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Getting found
How to claim and verify your Google Business Profile
Verifying is how Google confirms that you manage a business. Until a profile is verified, you can't change details like the business name or hours, or take part in customer reviews and messages.
Start with the situation you are in
Nobody manages the profile yet
Find your profile, choose a verification method, wait for Google's review, and fix any issues it reports. The steps are below.
Someone else already manages it
You can request access. Google emails the current owner, who has 3 days to respond. If they do not, you may be able to claim the profile yourself. Jump to "If someone else manages it."
Verifying a profile, step by step
- Find your profile. Sign in with the Google account you want to manage the business with. A Google account is required.
- Choose a verification method. Google decides which methods you are offered, and you can't change them. See the next section.
- Wait for review. Google says review takes up to 5 business days, sometimes longer.
- Fix any issues. If Google reports a problem, follow the on-screen instructions in your profile.
The ways Google can verify you
Which of these you see depends on your business type, public information, region and business hours. Not every business gets every option.
- Phone or textA code goes to the business phone. Automated phone menus can't receive it, so someone has to be able to answer the call or read the text.
- EmailYou need access to the email address shown on the verification screen.
- Live video callOnly during your location's business hours. You need to be at the business and show your location and that you own it, such as signage, products or employee-only areas. Not available to all businesses.
- Video recordingGoogle recommends it where it is offered. The steps are on a separate Google page.
- Postcard by mailNot available to all businesses. See the next section.
Some businesses can be verified instantly through Google Search Console or bulk verification.
If you get a postcard
Rules that are easy to break
- Most codes arrive within 14 days. The code has 5 digits and expires after 30 days.
- Do not edit the business name, address or category while you wait. That makes the code stop working.
- Do not request a new code unless you have to. A new request cancels the mailed one and can make the process longer.
- Never share the code with anyone. Google says it will never ask for your verification code.
If the postcard does not arrive
Google's page does not give a specific fix. It says to try another verification method if one is shown, and otherwise to contact Google support. Avoid editing the profile or requesting a new code while you decide.
If someone else manages it
Request access
Go to business.google.com/add and enter your business name and address. Select your business from the list. If it says "Someone else may manage this Business Profile," choose Request Access, fill out the form and submit it.
The current owner gets an email and has 3 days to respond. You get a confirmation email and can check the status by signing in to your profile.
If they say no, or do not answer
If the request is denied, you can still suggest an edit to the profile or appeal the decision. If the owner does not respond within 3 days, you may be able to claim the profile. Open the confirmation email, select View request, then Verify, and follow the steps. Google notes that this option is not always available.
No physical location
Businesses that serve customers without a storefront contact Google support and choose "Transfer ownership of listing."
What Google's pages do not say
- Whether any of this costs money.
- What to do when a postcard never arrives after 14 days, or after the code expires.
- How Google decides to approve or deny an ownership request, or how long an appeal takes.
- Exactly which business types get which methods.
If one of these matters to you, Google support is the place to ask.
Wondering what is already out there? A Signals check shows what public sources say about your business, so you can see whether a profile exists before you start.
Check a business