How-to · Updated October 11, 2026
Fix a Business Profile verification that failed or is stuck
Updated October 11, 2026
20 minutes, then up to 5 business days
Before trying again, make the profile match what Google checks: the name on your sign and paperwork, and no public address if customers never visit. Use the method Google offers, record any video live in one unedited take of at least 30 seconds, and while a postcard is coming, leave the name, address and category unchanged.
Before you start
- The Google Account that owns the profile. Google says you must sign in to the account associated with the profile to find it.
- A phone at the business, or at your base if you serve customers elsewhere. Video verification is recorded and uploaded from a mobile device through the profile, live.
- Three things to show on camera: where you are (street signs, a building number, nearby businesses), that the business exists (signage, branded equipment or vehicle, tools), and that you run it (something only staff can open, or a permit, invoice or utility bill in the business name).
Read what the profile is telling you
The status on the profile tells you whether the video was refused, verification is incomplete, or the review is still running.
- Sign in to the owning account and search Google for my business, or for the business name and city.
- If the profile shows Review issues, your video was not accepted. Select it and read the reasons. Google's examples include "Business name not visible on storefront", "No nearby area shown" and "Missing proof of authorization to operate the business".
- If Get verified has appeared again, Google could not completely verify the business. If instead you are asked for more information to re-verify, Google says that is likely because business details were recently updated.
- If nothing has changed after 5 business days and no message appeared, the review is taking longer than Google's usual time. Google says reviews take up to 5 business days and, on rare occasions, longer.
Fix the profile before you try again
A video or postcard proves the details on the profile. When the details are wrong, a perfect recording still fails, so correct them first and verify once.
- Make the Business name match the name on your permanent sign, or, if you have no sign, the name on your branding and business documents. Google says the name shown in the video must match the name on the profile.
- If customers never come to your address, remove the address and list a service area. Google says a business without permanent on-site signage should be listed as a service-area business, and a service-area business should not add its address.
- Stop here if the business is online only. Google says an online-only business is not eligible for a Business Profile and cannot be verified.
Verify again with the method offered
Google picks the methods from your business type, public information, region and hours, and they cannot be changed. Use whichever appears; Google recommends video when it is offered, and may ask for more than one method.
- Video: on your phone, open the profile, tap Get verified (enter your phone number and tap Next if asked), then Business video, then Next. Read the requirements, tap Next, then Start recording. Record one continuous, unedited take of at least 30 seconds, review it, then tap Upload video.
- On a second attempt, show everything from the first video plus each item Google said was missing. Keep bank, tax and ID numbers, private information and other people's faces out of the frame.
- Phone or text: select Get verified, then Phone or SMS, and enter the code. Google says phone menu systems (IVR) won't get the code, so if calls to the number pass through a menu, choose a text if the profile offers one, or use another method.
- Email: select Get verified, then Email, and follow the steps in the email. Use it only if you can open the address shown on the verification screen.
- Live video call: select Get verified, then Live video call, then Next, while you are at the business. Google says live calls are only available within the location's business hours.
- Postcard: select Get verified, then Postcard, confirm the mailing address and request the code. Do not edit the name, address or category, and do not request a new code, while you wait. Either one makes the mailed code useless.
Most postcards arrive within 14 days and the code expires after 30 days. Enter the 5-digit code in the Code field on the profile and select Submit.
Check it worked
Google sends a confirmation email when the business is verified, and the Get verified button should no longer show on the profile. Google says reviews take up to 5 business days, and longer on rare occasions.
If a second video fails, try any other method the profile lists. Google asks you to try the available methods before contacting support, and says that makes it easier for support to help.
Why a verified profile asks to be verified again
Google says changes to business info may require re-verification. A name change after verification might, and a move to a new address must. Make those edits deliberately, once, and be ready for a verification step to follow.
Getting verified without a video or postcard
Google says it sometimes verifies a profile instantly when the business's website is already verified in Google Search Console, or when the profiles are verified in bulk.
Deleting the verification video
On your phone, open the profile and tap More Business Profile settings, then Advanced settings, then under "Video uploads" tap Delete videos. Google deletes the video later if you do not.