How it works
- Choose the kind of business you run. The shot examples change with it, and a chain of 10 or more locations gets the bulk verification checks first.
- Choose the verification method Google shows on your profile.
- Follow the shot list and script, or the code checks, then print the plan or send it to your phone on WhatsApp.
How can a Google Business Profile location be verified?
Google verifies a location by checking two things: that the business is real at that place, and that you are the one running it. Google's verification page lists five ways to prove it: a code by phone call or text, steps sent by email, a live video call with a Google representative, a video you record on your phone, and a code on a postcard. A few profiles skip all five and are verified instantly, and chains of 10 or more locations can ask for bulk verification.
| Method | What Google sends or asks for | Where you finish it | After you finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phone call or text (SMS) | What Google sends or asks forA code to the business phone number on the profile | Where you finish itThe Code field on the profile | After you finishGoogle's review, up to 5 business days |
| What Google sends or asks forSteps sent to the address shown on the verification screen | Where you finish itThe link and steps in that email | After you finishGoogle's review, up to 5 business days | |
| Live video call | What Google sends or asks forA Google representative who watches you show the business, during its hours | Where you finish itOn the call, at the business | After you finishGoogle's review, up to 5 business days |
| Video recording | What Google sends or asks forOne unedited take of at least 30 seconds, filmed live in the profile (video rules) | Where you finish itUpload from your phone | After you finishGoogle's review, up to 5 business days |
| Postcard | What Google sends or asks forA 5-digit code by mail to the business address | Where you finish itThe Code field on the profile | After you finishMost codes arrive within 14 days and expire after 30 |
| Instant | What Google sends or asks forNothing new, when your website is already verified in Google Search Console | Where you finish itNo extra step | After you finishVerified straight away, when Google applies it |
| Bulk (10+ locations) | What Google sends or asks forA form about the whole chain (bulk rules) | Where you finish itBusiness Profile Manager, Verifications tab | After you finishGoogle reviews the account and may contact you |
Every method starts at the same button. Sign in, search for your business name or for "my business", open the profile and select Get verified. Google says the methods it shows are set automatically and can't be changed, and that some businesses have to complete more than one.
Which verification method will Google give me?
Google decides from your business type, your public information, your region and your business hours (Google help). An owner can't ask for a method that isn't listed. What an owner controls is whether the profile tells the truth a reviewer can check: the same name as the signboard, the real address or service area, and a phone number someone answers. What Google asks to see also depends on the kind of business:
| Business type | What it is | What Google asks you to show |
|---|---|---|
| Storefront | What it isCustomers come in during business hours; the place has permanent signage | What Google asks you to showRoad signs, building numbers or nearby businesses, the signboard with the name on your profile, and something only staff can open, like a cash register or storage room (Google's video rules) |
| Hybrid | What it isServes customers at its address and also visits or delivers, like a restaurant that delivers | What Google asks you to showThe same proof as a storefront; the profile can show the address and a service area (service-area rules) |
| Service-area | What it isGoes to customers and doesn't serve them at its address, like a plumber or a cleaning service | What Google asks you to showMarkers near the business address, the tools or branded items you work with, and you doing the work or a business document. The address comes off the profile (Google help) |
| Home-based | What it isA service-area business run from home | What Google asks you to showLandmarks and signs in your immediate neighbourhood, which Google names as enough to confirm the address |
| Chain with 10+ locations | What it isTen or more locations of the same business | What Google asks you to showA bulk verification request for the whole chain; Google may still ask for a video at a location (bulk rules) |
| Online-only | What it isSells online and never meets customers in person | What Google asks you to showNothing: it isn't eligible for a Business Profile (eligibility rules) |
Which method should you choose when Google offers several?
Choose by who will be there when the code or the call arrives, not by which method sounds fastest. Google says a phone code can't get through an IVR menu, and a receptionist who hangs up on a caller saying "Google" loses it just the same.
| Method | Pick it when | Skip it when |
|---|---|---|
| Phone call or text | Pick it whenThe profile's number reaches a person, or a mobile that gets texts | Skip it whenThe number goes to an IVR menu, a call centre or a landline nobody answers |
| Pick it whenYou can open the exact inbox shown on the verification screen | Skip it whenThe address belongs to a former employee, an agency or your web developer | |
| Live video call | Pick it whenYou can be at the business during its listed hours, with the signboard and a staff-only area to show | Skip it whenThe business is closed at the times you can call |
| Video recording | Pick it whenYour signboard shows the business name and you can film one unbroken take | Skip it whenThe signage is missing, temporary or covered |
| Postcard | Pick it whenNo other method is offered, or the others failed | Skip it whenYou plan to change the name, address or category in the next few weeks |
Google Business verification code: where do you enter it?
