Your profile is stuck waiting for verification, or a video attempt failed and you are not sure why, while customers still cannot find you in Maps. Google Business Profile verification is far easier when you prepare the evidence before you start, and this guide shows how.
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Quick answer
Google Business Profile verification is how Google confirms that your business is real and that you are entitled to manage it. The method Google offers varies by business, and a video recording showing your location, your equipment and proof that you run the business is now common. Prepare that evidence first, so the attempt is short and convincing.
Verification is not a box to tick once. Google can ask you to verify again later, and a profile that fails verification, or that verifies with details that do not match reality, tends to cause problems further down the line. Treat it as the moment you prove the profile describes a genuine business at a genuine place.
Failed attempts tend to come down to avoidable problems: an address that is not where the business actually operates, a name that does not match the signage, a video that never shows anything tying the place to the business, or details edited part way through the process. Each of those is fixed before you press record, not after.
The process
Do the groundwork before you start the attempt, and the attempt itself becomes the easy part.
Check that the name matches your signage and paperwork exactly, the address is where you actually operate, with the postal code in the A1A 1A1 format, and the primary category describes your main service. Fix any mismatch before verifying. Our Google Business Profile optimization work starts with exactly this check.
Have evidence ready that ties you to the business and the place: permanent signage, a business licence or registration, a utility bill or lease in the business name, branded vehicles, uniforms, tools and stock. Not all of it will be needed, but having it to hand keeps a video or any follow-up request quick.
Walk the route before recording. A sensible order is outside first, showing the street, a nearby landmark and your signage, then the entrance, then the workspace and equipment, then something only the owner or staff can do, such as letting yourself in with your key or opening the business software. Record in one unbroken take.
Once the attempt is submitted, do not edit the name, address, category or hours while Google reviews it. Changes during review can restart the process or raise new questions. Keep a note of the date, the method used and what the video showed, in case you need it later.
Do not simply try again with the same video. Work out what was missing or inconsistent, correct it on the profile or in your evidence, then retry. If repeated attempts fail, or the profile is suspended, see our suspended profile reinstatement service, which builds the case with documents.
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Methods
Google decides which methods your profile sees, and you cannot change them. After you finish, the review can take up to five business days.
| Method | When it appears | What to prepare |
|---|---|---|
| Video recording | When your business is eligible, and Google recommends it then | One unbroken take: outside and signage, the entrance, the workspace, and proof you control the business |
| Live video call | Not for every business, and only during your listed hours | Be at the business with signs, branded equipment and keys to hand |
| Phone or text | When it is shown on the profile | A business number a person answers or that receives texts, since automated systems miss the code |
| When it is shown on the profile | Access to the address on the verification screen | |
| Postcard | Not for every business | A correct mailing address. Most codes arrive within 14 days and expire after 30, so do not edit the name, address or category, or request a new code, while you wait |
Your situation
If you are setting up from scratch, read our Google Business Profile guide first.
Show the exterior with permanent signage and a street sign or landmark, then the entrance, the space customers use and the tools of the trade. Showing that you can open the premises, or the point of sale, ties you to the place.
You can hide your address and list up to 20 service areas, but you still verify a real base. Show your branded vehicle, tools and equipment, and business documents. Keep service areas within about two hours of driving from that base.
Your home can be your base if that is where the business genuinely runs. Hide the address from customers if they do not visit. Show the equipment, stock, vehicle or workspace that proves the business operates there, plus business documents.
Permanent signage is strong evidence, so if you can, install it before verifying. Until then, lean on registration documents, a lease or utility bill in the business name, equipment on site and branded materials.
Re-verification
Google can ask you to verify again, and significant edits are a common point for it: a new business name, a move to a different address or a change of primary category. Plan those changes, make them one at a time, and have fresh evidence ready, such as new signage photos after a rebrand or a lease for the new address.
If your profile vanishes from Maps after an edit, check whether it is waiting for re-verification before assuming something worse. Our guide to a Google Business Profile not showing walks through the other causes.
FAQ
The things Canadian business owners ask before they commission anything. If yours is not here, put it in the form.
No. Google's guidelines do not allow a virtual office, mailbox or co-working desk used to fake a location, and a profile built on one can be suspended even after it passes verification. Use the real place you work from, or hide your address as a service-area business.
It should show where you are, that the business operates there and that you manage it. Start outside with signage and a street sign or landmark, move to the entrance and workspace, show equipment or stock, then do something only the business can, such as opening up with your own key. Record in one take.
Yes. Service-area businesses verify like any other, even though the address is hidden from customers. Show a real base, such as your home office or yard, along with branded vehicles, tools and business documents. Then list up to 20 service areas within about two hours of driving.
Usually because something did not match or prove enough. Common causes are a name that differs from the signage, an address that is not where the business operates, a video that never ties the place to the business, or edits made during review. Fix the cause before retrying with the same evidence.
It can. Google can ask for re-verification, and a request may follow changes to key details such as the business name, address or primary category. Plan significant edits, make them one at a time and keep fresh evidence ready, such as new signage photos after a rebrand.
No. Verification proves a new or edited profile is real. Reinstatement is for a profile Google has suspended, and it is requested through Google's appeal process with evidence such as licences, signage photos and utility bills. Creating a new profile instead of appealing creates a duplicate and does not fix the cause.
Start here
Ask for a free local SEO audit and we will check the details verification depends on, score your Google Business Profile out of 100 and send a geo-grid map pack snapshot.
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A specialist reads every request and replies personally.
Book a time that suits you, or send a message on WhatsApp.