The short version. Google picks your verification method — you can't — and after you complete it, its review "take[s] up to 5 business days."
Almost every stall is one of six things: a postcard that hasn't arrived yet (most come within 14 days, and requesting a second one cancels the first), a video that didn't show the three things Google checks for, a "Get verified" button that came back because the check didn't fully pass, a request for more information after you edited the listing, a profile someone else already owns, or a listing that isn't eligible in the first place. Each has a fix below, in Google's words. Don't edit the business name, address or category while a code is in the post; don't request a new code; and if video is offered, use it.
Which verification method will Google give you, and why can't you choose?
Google's verification page says it plainly: "Verification methods are automatically determined by Google and can't be changed." Which options you see "depend on your business type, public info, region, or business hours," and "in some cases, you may need to verify your business with more than one method."
The methods, as of September 2026:
| Method | What happens | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Video recording (Google's recommendation: "if your business is eligible for video verification, we recommend that you use this option") | You record a live, unedited video of at least 30 seconds from your phone, inside the Business Profile app, showing your location, your signage and something only staff can access | Review "can take up to 5 business days" |
| Live video call | A support representative watches you show the same things over a call — "only available within the business hours of your location" | The call itself, then review |
| Phone or text | A code by call or SMS to the listed number — "Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems won't get the code" | Minutes, typically; Google gives no figure |
| A code to the address shown on the verification screen | Minutes, typically; Google gives no figure | |
| Postcard | A 5-digit code mailed to the listed address — "verification through postcard isn't available for all businesses" | "Most codes arrive within 14 days"; codes "expire after 30 days" |
Two things can be instant, per the same page: "In some cases, Google verifies a profile instantly. This can happen when: You verify your website with Google Search Console" or use bulk verification. The first is worth knowing about — a business with a website and a Search Console property may skip the queue.
How long should verification take?
After you finish the steps, "Google reviews the info you provided. To help maintain the integrity of your Business Profile, verification reviews take up to 5 business days. On rare occasions, reviews may take longer." So the honest expectation is: a week for video, phone or email; three weeks for a postcard (up to 14 days to arrive, then up to 5 business days of review). Nothing in that window is a stall. It only becomes one when a deadline passes — 14 days with no postcard, 5 business days with no result — or when Google sends you a signal, and the signals are the next section.
What are the six ways verification stalls, and what fixes each?
1. The postcard hasn't come
The most common stall, and the one where owners most often make it worse. Google's page gives three rules for the waiting period, all capitalised as Important:
"Do not edit your business name, address, or category on your Business Profile. If you do, the code we sent you won't work."
"Do not request a new code. If you do, we invalidate the code in the mail and send a new one. This can make the process longer."
"Verification codes expire after 30 days."
So the fix, in order: wait the 14 days; check that the mailing address on the profile is the one the postman actually delivers to (a suite number in "Address Line 2", per Google's guidelines); if nothing has arrived after 14 days, request a new code once — knowing it restarts the clock — or, if the profile now shows another method, use that instead. If you edited the name or address while waiting, the code in the post is already dead, and the request is the only way forward.
2. The video was rejected ("Review issues")
"When you verify through a video recording and get a 'Review issues' notification, it means your video wasn't accepted." Google says it will "share the reasons why your first video wasn't accepted," and you can record again. The video requirements are specific, and most rejections come from missing one of the three:
- Location — "street signs, building numbers, nearby businesses, or familiar places around your business," so the footage can be matched to the pin on the map.
- Proof the business exists — "your storefront, showroom, or business signage. Make sure your business name is clearly printed on a permanent fixture, like a signboard, wall, or window. The name shown in your video must match the name on your Business Profile." A vinyl banner or an A-board is not a permanent fixture; a name on the profile that says "Shelly's Coffee & Bakery" over a sign that says "Shelly's" is a mismatch.
- Proof of management — "things only an employee can access, like opening a cash register, kitchen, storage room, or using a point-of-sale system."
And the recording rules: live, in the app, "an unedited, unique, and complete recording with no breaks," at least 30 seconds, with no "other people's faces" and no "bank account, tax, or ID numbers." A pre-recorded upload isn't accepted. Plan the walk before you press record: from the street sign, to the door, to the register.
3. "Get verified" came back
"When the 'Get verified' button appears on your Business Profile again, it means Google couldn't completely verify your business. To fix this issue, try to re-verify your business. If your Business Profile shows multiple verification options, you can try other verification methods." It is not a rejection of the business; it is an incomplete check. Re-verify, and prefer video if it is now offered.
4. Google asked for additional information
"If you're asked to provide additional info to re-verify your profile, it's likely because some of your business details were recently updated." A name change, a move, a new category — each can trigger a re-check. Provide what is asked, and don't make further edits until it clears; every edit can restart the process (see stall 1).
5. Someone else owns the profile
If a verified profile already exists — a previous owner, an agency, a former manager's personal account — you'll see "Someone else may manage this Business Profile." Google's ownership page sets out the path: request access, and "the current profile owner is then notified by email and has 3 days to respond." Approved, you're in. Denied, "you can still suggest an edit to the profile. You can also try to appeal the decision." No response, "you may have the option to claim the profile" from the confirmation email — Google adds that "the option to claim a profile isn't always available." If it's your own old account you've lost access to, the duplicate & ownership page points to the Google Account recovery troubleshooter, which is faster than any of the above.