A phone call, a text and a postcard each bring a code; a postcard code has 5 digits. The code goes into the Code field of the profile that asked for it: open the profile on Google Search or Maps, select Get verified (or Enter code), type the code and select Submit (Google help).
The short address printed on postcards, google.com/verifymybusiness, is a redirect. On 9 October 2026 it led to Google's verification page at business.google.com/verify. Either address works, as long as you are signed in to the Google account that requested the code; typed into another account, the code won't verify the profile.
Code never came, or Google says it's wrong? The verification code not received guide goes through what fails for each method, from IVR menus to a postcard cancelled by a newer request.
How do you verify with a phone call, text or email?
For a call or a text, Google sends the code to the business phone number on the profile. Google warns that Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems won't get the code, so a "press 1 for appointments" menu swallows it. Before you select Phone or SMS, decide who will hold that phone for the next few minutes.
- A landline on the profile: a landline can't receive a text, so choose the call.
- A receptionist or a shared phone: tell whoever answers that a call with a code is coming, to write it down and to give it to nobody but you.
- Email: Google says to make sure you can use the address on the verification screen. If it belongs to someone who no longer works with you, choose another method.
- A company address: Google suggests linking a company email to your Google Account, which makes the profile easier to manage (Google help).
In India, check that the number on the profile is written with +91 and belongs to a mobile the owner keeps. Google's verification page is also available in Hindi, which helps when a family member or a staff member follows the steps.
How do you verify a Google Business Profile with video?
There are two video methods. A recording is one unedited take of at least 30 seconds, filmed live and uploaded from your phone through the profile (Google's video rules). A live video call is a session with a Google representative, and it runs only during your location's business hours (Google help).
Both check the same three things: where the business is, that it exists, and that you run it. The planner at the top of this page turns those three into shots for your type of business, with a 45-second script for a recording. For full shot lists for a clinic, a salon and a café, and the fix for each rejection reason, read the video verification guide.
- Keep other people's faces, bank, tax and ID numbers, and any private information out of the frame (Google's rules).
- If the upload fails, Google's advice is to upload it again (Google's video FAQ).
- You can delete the video afterwards under Business Profile settings, Advanced settings; if you don't, Google deletes it later (Google help).
How do you verify Google Business Profile without video?
Only when Google lists another method for your profile. Google says the methods are set automatically and can't be changed, so no setting turns the video step off. When video is the only option and you can't film the business, these are the routes that exist:
- Fix what Google reads. The methods depend on your business type, public information, region and hours (Google help). If any of those were wrong, correct them and look at Get verified again.
- Verify your website in Search Console. A website verified in Google Search Console is one of the two cases where Google says a profile can be verified instantly.
- Apply for bulk verification if you run 10 or more locations of the same business, knowing Google may still ask for a video at a location (bulk rules).
- Contact support after you have tried the methods offered. Google asks owners to try the available methods first, because it makes support easier (Google help).
Verifying by postcard: what to do while you wait
A postcard is only possible when Google offers it. Check the mailing address on the screen before you request it, then leave the profile alone: Google says editing the business name, address or category makes the code in the mail stop working, and requesting a new code cancels the old one. Most codes arrive within 14 days and expire after 30.
For an Indian address, write it the way the post office delivers to you: building and floor, area, a landmark, city and the 6-digit PIN code. A P.O. box in a remote location is not accepted as a business address (Google's eligibility rules), so use the address where the business really is.
Instant and bulk verification
Google says it sometimes verifies a profile instantly: when you have verified your website in Google Search Console, or when you use bulk verification. Adding a website to Search Console takes a few steps of its own (Search Console help).
Bulk verification is for 10 or more locations of the same business in one account or business group (Google's bulk verification page). Google's conditions:
- Agencies with more than one business in one account can't bulk verify.
- Service-area businesses can't bulk verify.
- Duplicate, suspended and disabled profiles don't count towards the 10.
- The spreadsheet must list every location you manage; Google may ask for evidence if it doesn't match the size of the chain.
- The request goes from Business Profile Manager: Verifications, then Chain, then Start. Uploading a spreadsheet alone sends no request.
Bulk verification can also be taken away: Google may de-verify accounts that don't actively manage their profiles (Google help). Choose Chain with 10+ locations in the planner and it runs through these checks before the method plan.
How long does Google Business Profile verification take?
Google says its review takes up to 5 business days after you complete a method, and on rare occasions longer. Before that review starts, each method has its own wait:
| Method | What you wait for first | Google's numbers |
|---|---|---|
| Phone call or text | What you wait for firstThe call or message to the business number | Google's numbersReview up to 5 business days |
| What you wait for firstThe email at the address on the screen | Google's numbersReview up to 5 business days | |
| Live video call | What you wait for firstA representative to join, during business hours | Google's numbersReview up to 5 business days |
| Video recording | What you wait for firstNothing: you upload when the take is right | Google's numbersReview up to 5 business days (video help) |
| Postcard | What you wait for firstThe card in the mail | Google's numbersMost arrive within 14 days; the code expires after 30 |
| Instant | What you wait for firstNothing | Google's numbersVerified at once, when Google applies it |
When verification succeeds, Google sends a confirmation email (Google help). That email is the clearest sign the wait is over.
