Google Business Profile verification: methods, timing and the video call
An unverified profile is easy to miss and can't be fully managed. Here is how Google verifies a business, why you can't choose the method, how long it takes, and exactly what to show if Google asks for video.
Google chooses how you verify a Business Profile, and you can't change the method it offers: phone or text, email, a video recording, a live video call or a postcard. Google's reviews take up to five business days. Postcards usually arrive within 14 days and their codes expire after 30. On video, show your signboard and street, your products or tools, and proof you run the place.
Sources: Google
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The five ways Google verifies a business
Google confirms that you really run the business, and that it is where you say, in one of five ways: a code by phone or text, an email, a recorded video, a live video call with Google support, or a code by post. Your profile shows only the methods Google has picked for you.
From Google's Verify your business on Google, read on 24 October 2026. Part of our guides to Google reviews and Maps.
| Method | What you do |
|---|---|
| Phone or text | What you doGoogle sends a code to the business phone by call or SMS; you enter it on the profile. |
| What you doGoogle emails you; you follow the steps in the message. | |
| Video recording | What you doYou record and upload a short video of the business. Google recommends it when your business is eligible. |
| Live video call | What you doA Google support representative joins a video call and you show the business, during its business hours. |
| Postcard | What you doGoogle posts a code to the address. It usually arrives within 14 days, and the code expires after 30. |
Can you verify without a video? Only if Google offers it
No setting or trick swaps a video for a postcard. Google's help page says verification methods are automatically determined by Google and can't be changed, and that they depend on your type of business, its public information, your region and its hours. If video is what you are offered, the fastest way through is to do it well.
One route to skip the wait. Google says verification can be instant if you have already verified your business website with Google Search Console, or use bulk verification for many locations. If your business has a website, verify it there first.
For a home-based or travelling business. Google's guidelines tell a service-area business to hide its address from customers. You still verify; you just don't show the address once you have.
What to show on the verification video, in order
Google asks to see three things, in its own words: your current location, your business or equipment, and proof that you manage the business. Pick your kind of business and you get a shot list in that order, to film in one continuous take. Do a live call during your business hours, as Google requires.
Google's three groups are fixed; the examples in each are ours, for Indian shops and offices.
- the signboard over your door, then step back so the street is in shot
- the shop next door or across the road
- a street sign or a landmark at the corner
- the products on your shelves or the chairs and equipment you work with
- a printed visiting card, menu or price list with the business name
- the billing counter or cash drawer
- unlocking the shutter or a staff-only room
Google's list for a live video call: show your current location (outside signs, nearby businesses or a street sign), your business or equipment (products, branded equipment, marketing materials or work tools), and proof you manage it (employee-only areas, a cash register, a kitchen or storage room, non-sensitive documents, or keys), from its verification page. Cover anything personal on a document before you film it.
After you submit: timing, and when Google asks again
Google says its review takes up to five business days and occasionally longer. If the Get verified button comes back, Google could not fully verify the business, so try again or use another method it offers. A later request to verify usually means recent changes to your details need confirming.
Wait up to five business days
That is the time Google gives for its review, and it says it is occasionally longer. A postcard has its own clock: usually 14 days to arrive, 30 days before the code expires.
If a video shows "Review issues"
Google says to select the notification and follow the on-screen instructions, which say what it still needs to see.
If "Get verified" reappears
The first attempt did not fully verify you. Try again, or switch to another method on offer.
Then start on the profile itself
Name, category, hours, photos and reviews: how to rank higher on Google Maps takes you through them from Google's own list.
Business Profile verification: questions
Can I verify my Google Business Profile without a video?
Only if Google offers you another method. Google says verification methods are automatically determined by Google and can't be changed; they depend on the business type, public information, the region and the business hours. If video is all you are offered, record it or take the live call.
Sources: Google
How long does Google Business Profile verification take?
Google says its reviews take up to 5 business days, occasionally longer, and a postcard usually arrives within 14 days. Verification can be instant if you have verified the business website in Google Search Console, or use bulk verification for many locations.
Sources: Google
What should I show on the Google verification video call?
Google asks for three things: where you are (outside signs, nearby businesses or a street sign), your business or equipment (products, branded equipment, marketing materials or work tools), and proof you manage it (staff-only areas, the cash register, a kitchen or storage room, non-sensitive documents, or keys to open the place).
Sources: Google
Why is Google asking me to verify again?
Google says a request for more information usually means recent changes to the business details need confirming. Select Get verified and go through it again. If the Get verified button comes back after you finished, Google could not fully verify the business; try again or use another method on offer.
Sources: Google
Does verification help my ranking on Google Maps?
Google says verifying tells it you are authorised to represent the business, so it is more likely to show up in search results. It is the first thing to do before working on reviews and the rest of the profile.
Sources: Google
Sources
Facts about other companies and the wider market come from the pages below, as published by them. Each was read on the date shown. Beeps Card prices come from our own pricing page.
- Google, Verify your business on Google - Google Business Profile Help. Checked .
- Google, Tips to improve your local ranking on Google. Checked .
- Google, Guidelines for representing your business on Google. Checked .