6. The listing isn't eligible
Some stalls are Google declining, quietly, because the listing doesn't qualify. From the guidelines:
- "If your business rents a physical mailing address but doesn't operate out of that location, also known as a virtual office, that location isn't eligible for a Business Profile."
- "P.O. boxes or mailboxes located at remote locations aren't acceptable."
- An office in a co-working space qualifies only if it "maintains clear signage, receives customers at the location during business hours, and is staffed during business hours by your business staff."
- A storefront needs permanent signage: "if your business doesn't have permanent on-site signage, list it as a service-area business instead of storefront." A service-area business hides its address and is verified by video of the neighbourhood, the tools and the branded van.
- "There should only be one profile per business." A second profile for the same business "won't show on Google Search or Maps," so verifying the second one gets you a profile nobody can see — resolve the duplicate first, by claiming or merging the original.
If one of these describes your listing, no amount of re-requesting fixes it; change the listing type or the address, then verify.
What can you do while you wait?
Verification gates two things: editing the listing and replying to reviews. It does not stop customers finding you or reviewing you — an unverified listing can still appear on the map and be reviewed, and its review link works, so the review link and QR code can go on the receipt now. Get your website into Search Console (the one route Google names for instant verification). Read the listing checklist for restaurants — most of it is fixable without verification, and the rest is ready the day it clears. And note what's already on the listing that you'll want to answer on day one: a public profile can be read and measured before it can be managed (see how Oh Local can help).
How Oh Local helps with this
Oh Local can't verify a listing — only Google can, and only the owner. What it does is read the public listing before and after: the free audit reports reply rate, the reviews waiting for an answer and the state of the listing on an unverified profile just as on a verified one, so you know what day one looks like. The Local SEO checklist checks whether the profile appears claimed and flags a nearby listing that shares your name — the duplicate that stalls verification — and once you're verified, every new review arrives with its reply drafted, so the backlog that built up while the button said Get verified is a morning, not a month.
How it works
- Run the free audit. We read your public Google reviews and replies and send you the numbers: reply rate, the reviews still waiting for an answer, and the oldest of them — with the table on this page to put them beside.
- Claim your page. Pick your listing, and your QR card and short link are ready to print — from your own phone, no onboarding call.
- Get the weekly email. Every new review with its reply drafted, private feedback that came in, and the short list of what to fix on your listing and site.
- Approve, and that’s it. You press approve on the replies you like. The rest — the card, the page, the measuring — runs on its own.
What you get
Your review page
A printed QR card and a short link that open every review option — Google, Tripadvisor, Facebook — capture the customer’s email, and give an unhappy customer a private word first. About four minutes to a printable QR.
Reviews handled
Every new review on your platforms, with the reply drafted in your voice, in one weekly email. Negative ones first. You approve, edit or skip; nothing posts without you.
Local standing
Where you rank around your shop, what competitors are doing, what changed on your listing — with the exact fix for each. Recommendations can lead to better rankings and more visibility; no tool can promise a position, including ours.
| Industry | Audited | Reviews a month (median) | Top quarter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas restaurants | 358 | 9.3 | 17.4+ |
| Dallas dental practices | 85 | 6 | 8.7+ |
| Dallas retail shops | 83 | 0.9 | 3.2+ |
| Dallas tattoo studios | 82 | 2.2 | 8+ |
| Dallas barbershops | 81 | 2.1 | 4.4+ |
| Dallas plastic surgeons | 75 | 1 | 2.7+ |
| Dallas med spas | 74 | 2.9 | 6.7+ |
FAQ
How long does Google Business Profile verification take?
Google says verification reviews "take up to 5 business days" after you complete the steps, and "on rare occasions, reviews may take longer." A postcard adds up to 14 days in the mail before that. Verification can be instant if your website is verified in Google Search Console.
Why hasn't my Google verification postcard arrived?
Most codes arrive within 14 days. If yours hasn't, check the mailing address on the profile (suite numbers go in Address Line 2), and don't edit the name, address or category — Google says the mailed code stops working if you do. Requesting a new code cancels the one already in the post, so request once, after the 14 days, or use another method if the profile offers one.
Why was my video verification rejected?
Google needs three things in one unbroken live recording of at least 30 seconds: your location (street signs, neighbours), proof the business exists (your name on a permanent sign that matches the profile) and proof you manage it (opening the register, the kitchen, the storage room). No faces, no ID or bank documents, no pre-recorded upload. Google tells you the reason and lets you record again.
Can I still get reviews while my Business Profile is unverified?
Yes. An unverified listing shows on Google Maps and customers can review it; what you can't do until verification clears is edit the listing or reply to those reviews. Put the review link to work now and reply to the backlog on the day it clears.
What if someone else has verified my business?
Request ownership from inside your Business Profile. The current owner has 3 days to respond; if they don't, Google may let you claim the profile from the confirmation email. If it's your own old account, use Google's account recovery first — it's faster.
