It’s Not Just You: GBP Verification Sucks

Google Business Profile (GBP) verification can be an extremely frustrating process, and it’s likely to become more frustrating, especially since Google is increasingly relying on video verification.

And not just for Private Practices.

No matter the industry, Google is a pain. Even businesses that have been around for years are being forced to reverify their GBP by video.

This might be a consequence of life after COVID-19. There were reports of many people creating fake GBPs during the move to work from home.

So, now everyone has to suffer the consequences.

With the way tech is moving (i.e. AI technologies that are optimized to make fakeries) video verification may become the only means by which GBP’s are verified.

But there are—for now—still some ways to get around having to do a video review

How To Get Verified (Without Video—Maybe)

So, if you haven’t made a GBP yet, we can at least guide you towards the possibility of not having to deal with video verification.

If you’re lucky you’ll be automatically verified.

This is not guaranteed to work. But by at least following the steps below you’ll have tried.

(This list was compiled thanks to the folks at Whitespark, who also know how annoying dealing with Google’s verification process can be.)

  1. Make sure the email you’re using for GBP is active. (Make sure to log in and check your email!)
    • Use Gmail, YouTube, Google Play (if applicable), Google Docs, and any other Google properties, with the email associated with your website. But that also means…
  2. Make sure the account is the same as the domain of your practice.
    • If your website is Cherry Counseling, then the email you’re using to set up the GBP would, ideally, be a domain-based Gmail like, sandy@cherrycounseling.com (rather than cherrycounseling@gmail.com).
  3. Ensure your website is set up in Google Search Console.
  4. Make sure that the Gmail account you’re using is an Admin in Search Console.
  5. Follow all Google Business Profile guidelines, such as…
    • Using the exact name of your practice, the one you used to establish it as a business.
  6. List your website where you would expect to find a Private Practice:

Add Photos To Your Google Business Profile!

And we want to add one more item to the list, which we’ve seen from our own optimizations.

Make sure to upload pictures of your office, inside and outside, to the Google Business Profile. This is a signal of authenticity for Google.

According to Whitespark, it’s also possible to refresh the verification page over and over again over the course of a week, and possibly get a new verification process other than video.

Of course, all of the above is theory.

But I Already Had A GBP: Why Am I Unverified?

Why does Google require re-verification of an already verified business profile ?

So, here’s another theory…

If you haven’t updated your Google Business Profile in a while, and recently logged in to add a post or update your Category or add an attribute, you may have tripped Google’s algorithm to rescan your profile.

If Google doesn’t like what it sees, that may be cause for reverification.

Our #1 recommendation is to make sure you have photos on your profile: pictures you yourself have taken of the inside and outside of your office.

And never use stock photos.

That’s one of the few things we know for sure that will trigger Google’s algorithm to take a hard—often unfair—look at your profile.

What If I Have To Do Video Verification?

Unfortunately, you may find yourself forced to do video verification.

And it can involve quite a bit of running around, especially if your practice is, say, on the 25th floor of an office building in New York City (it happens), and Google gives little more than two minutes for you to make your video.

(Make sure to explain your circumstances to Google if they’re like our example above.)

Whitespark also has a handy checklist you can follow if you are forced to do video verification.

They also have a video showing what they had to go through to get their Profile reverified, so you know you’re not alone!

You can also watch a video from Whitespark of how they got Video Verified after being unverified:

No, It’s Not Fun Dealing With Google

The point of all this is to say… we know it’s not fun to deal with Google.

If you find yourself at your wit’s end you can try to contact Google through their support page, which, admittedly, does not always work.

The trick though, like most things, is perseverance. Don’t give up! Because a GBP is an essential part of SEO for Private Practices.

Which is why we offer Google Business Profile optimization. While we can’t force Google to verify you (we wish we could) we can help with all of the nuances involved in setting up a complete profile, so that your GBP works with your website to get you seen by potential clients.

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