I Successfully Video Verified 25 Google Business Profiles in 3 Days — You Can Learn How, Too

Check out our step-by-step guide for video verifying your Google Business Profiles.

You must be verified to update your name, address, phone number, operating hours, etc. in your Google Maps business profile. Verification shows Google you have the authority and access to represent the business. 

You can verify a location by phone, email, text, or video. (No more postcards!) Now, however, video has become Google’s preferred verification method and is the only way to verify a service area business. 

Does Google make the verification process easy for multi-location businesses? Nope, and maybe that’s why you’re here. Google chooses the verification method for you, and it can’t be changed. Each verification method comes with its own challenges when you’re a multi-location business. 

If you can’t complete the verification method…then you’re kinda up $h#t creek. Want to update your operating hours? Too bad. Phone number? Not gonna happen. 

I’ve completed every Google Business verification method available (both successfully and unsuccessfully), including recent video verifications for 25 retail stores and 1 agency location. Lucky for you, we don’t gatekeep around here. I’ll share my process and best tips for successfully completing Google Business video verifications for multiple locations. 

Considerations for Verifying Multiple Corporate-Owned Locations

Video verifications are inherently challenging for corporate-owned, multi-location businesses. The bigger the company, the more layers there are between the brick-and-mortar stores and the folks at headquarters. 

You have automated phone systems to skirt, varying store hours, field managers, store managers, and store personnel who just want to do their job and do it well — and their job requirements do not include listings management. Plus, multi-location businesses are rarely within the same city. Organizing people across a dozen states and even more locations can be a headache. No, migraine. 

Easing the Process

If you’re an agency partner assisting in bulk video verifications, you can help the process go smoother by:

• Providing your corporate contact and field managers with a timeline of stores you’ll be visiting before starting the process.
• Drafting messaging that can be shared at the corporate and field level about when you’ll be arriving, what you’re doing, why it’s important, and what might be needed from store personnel. No one likes surprises or strangers showing up at their workplace! Keep this messaging concise and straightforward, and focus on what’s relevant to the field. Pocket that verbose marketing brain for a bit, and write your message so your main contact can copy and paste it directly into an email to the downstream audience.
• Sending updates to the corporate office and field managers in the morning and evening while you’re verifying. Include blocks, successes, timeline adjustments, and plans for the next day.

How to Complete Google Business Video Verification (at Scale!)

Verification day is quickly approaching. What should you expect? How do you complete the verification? What do you even include in the video?!? Take a few deep breaths. With this guide, I’ll have you successfully verifying in no time. 

Note: The following instructions and screenshots are from an iPhone and Chrome browser app. 

1. Set your expectations. Get real with yo’self. 

• Read through these instructions. “The scariest moment is always just before you start,” says Stephen King.
• Video verification must be performed in person. 
• The person performing the verification must have access to the listing. They cannot record a video and send it to a corporate office or another person to upload. 
• You will need to do some technology troubleshooting to have the right settings and browser on your smartphone. Know how to switch between screens and browser tabs on your smartphone. Ensure camera and microphone access are allowed by the browser you use.
• You may have to complete the video verification process more than once and at a later date. Google will not instantly tell you if your video was accepted. Google can take up to a week to review and approve your verification video. 

2. Access the Google Profile 

It’s video verification day, yay! Get out your smartphone. Log in to your Google Business Profile. (Huh, what? Follow the instructions below.) 

On your mobile device, click: https://www.google.com/business/   

Access your account by locating the “Manage Now” blue button. 

You will be prompted to log in. Enter the email address and password associated with the profile. Ensure that the email address has Admin, Owner, or Manager access. 

If you only manage one business, you will only see one profile once logged in. If you manage multiple businesses, you’ll see all of your locations and need to select the business you are about to verify before continuing. 

If you manage this process from a corporate office and coach a store/field manager to perform the verification, you don’t have to give them access to your entire GBP group. You can give the store/field manager access to a single location to ensure they record a video to the correct profile. 

3. Follow the prompts. 

There may be a sponsored ad at the top of your screen that you will need to scroll past. Weird, I know, but I think some people get tripped up and deceived by it! 

Once you scroll past the ad, you will see the information in the screenshot. 

Click “Get verified.”

4. Curveball! Are these your businesses? 

Google might ask you if your business is already on Google. 

None of these addresses match the business we are verifying, so select “None of These” and “Confirm.”

5. Select verification and Next.

Select a verification method by choosing Business video, and then press Next at the bottom of your screen. Google might make you feel like you have a choice here, but don’t be fooled — you’ll only be given one option. Clicking “More Options” will take you to a help page.  

6. Plan your recording. 

Preparing the following information beforehand will diminish the likelihood of not having your verification accepted. Do a practice walkthrough of your recording.

Once you start recording, you cannot stop and restart. The video must be one continuous recording.

