You’ve set up your Google Business Profile, filled in every field, and Google wants you to verify it. Then it asks for a video. Or a postcard that doesn’t come. Or it says your verification is “under review” and goes quiet for a week.
Verification is Google checking that the business is real and that you’re the one who runs it. Until it’s done, your profile won’t show properly, you can’t reply to reviews, and your photos won’t go live.
Here’s how Google Business Profile verification works in 2026: every method Google uses, how to pass video verification first time, how long it takes, and what to do when it fails.
How do I verify my Google Business Profile?
- Sign in to the Google Account you want to manage the business with, and find your business on Google Search or Maps.
- Open your Business Profile and select Get verified.
- Choose from the methods Google offers you, and follow the steps.
- Wait while Google reviews it. That’s up to five business days, and occasionally longer.
- Google emails you when you’re verified.
Which methods you see isn’t up to you. Google says they’re chosen automatically and can’t be changed. They depend on your type of business, the public information about it, your region and your opening hours. You might be asked to verify more than one way.
Google Business Profile verification methods
| Method | How it works | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Phone or text | Get verified, then Phone or SMS. Google sends a code. | Automated phone menus can’t receive the call |
| Get verified, then Email. Google sends a code. | Only if Google offers it | |
| Video recording | A short, unedited video from your phone, reviewed by Google | Fails if Google can’t see the three things below |
| Live video call | A call with Google support, during your opening hours, at the business | Not offered to everyone |
| Postcard | A 5-digit code by post, usually within 14 days | Not offered to everyone; the code expires after 30 days |
| Instant | Automatic, if your website is verified in Google Search Console | Only for some businesses |
| Bulk | For ten or more locations of one business | Not for service-area businesses or agencies |
Google now recommends video when it’s offered, and says postcards aren’t available to everyone. So video is the method to get right.
How to pass Google Business Profile video verification
Google wants one continuous, unedited clip of at least 30 seconds, recorded live and uploaded from your phone through the profile itself. Not a video you made earlier. Not something stitched together.
In that clip, it needs to see three things.
- Where you are. Street signs, the shopfront next door, landmarks. For a service-area business run from home, film the local area around you.
- That the business exists. Permanent signage with the same name as your profile for a shop or office. Tools, branded equipment or a liveried van for a trade.
- That you run it. Unlocking the door, opening the till or the kitchen, doing a job, unlocking the van, or a permit, invoice or bill in the business’s name.
Leave out anything private. Google says no bank, tax or ID numbers and no other people’s faces.
To record it: open your profile on your phone, tap Get verified, choose Business video, Start recording, and when you’re done, Upload video. Google reviews it within five business days.
Plan the shot before you press record. Walk it once without filming. The failures Google gives as examples are a business name that isn’t visible on the premises, no surrounding area shown, and no proof you’re authorised to run the business. Our guide to getting a suspended profile back covers the same video in more detail, because Google asks for it there too.
How long does it take for Google to verify your business profile?
Up to five business days once you’ve submitted, and Google says it’s rarely longer. Even after you’ve entered a phone or email code, Google may still review the profile before confirming it.
Postcards are the slow one. Most arrive within 14 days, and the code expires after 30. While you wait, don’t change your business name, address or category, because the code stops working. And don’t request a new postcard, because that cancels the first one.
How much does it cost to verify your business on Google?
Nothing. Google Business Profiles are free, and so is verification. Google says it will never ask you for your postcard code, and nobody from Google will ring asking for payment to verify you. If someone does, it’s a scam.
Why does Google keep making me verify my business?
Because you changed something important. Editing your name, address, category or other key details can trigger re-verification. Google treats it as normal, not as a problem.
If “Get verified” keeps appearing after you’ve been through it, try a different method if one’s offered. If your profile shows “Review issues”, follow the steps on screen.
Why Google Business Profile verification fails
- The name on the video doesn’t match the profile. Your signage says one thing, your profile says another.
- There’s no permanent sign. Google says a business without one should be listed as a service-area business, with the address hidden.
- The set-up isn’t eligible. Virtual offices, PO boxes and mailbox addresses, co-working spaces without your own signage and staff, online-only businesses, lead generation and rental properties can’t be verified at that address.
- The phone line has an automated menu. The verification call can’t get through it.
- You edited the profile while waiting for a postcard. The code stopped working.
Try every method Google offers you first. If none works, contact Google Business Profile support through the help centre or ask in the Business Profile community forum.
Verified, then suspended?
That’s a different problem. A suspended profile is hidden from customers and needs an appeal, with evidence such as your registration, a utility bill or a licence, uploaded within an hour of opening the form. Don’t create a new profile while the appeal is open. Our suspended profile guide goes through it step by step.
Is it worth getting verified on Google?
If customers look for you on Google, yes. A verified profile is what puts you in the map results with your hours, reviews, photos and a button to ring you. Without verification, you can’t manage any of that, and you can’t reply to a single review.
It’s also free, and for many businesses it’s a minute or two of filming. Our Google Business Profile guide covers what to do once you’re in.
Other questions people ask about Google Business Profile verification
Can I verify a Google Business Profile without a postcard?
Usually, yes. Google now favours video, and offers phone, text, email or instant verification to some businesses. You can’t choose, though: Google decides which methods you see.
Can I verify my business if I work from home?
Yes, as a service-area business with your address hidden. In a video, film the local area, your tools or equipment, and proof you run the business, such as an invoice in its name.
Can I verify a Google Business Profile for a client?
The person verifying has to be able to show they run the business, so the owner usually records the video. An agency can then be added as a manager.
What happens after my profile is verified?
Google emails you, your edits and photos can go live, and you can reply to reviews. Photos are only shown once a profile is verified.
