Google My Business (GMB) is a free tool that helps local businesses like yours boost their online presence and increase sales. Easy to set up and requiring no technical expertise, GMB puts you in control of your business information on Google Maps and local search results. Let’s get in and learn more about the power of GMB for your local business!

Read In Short:

• Boost Local Presence: Claim and verify your free Google My Business profile to appear on Google Maps and local search, attracting nearby customers.
• Increase Credibility: Verification builds trust with potential customers searching for your services and helps you rank higher in local search results.
• Manage Your Online Presence: Showcase your business with photos, descriptions, and contact details, interact with customers through reviews and messages, and potentially drive more website visits, calls, and in-store traffic.

What is Verify My Business On Google?

Google My Business (GMB) verification is a security measure to confirm that your listed business on Google is legitimate and operating at the specified location. It helps Google filter out fake businesses and ensures users find trustworthy local results. Verification builds trust with potential customers searching for your services and increases your chances of appearing higher in local search rankings.

How to verify Google My Business

There can be multiple ways to verify any business and the types of verification completely depend on use cases. Here we will mainly focus on Text/OTP verification. We can verify our account during making our My Business account. But here we made our account but while making we skipped verification part. So we take following steps to do OTP/Text Verification :

It means everyone have to verify their business by OTP/Text on mobile phone. But after that Google can ask them for Recorded video verification or Live video verification or any other mode of verification. There may be a case when Google is satisfied only by OTP/Text verification and do not ask for any other type of verification.

Step 1: Go to My Business page and click on “Get Verified”

Step 2: Enter your Postal Address

Step 3: After filling your postal address click on Next

Step 4: Now Choose Verification by “Phone Code” out of two available options

Step 5: Now get code via text message or call

Step 6: Enter the Code and click on “verify” to get verified

One more thing that we should note that if we will change any information from our Google My Business Profile then we need to re-verify our My Business page.

Standard Verification Methods

Phone Verification

1. Get ready for the call: Make sure your business phone number is accessible and nearby.
2. Request your code: Start verification through your GMB account and choose “Phone Call” as the verification method.
3. Receive the call: Google will call your business phone number.
4. Answer the call: Answer the automated call and follow the instructions to enter the verification code provided by Google.

Text Verification

1. Request your code: Start verification through your GMB account and choose “Text Message” as the verification method.
2. Receive the text: Google will send a text message with a verification code to your business phone number.
3. Enter the code: Enter the received code within the designated field on your GMB account to verify your business.

Important Note

While these are the most common methods, Google may also request alternative verification methods like:

• Video Verification: Record a short video showcasing your business storefront and surrounding area.
• Postcard Verification: Google will send a postcard with a verification code to your business address. Once received, enter the code on your GMB account to complete verification.

Remember: The specific verification method offered by Google depends on factors like your business category, location, and past verification attempts.

Instant Verification Methods

• Google may offer instant verification for some businesses based on factors like category and existing information.
• No additional steps are required if Google instantly verifies your business.
• You’ll see a notification confirming successful verification within your GMB dashboard.
• Instant verification isn’t guaranteed for all businesses. You might still need to undergo standard verification methods (phone, text, etc.)

Features of Using Google My Business

There are multiple features of Google My Business. Some of those features are-

• You can choose your type of business whether it is only a local store any type of service business or retail online
• You can add a website (if any) with your Google My Business account
• You can add a category of your business to rank your My Business Profile
• You Can add multiple services that you provide in your business
• Your potential Customers can contact you through the inbuilt chat features

Benefits of Using Google My Business

Boost Local Visibility: Get listed on Google Maps and local search results, attracting nearby customers.

Free Marketing Tool: Manage your online presence for free, reaching a wider audience.

Showcase Your Business: Add photos, descriptions, and contact details to inform potential customers.

Increase Engagement: Interact with customers through reviews, messages, and posts.

Drive Sales & Leads: Generate website visits, phone calls, and in-store visits.

Why there is a Need to Verify My Business On Google?

Google is a global company it will never want to list those businesses or local stores that do not exist in reality. If they list any such type of business then users can be easily scammed and can get into trouble and if users are scammed then they will put the whole blame onto Google. So it is a very big challenge for them to filter out the legit businesses from the bunch of registered businesses on Google My Business Profile.

Then they came up with an idea of verification to figure out all the legit business from those bunch of registered business. There can be multiple way of verifications like-

• Verification via text or OTP sent to phone
• Verification by email
• Verification by sending video of the business location that contains storefront, billing area etc…
• Verification by live video Calling
• Verification by Sending Post to your Business Location

Google will publish only those My Business profile on their page which is verified and the types of verification that any business needs completely depends upon use cases.

Conclusion

In conclusion, claiming and verifying your Google My Business (GMB) profile is a powerful and free tool to boost your local SEO and online presence. Verification builds trust with potential customers, increases your chances of ranking higher in local search results, and allows you to manage your business information directly on Google Maps. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can ensure your local business gets verified and starts reaping the benefits of a successful GMB profile.

Frequently Asked Questions – Google My Business

How do I get my business verified on Google?

Verify your Google My Business profile through phone call, text message, postcard, video recording, or live video call (depending on Google’s selection).

Do I have to pay Google to verify my business?

No, Google My Business verification is completely free.

Why is Google not verifying my business profile?

Common reasons include incorrect business information, insufficient verification attempts, or a new business with no established online presence.

Can I have my business on Google for free?

Yes, creating and managing a Google My Business profile is entirely free.