Verification proves to Google that your business is real, sits where the profile says, and that you are allowed to manage it. Until then you cannot reliably appear in the Map Pack, reply to reviews or publish posts. It is step one of any local SEO plan.
Before You Start
Most failed verifications come from profile details that do not match the real world. Ten minutes of prep saves days of back and forth.
Pre-verification checklist
- Use your real business name. It should match your signage, invoices and website. Extra words like services or cities in the name break Google's rules and can get the profile suspended.
- Use a real, precise address. PO boxes, remote mailboxes and virtual offices you do not work from are not eligible.
- Service-area business? Hide your address. If you go to customers, Google says to hide the address and set a service area instead.
- Pick the fewest accurate categories. One primary category that describes your core business. Do not add categories as keywords.
- Have proof ready. Business license, registration, utility bill or invoice with the same name and address. You may need it for video or an appeal.
If you do not have a storefront, you still qualify as long as you serve customers in person. Online-only businesses are not eligible.
How to Start Verification
How you start depends on whether a listing for your business already exists on Google Maps.
No listing yet
- Go to business.google.com/add.
- Click Add your business to Google.
- Enter your name, category, address or service area, phone and website.
- Choose a verification option and follow the steps.
Listing already on Maps
- Search your business name and city in Google Maps.
- Select the listing, then Claim this business and Manage now. On mobile, it sits under the About tab.
- Choose a verification option and follow the steps.
If someone else already verified the listing, do not create a second one. Request ownership from the current owner instead. Duplicate profiles confuse Google and are a common reason for suspensions.
Every Verification Method Explained
Google decides which methods you see based on your business type, location and history. Its help page says plainly that these options are chosen automatically and cannot be changed. Some businesses have to complete more than one.
Video recording
Record a continuous clip of at least 30 seconds in the Google Maps or Google app. Now one of the most common methods Google offers.
Phone or text
Google calls or texts a code to your business number. Phone menus (IVR) cannot receive the call, so a real person or mobile has to answer.
Google sends a code or link to the email address shown on the verification screen. You can only use it if you can access that inbox.
Live video call
A Google support rep walks you through a video call at your business. Only offered to some businesses, and only during your business hours.
Postcard
A 5-digit code mailed to your address. Most arrive within 14 days and the code expires after 30 days.
Instant verification
Some businesses are verified instantly because they already verified their website in Google Search Console. Chains with 10+ locations can use bulk verification.
If phone, text or email shows up, take it. It is the fastest route. If you also own the business website, verifying it in Google Search Console first can make some profiles eligible for instant verification.
How to Pass Video Verification
Video is where most owners get stuck. Google's own rules are short: the video must be at least 30 seconds, one continuous take with no edits, and recorded and uploaded live from your phone through your Business Profile. You cannot film it earlier and upload it later.
What your video has to show
- Where you are. Street signs, building numbers, nearby businesses or landmarks, so Google can match you to the spot on Maps.
- That the business exists. Storefronts: your sign with the business name on a permanent fixture, matching the profile. Service-area businesses: your tools, equipment, branded van, uniform or business cards.
- That you manage it. Something only staff can access, like unlocking the door, the till, the kitchen or the stock room. Service-area businesses can show themselves doing the work, or a permit, invoice or utility bill in the business name.
How to record it
- Open your profile in the Google Maps or Google app on your phone and tap Get verified.
- Tap Business video, then Next. Allow camera, microphone and location access.
- Tap Start recording. Start outside with the street, walk to your sign, then go inside to show staff-only areas.
- Tap stop, watch it back, and use Try again if something is missing.
- Tap Upload video.
Keep out of frame: other people's faces, bank or tax numbers, ID numbers and any private information. Plan your route before you hit record so the take stays continuous.
After You Submit
Codes by phone, text and email verify you as soon as you enter them. For video and other reviewed methods, Google says its review takes up to 5 business days, and in rare cases longer. You either pass, or Google tells you why you did not.
While you wait
- Do not edit your name, address or category. Changes during review can reset the process or make a postcard code stop working.
- Do not request a second postcard. A new code cancels the first one and makes the wait longer.
- Never share the code. Google will never ask you for it. Neither should anyone helping you.
Verification Not Working? Fixes
These are the problems owners hit most, and what to do about each one.
My video was rejected
Open your profile and tap Review issues. Google lists what was missing, for example the business name not visible on the storefront, no nearby area shown, or no proof you run the business. Record a new video with everything from the first one plus the missing part.
"Get verified" keeps coming back
Google could not fully verify you. Start again, and pick a different method if one is offered. Check that your name and address match your signage and documents exactly.
Google asks for more information
This usually follows a recent change to your business details. Tap Get verified and verify again using the updated information.
The phone code never arrives
Phone menu systems (IVR) cannot receive Google's call. Use a line a person answers, or choose text if offered.
I only get the postcard option
Request one postcard and wait. Most arrive within 14 days and codes expire after 30. Do not edit the profile or request a new code in the meantime. Verifying your site in Search Console may unlock instant verification for some businesses, but Google does not promise it.
My profile was verified and then suspended
That is a separate problem with its own appeal process. Follow our guide on fixing a suspended Google Business Profile.
Still stuck after several tries? Post in the Google Business Profile community forum or contact Google support from the help center. Do not create a new profile for the same business to get around a failed verification.
What to Do Once You Are Verified
Verification gets you on the map. A complete, active profile is what moves you up it. Work through these in your first week.
- Fill every field. Hours, services, description, attributes and service area.
- Add real photos. Your team, your work, your vehicles and storefront.
- Ask for reviews and reply to all of them. A steady flow of reviews is one of the strongest Map Pack signals.
- Post updates. Offers, new services and seasonal news keep the profile active.
- Match your website. Same name, address and phone on your site, plus LocalBusiness schema from our local business schema generator.
For trade-specific advice, see our local SEO playbooks for plumbers, dentists and roofers. If you use GrandRanker, connecting your verified profile is covered in the setup and Google Business Profile docs.