Verifying Your Business on Google Maps: Methods, Video Steps and Fixing Problems

Verifying your business on Google Maps means verifying your Business Profile on Google, which carries no fee from Google. Google decides which methods you get, such as phone, email, video or a postcard. Google says its verification review takes up to 5 business days. This guide explains each method, video verification step by step, and what to do when the process stalls.

What follows comes from Google's Business Profile help pages as we read them on 20 October 2026. Sentences in quotation marks are Google's words, exactly.

What does verifying or authenticating mean?

People type "prove ownership on Google Maps" or "authenticate a location on Google Maps", and Google calls it verifying your business. Google says: "To edit your business info on Google, such as business name or business hours, and interact with customers, you need to verify your business." It adds: "When you verify your business on Google, you gain ownership of your Business Profile and can make sure your business info is accurate."

So verification is the condition for editing your profile's details and interacting with customers from it. It comes after your business exists on Google. If it does not, start with adding your business to Google Maps, and for owners versus managers read what a Google Business Profile is.

The verification methods Google lists

The decision is Google's, not yours. It says: "Verification methods are automatically determined by Google and can’t be changed." It explains: "The verification options available to you depend on your business type, public info, region, or business hours." You may sometimes need more than one method. The methods it lists:

• Phone or text: make sure you can answer calls or receive texts on the business number, since interactive voice response (IVR) systems cannot receive the code.
• Email: make sure you can use the address shown on the screen, then follow the steps in the message.
• Video recording: Google says: "If your business is eligible for video verification, we recommend that you use this option."
• Live video call: not available to every business, and only within your location's business hours.
• Postcard: not available to every business. Google says: "Most codes arrive within 14 days." The code expires after 30 days. Do not edit the business name, address or category while you wait, and do not request a new code, which cancels the first.
• Search Console and bulk verification: in some cases Google verifies a profile instantly if you verified your website in Search Console or used bulk verification.

Do not share the verification code. Google says: "Google will never ask for your verification code." It advises against sharing it even with those who manage your profile.

Video verification step by step

The video requirements, from Google's page:

• It is filmed live. A pre-recorded video, or one recorded offline and uploaded later, is not allowed.
• A complete, unique, unedited recording with no breaks, at least 30 seconds long.
• Recorded and uploaded from a mobile device through your Business Profile.
• No sensitive info such as bank account or ID numbers, and no other people's faces.

The steps on your phone:

1. Open your Business Profile and tap Get verified.
2. Tap Business video, then Next, and read the video requirements.
3. Allow location, camera and microphone access if asked, then tap Next and Start recording.
4. Record, then review the video and tap Try again if something is missing.
5. Tap Upload video and wait for the review, which takes up to 5 business days.

What do you show in the video?

Google asks for three things, and the details depend on your type of business. For a business with a storefront:

• Your location: street signs, building numbers and nearby businesses.
• Proof the business exists: your storefront or signage, with the business name clearly printed on a permanent fixture and matching your profile.
• Proof you manage it: "things only an employee can access", such as opening a cash register, kitchen or storage room, or using a point-of-sale system.

For a service-area business: street signs and landmarks at your address, the tools, equipment or business cards that show your business exists, and either performing a service, unlocking a branded vehicle, or showing a business permit or invoice with the same name as your profile.

If the video is not accepted, tap Review issues and Google shows the reasons, for example "Business name not visible on storefront." Record a new video with what you showed first plus what was missing. You can delete the video at any time from the advanced settings of your profile.

Common problems and what Google says

Verification is pending or under review

Google says: "verification reviews take up to 5 business days. On rare occasions, reviews may take longer." What to do: wait, and do not edit the name, address or category if you are waiting for a postcard.

The Get verified button is back, or more info was requested

Google says that when the button returns, it "couldn’t completely verify your business." What to do: try again, or try another method if your profile shows one. If you are asked for extra info, Google says it is likely because some business details were recently updated, so tap Get verified and re-verify.

Verification failed or the profile was suspended

A suspension is a different route from verification. Google's suspension page says: "Do not create a new Business Profile for the same business." What to do: submit an appeal in the appeals tool, optionally attaching supporting evidence such as business registration, a business license, tax certificates or utility bills whose name and address match the profile. Google says appeals can only be submitted once. The detail is in suspended and reinstated profiles.

A duplicate profile

Google says: "You can have only one Business Profile for each business." A profile considered a duplicate does not show on Google Search or Maps. What to do: if you created a duplicate by mistake, you can remove it without affecting your verified listing, but removing it also removes its content and linked managers.

Someone else verified your business's profile

If your business's profile is verified by someone else, request ownership from the current owner, who has 3 days to respond. The steps are in transferring Google Business Profile ownership.

If the problem continues, Google advises trying the available methods first, then contacting support from your profile.

No storefront, or a service-area business

Google says: "If your business doesn’t have a storefront with clear signage but travels to customers at their physical locations, you’re allowed one service-area Business Profile." A service-area business cannot list a virtual office "unless that office is staffed during business hours". The video page covers service-area businesses with its own requirements, summarised above, and adds: "If your business doesn’t have permanent on-site signage, list it as a service-area business instead of storefront."

A business that operates online only and offers no in-person services is different. For that case Google says: "you’re not eligible for a Business Profile".

Can SMTAK help with verification?

SMTAK offers paid help with the verification process, called the Google Maps verification service. To be clear: Google does not charge for a Business Profile, and you can do every step above yourself at no cost. SMTAK is not Google and does not represent it. We cannot guarantee that Google accepts a verification, because that decision is Google's alone. The business owner performs Google's steps, and we never ask for your account password or your verification code. Once you are verified, you can create a Google review link and QR code for your customers.