How to verify your business on Google

To update your business name and other info on Google, you must first verify your business. When you verify your business, check that your business info is accurate and that you’re the only one who can edit it.

To avoid unnecessary verification delays, make sure your address meets our guidelines. Learn about address-entry guidelines.

Get started

Important: As a precaution in light of COVID-19, we're operating with a limited team. It may take longer than usual to connect with us. We recommend our Help Community and YouTube Channel. Thank you for your patience.

Get ready to verify

1. Before you can verify, first claim your Business Profile on Google. Learn how to add or claim your profile.
2. When you add or claim your profile, get a verification option.
   • Most local businesses verify by mail. Learn how to verify by mail.
   • Some businesses can verify by email, phone, Search Console, or video recording. Learn how to verify a service-area or hybrid business.
3. Know what to expect.
   • After you verify your business, we may ask you to review your info and make any final changes.
   • It may take a few weeks for your business info to show across Google.
   • After your info is live, you can check it in your Business Profile. To find your profile, search for your business name and city in Google Search or Maps. Search results can vary for many reasons. The results shown for you may differ from those for someone else. Learn how Google ranks local results.

Verify your business by mail

When you add or claim your Business Profile and choose to verify by mail, we send you a postcard with a unique verification code. To confirm that your business is at the listed address, you enter your unique code.

While you wait for your verification postcard:

• Don't edit your business name, address, or category.
• Don't request a new code.

If you edit your info or request a new code, we cancel the code on the postcard in the mail and send a new postcard. This step helps protect the integrity of your profile.

Step 1: Get your postcard

Important: Most postcards arrive within 14 days. Due to COVID-19, you may experience delays.

1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google My Business app .
2. Choose the business you want to verify.
3. Make sure the address that shows is accurate.
4. Request the postcard.

Step 2: Keep your code secure

Important: Google won't call you to ask for a verification code.

Don't share your verification code with anyone. This includes third parties that help manage your business on Google, like an SEO or marketing firm. Your code is unique to your business. You should be the only one who uses it.

If you share management of your profile with a trusted third party:

1. Confirm your profile and personally enter your verification code.
2. After you complete verification, add other owners and managers for your profile. Learn how to add and remove profile owners and managers.
3. After you set the owners and managers you want, transfer primary ownership of your profile to the third party. Learn how to transfer profile ownership.

Step 3: Enter your verification code

Verification codes expire after 30 days. If you update your business address, only the code you requested for your current address is valid.

Each verification code you receive is unique to your business and the particular location for which you requested verification.

After you get your postcard:

1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google My Business app .
2. Choose the business you want to verify.
3. Enter the 5-digit verification code from your postcard.
4. Submit the code.

Verify your service-area business

Some businesses can verify by email, phone, Search Console, or video recording. Learn about eligible service-area and hybrid businesses.

Option 1: Verify your business by phone or text

If your business is eligible for phone verification:

1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google My Business app .
2. Tap Verify  your phone number.
3. To get your verification code, make sure you can directly answer your business phone number or receive texts.
4. Enter the code from the automated message or text.

If you can’t find this option, you can verify your business by mail. Learn how to verify by mail.

Option 2: Verify your business by email

Important: Before you try to verify your business by email, make sure you can access the email address in the verification screen.

If your business is eligible for email verification:

1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google My Business app .
2. Choose the business you want to verify.
3. Tap Verify.
4. On the list, tap Email.
5. Follow the instructions In the verification email you receive.

If you don’t find this option, use another way to verify.

Option 3: Verify your business by video recording

In specific circumstances, you might get an option to get verified with a video of your business.

Important: You can delete your video at any time, for any reason. We use these videos for verification and abuse-prevention only. If you cancel a video upload, neither you nor Google will have access to the video. Learn how to delete your uploaded video.

Step 1: Add your video

1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google My Business app  .
2. Tap Verify now   Capture video.
3. Plan your video. In one continuous recording, include:
   • Your current location. To show your Google Maps location, capture outside signs, like your street’s name, nearby businesses, or the area around your business.
   • Business or equipment. To show that your business is at this Google Maps location, capture your operations, like stock for sale, branded equipment, marketing materials, or tools you use to serve your customers.
   • Proof of management. To show that you’re authorized to represent your business, capture your access to employee-only items or areas, like a point of sale, kitchen, storage room, non-sensitive business documents, or use your keys to open your facility. 
4. Tap Start recording. Follow the steps and record your video.
5. Tap Stop recording  Upload video.
6. The “Verify now” button is gone.

Step 2: Await review

After you upload your video, we review it. Reviews can take up to 5 business days.

• If you’re verified, you get a notification.
• If we can’t verify your business via the video, the “Verify now” button returns. You can use a different verification option.

Step 3: Delete your video

Important: You must use your computer to delete a video. You can't use your mobile device.

1. On your computer, sign in to manage your Business Profile.
2. Under “Video verification uploads,” click Delete videos.

Option 4: Verify your business instantly with Search Console

Not all business categories are eligible for instant verification.

If your business is eligible, and if you already verified your business's website with Google Search Console, you can instantly verify your Business Profile. Learn how to add a website property in Search Console.

1. Sign in to the account you used to verify your website with Search Console.
2. On your computer, sign in to manage your Business Profile.
3. Follow the steps on the screen. 

Option 5: Verify multiple businesses instantly

If you manage 10 or more locations of the same business, your business may be eligible for bulk verification.

Learn how to verify 10 or more locations in bulk.

Re-verification after info changes

To maintain high-quality business info, Google may sometimes ask previously verified businesses to verify again. A change in the info about your business you gave us can trigger this re-verification.

To re-verify your business, sign in to your Business Profile and follow the steps.

Related resources

• How to add or edit your business address
• How to request ownership if someone else verified your Business Profile
• How to report a third-party that violates Google’s policies

Tip: For more help with verification, ask a question in our community forum or contact our support team.