Verified or Invisible: Claiming Your Google Business Profile
Your verified Google Business Profile is the key to getting Google reviews from your clients, ranking in local search, showing up on Google Maps, and being recommended in AI search results. Leave it unclaimed or unverified, and that door stays locked: you may not show up at all, or you show up with incomplete information you have no way to fix.
Verifying your Google Business Profile has gotten more difficult in recent years, but that's no reason to put it off.
Why Verification Got So Strict
Google requires you to prove your business is real and that you're the one running it before it will let you claim your listing. Fake business listings and people claiming locations that aren't theirs have flooded Google Maps in recent years. As a result, Google has tightened the verification process to weed out scammers and fraudulent businesses, leading to stricter verification requirements and longer wait times.
Five ways to verify
Google determines which method you must use to verify your account based on your business type, location, and history. Here's what each one looks like.
Video. This has become the most common path, especially for new listings or any profile that's recently had its name, address, or category edited. Google may ask for a recorded video or, in some cases, a live video call with a representative. Either way, the goal is the same: prove the business is real and that you're the one running it.
Postcard. Postcard verification is still around, though less common than it used to be, especially for advisors without a physical storefront. Google mails a code to your business address, and you enter it in your dashboard once it arrives.
Phone or SMS. If your profile already has a track record, an established phone number, or a consistent web presence, Google may text or call you with a code instead. It takes minutes when it's offered, but it's not available to every business.
Email. Less common, but some businesses with a domain-based business email can verify through a link sent there.
Instant verification. If your business website is already verified through Google Search Console, you may qualify to skip the rest entirely. Using the same Google account you use to log into your existing GSC account, create your business profile (or claim it if it already exists). This option isn't available to everyone, but it's worth checking first to see if you have it.
Best Practices For Video Verification
Google's own instructions make video verification sound more straightforward than it tends to be in practice. Plenty of advisors get rejected on a first attempt over something the official guidance doesn't fully spell out.
Google requires the video to be recorded and uploaded in one sitting, straight from your phone through the Business Profile app. You can't film it on a separate camera, edit it, or save a draft and finish later, so know what you're going to show before you start.
The point of your video is to prove to Google that your business is legitimate and that you are the owner. They have very specific requirements for what can and can't be included, but generally, you want to show things like your business signage, computers running software specific to your industry or other equipment appropriate for your business type, marketing materials like business cards and brochures with your company name, etc. You want to avoid showing anything with personal information on it, including people's faces and voices. Read more about the video requirements at the Google support page here: Verify your business with a video recording.
Your Quick Win
If you haven't claimed and verified your Google Business Profile, take the first step this week. If Google tells you you need to submit a video, follow the guidance in the support page above and set aside time to submit the video. If you hit a wall or get rejected more than once, it may be worth reaching out to someone who specializes in Google Business Profile verification.
Once your profile is verified, you'll start showing up in local search, on Google Maps, and possibly even in AI search recommendations. But client reviews are where the real payoff begins, and we'll cover how to start collecting them in our next piece.