How do you check your Google Business Profile verification status?
Open the profile while signed in to the Google account that manages it. What you see there tells you where verification stands:
| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| No Get verified button, and Google's confirmation email in your inbox | What it meansVerified | What to doIf someone helps you, add them as an owner or manager with their own Google account |
| Get verified, and you haven't tried a method yet | What it meansNot verified yet | What to doStart with any method on the list |
| Get verified again, after you finished a method | What it meansGoogle couldn't completely verify the business (Google help) | What to doVerify again; if more than one method is listed, try another |
| Review issues | What it meansYour video wasn't accepted (Google help) | What to doOpen it, read the reasons and record a new video that adds what was missing |
| A request for more information | What it meansBusiness details changed recently and Google wants to confirm them (Google help) | What to doSelect Get verified and follow the steps |
| A suspended or disabled notice | What it meansThe profile broke a guideline; this is not a verification problem | What to doAppeal through Google's appeal steps |
A suspension needs an appeal, not another verification attempt; the suspended profile guide covers the evidence Google accepts.
When verification isn't the real problem
- Someone else already owns the profile. You can't verify a profile another account owns. Request ownership first.
- There are two profiles for the same place. Verify the one with your reviews, then follow the duplicate profile guide.
- You are in the wrong Google account. If Get verified is missing, check the account in the top corner before anything else.
- You changed the name, address or category. Google says changes to business info may require verifying again (Google help).
- Someone offers to verify the profile for a fee. Google says Business Profile can be used at no charge (third-party tips), and only the owner or an authorized representative may verify a business (Google's ownership rules).
Example: a dental clinic in Pune with three options
This example is illustrative. Brightsmile Dental opens Get verified and sees three options: Phone, Email and Business video. The listed number rings at the front desk through a "press 1 for appointments" menu, so a phone code would hit the IVR. The email shown belongs to the old website developer. The clinic has a lit signboard with its name and a sterilisation room only staff enter.
The owner picks Business video and films at 11 am, when the board is easy to read: the signboard and building number, the shops on either side, the reception desk, then the owner unlocking the sterilisation room. The take runs 48 seconds with no cuts, and Google approves it three working days later. With the phone option, the IVR would have answered and the code would have been lost.
Method and limits
Every rule in the planner and the guide comes from Google's Business Profile Help pages, checked on 9 October 2026, and links to the page it comes from. The example shots for each business type are suggestions that meet those rules, not extra rules. Where Google gives no rule, the planner says nothing.
Privacy
The helper runs in your browser. Nothing you pick or type is sent to Reach.
Questions
- How do I verify my Google Business account?
- Sign in to the Google account that manages the profile, open the profile on Google Search or Maps, select Get verified and finish one of the methods listed. Google then reviews it, which takes up to 5 business days.
- What is google.com/verifymybusiness?
- The short address printed on Google's verification postcards. It redirects to Google's verification page, where you sign in and enter the 5-digit code.
- Where do I find my Google Business verification code?
- It comes by the method you chose: a call or a text to the business number, or a postcard at the business address. Email verification sends steps, not a code. Google never asks you to read the code out (Google help).
- Can I verify my Google Business Profile without a postcard?
- Yes, when Google lists another method for your profile. The methods are set automatically and can't be changed, so you choose among the ones shown.
- Is my business verified on Google?
- Open your profile while signed in. No Get verified button and a confirmation email from Google mean it is verified. A Get verified button means it isn't, or the last attempt didn't succeed.
- How long does Google Business Profile verification take?
- Up to 5 business days of review after you complete a method, rarely longer. A postcard adds delivery time first; Google says most arrive within 14 days (Google help).
- How long should a Google verification video be?
- At least 30 seconds, in one unedited take (Google's video rules). The planner's script runs about 45 seconds, which leaves room for all three things Google asks to see.
- Can someone else verify my business for me?
- Only the owner or an authorized representative may verify a business (Google's ownership rules). Once it's verified, add the people who help you as owners or managers, each with their own Google account.
- Do I need to verify again after changing my address?
- Possibly. Google says changes to your business info may require verifying again (Google help).
- Can an online-only business be verified?
- No. Google says a business that operates only online and offers no in-person service isn't eligible for a Business Profile, so it can't be verified (Google help).
- Why do I get calls offering to verify my Google business?
- Those calls usually come from third parties, not Google. Google's advice: ask anyone who says they work for Google for their name and an email from an @google.com address (Google's third-party tips). Never read a verification code out on a call.