Tip for agency or corporate partners: If you’re verifying a business at the corporate level and the store employees have never met you, this is a step you won’t want to skip. 

• Arrive at the store already logged in to the business profile. 
• Introduce yourself, mention the field manager responsible for the area, and briefly explain why you’re there, what you’ll need access to, and how long it will take. Look, act, and dress like a professional. Hand out your business cards to everyone you interact with.
• Aim to visit the store during off-hours, not peak times! 

How to plan your recording

• Walk around outside to find the best view of the building, signage, and surrounding streets and businesses. 
• Look inside the business for clues to the business type and service. If you’re verifying a bakery, you’ll want to pan over baked goods, ovens, menus, and ingredients. If you’re verifying an auto shop, show tools, tires, and cars getting worked on. 
• Ask the store manager for access to the business license or a city tax ID. These documents are usually displayed near the cash register or in the manager’s office. 
• Ask the manager for entry into an area of the store that’s limited to authorized personnel. You could walk behind the counter, operate the POS, enter a locked area, or pass through an “authorized personnel only” door. The goal is to prove you’re authorized to represent the business and have special access. Show Google that you aren’t a stranger with a smartphone!  
• Assure store employees that you will not capture faces or personal information, and this video will not be publicly posted. It’s for Google’s internal purposes only.

7. Let’s practice! 

You’ll need to cover three areas: Location, Operations, and Management. 

Walk through the following steps and pretend you’re recording. 

For Location, start your recording outside the store. Pan from the street and the surrounding buildings to the store signage. 

Continue recording as you approach the building, showing the store number/street address where possible.

For Operations, walk into the store, pan around to show products/tools, and enter the office area to show the business license or tax ID. 

Hover over this paperwork and capture the business name and address. 

For Management, continue recording as you walk into the kitchen, stock room, manager’s office, or auto bays — wherever work is completed and everyday patrons cannot go!

8. Update your phone settings. 

I completed video verifications using an iPhone and Chrome browser app. I could never get the settings just right for Safari to work. You might be prompted to allow camera and microphone access depending on your current phone settings. Allow both.

9. Record! 

It’s your time to shine, boo. You got this. 

Press the red button to begin recording. There is an overlay to remind you what to capture. You can dismiss this overlay by clicking the book icon in the bottom right of your screen. See it circled in yellow in the screenshot.

Once you clear the overlay, you’re ready to go!  

Google will tell you that a longer video is better. Go ahead and try for a longer video of 1–3 minutes the first time around. If it doesn’t upload, try a 30–45-second video. This time frame is where we had the most success despite Google saying they wanted and would accept longer videos.

You cannot start and stop the video. It must be ONE CONTINUOUS RECORDING. 

Hit the red button to start the recording. Hit the red button again to stop the recording, and then submit. 

The video quality will look grainy and bouncy as you record, even on a new phone. That’s okay. Google doesn’t want huge video files. You cannot review the video at the end, and you cannot pre-record a video with all the listed items and upload it. 

10. Go for Google gold!

Take your Google Business Profile skills to the next level! You’re already at the location, so go ahead and take pictures of the interior, exterior, parking lot, and signage to upload to the listing at a later date. Record a couple of casual videos that can be customer-facing, too. You can upload videos that are 30 seconds or less to the main area of your business profile.

Businesses with more than 100 images get 520% more calls than the average business, while those with just one image get 71% fewer.

11. Monitor verifications status.

Post-upload, the review process might take up to five business days. Google says you’ll receive a notification upon verification, but I didn’t receive one for any of the 26 locations I video-verified. If unsuccessful, try again. Google will not tell you why the video was not accepted for verification. 

Recapping My Top Tips for Successful Google Business Video Verification

• Avoid using the Safari browser, as this might not work for Camera and Microphone sharing.
• Instead, use Chrome. You can download the Chrome app from the App Store.
• Google will tell you that a longer video is better. Go ahead and try for a longer video of 1-3 minutes the first time around. If it doesn’t upload, try a 30-45-second video. This time frame is where we had the most success despite Google saying they would accept longer videos.
• Make sure the video indicates your current location. You can do a few things to help Google understand your location. Capture street signs, nearby businesses, and the surrounding area of your business.
• Capture any equipment and processes that declare you have a legitimate business at the specified location. Think products, marketing materials, equipment, etc.
• The most important thing to capture is management proof. This portion of the video should prove that you have access to the building apart from general customer access. Some examples include accessing employee-restricted areas (cash register, storage room, kitchen, etc.) or using keys to access the entrance of the building and doors within the building.

Need help? Call GPO. 

We’re in the Google trenches with you and know how important it is to maintain accurate business information in Maps. Without verification, that’s almost impossible. Reach out to GPO for help with listing accuracy on Google, Apple, Bing, or any other distributor. We can help ensure your business is verified and following best practices for showing up in Maps and search results.