Google Business Profile verification problems: what to do when it gets stuck
Still pending after a week, a postcard that never came, a video sent back with "Review issues," or no way left to verify. Here's what Google's help pages tell you to do in each case, where they say nothing, and what I'd do next.
Find what your profile shows in the table below and follow that row. If you're waiting on a postcard, Google says not to request a new code or change your business name, address or category until you've entered it.[1] If a video or another method has been under review for more than 5 business days, here's the order I'd go in: check your status with Google's tool, try again or use another method if your profile offers one, then contact Google support.
Verification is how Google confirms your business is real and that you're the one who runs it. Google's pages put the stakes two ways. The sign-up page says, "Customers can only find your business profile on Google after you complete verification."[5] The appeals page is softer: content tied to an unverified profile "might not appear across Google."[6] If you're verified and still missing from the map, that's a different problem, covered in why a business doesn't show on Google Maps.
The rules here come from Google's help pages, linked at the end, which I read in October 2026. Where I'm giving my own advice, I say so. I manage Google Business Profiles for businesses around Sebastian and Vero Beach.
Start with what your profile shows
| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| You verified by video or another method, and you're still waiting | Google is still reviewing it. | See still waiting after 5 business days. |
| You chose the postcard, and it hasn't arrived | Google says, "Most codes arrive within 14 days."[1] | Don't request a new code, and don't edit your name, address or category. See postcard problems. |
| "Review issues" after a video | Google says your video wasn't accepted.[1] | Select "Review issues" and follow the on-screen instructions.[1] See rejected video. |
| The "Get verified" button is back | Google couldn't completely verify your business.[1] | Google says to "try to verify again or try a different verification method."[3] First check your business name and your address setting. |
| Google asks for more information | Google says it's likely because some of your business details were recently updated.[1] | Select "Get verified" and verify again.[1] |
| "No more ways to verify" | My reading: your profile isn't offering you another method right now. The Google pages I checked don't explain this message. | See no more ways to verify. |
Still waiting after 5 business days
Google's verification page says: "verification reviews take up to 5 business days. On rare occasions, reviews may take longer."[1] It doesn't say how long to wait after that before you contact support. Once you're past 5 business days with no change, this is the order I'd go in:
- Check your status. Google has a "Check your verification status" tool, and it asks you to sign in.[3] My tip: sign in with the Google account that manages the profile.
- If the "Get verified" button is back, verify again, or pick another method if your profile offers one.[1][3]
- If you still can't verify, contact support. On Google's "Verify your business on Google" page, under the live video call and mail methods, the line reads: "If you're still unable to verify your business, contact support." That link goes to Google's Business Profile help page, which asks you to sign in first.[1]
How I'd contact support
This is my advice, not Google's. Before you start, have these ready: a screenshot of what your profile shows right now, the reasons Google gave for any rejected video, the date you submitted, and one business document with the same name as your profile, such as a permit, invoice or utility bill. Say which method you tried and what the screen shows now, in two or three plain sentences. The Google pages I checked don't say how long support takes to answer.
Edits are reviewed separately from verification. Google says, "Edits usually take up to 10 minutes to review, but sometimes it can take up to 30 days."[4] That's not a reason to edit during verification. If a postcard is on the way, leave the profile alone.
Postcard, phone and live call problems
The postcard hasn't come, or the code won't work
Most codes arrive within 14 days, and codes expire after 30 days. While you wait, Google says not to request a new code: "If you do, we invalidate the code in the mail and send a new one." It also says not to edit your business name, address or category, because "If you do, the code we sent you won't work."[1]
Google's page doesn't say when it's fine to ask for a new code. What I'd do: wait the full 14 days without touching the profile. After that, if your profile shows another method, use it. If it doesn't, contact support the way I describe above.
Your phone line starts with a "press 1" menu
Google says, "Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems won't get the code."[1] No workaround is given. If your profile shows another method, use it.
You don't see a live video call option
Google says live video verification may not be available for all businesses, and calls only happen during your location's business hours. On a call, you show your location (outside signs, nearby businesses or a street sign), your business or equipment, and proof that you manage it, such as employee-only areas or a cash register.[1]
If Google rejected your video
Google shares the reasons a video wasn't accepted. Its examples: "Business name not visible on storefront," "No nearby area shown" and "Missing proof of authorization to operate the business." Start from "Review issues." The new video has to include "All the info you showed in your first video" plus "All the missing info needed to meet the requirements."[2] Every video has to be:
- recorded live, in one unedited take with no breaks, and at least 30 seconds long (Google gives a minimum, not a maximum);
- recorded and uploaded from a mobile device, through your Business Profile;
- free of bank, tax or ID numbers, other private info and other people's faces.[2]
A storefront shows where it is (street signs, building numbers, nearby businesses), its name on a permanent fixture, and something only an employee can access, like opening a cash register.[2]
The name matters too. Google says, "The name shown in your video must match the name on your Business Profile."[2] If your sign says one name and your state filing says another, Google's guidelines give the rule for the profile name: "Your name should reflect your business's real-world name, as used consistently on your storefront, website, stationery, and as known to customers."[7] If you do change the profile name, wait until any postcard code is entered, and know that Google says a name change after verification means you "might need to verify your business again."[1][9]
If you work from home or go to your customers
If your business has no permanent sign on site, Google says it's not eligible as a storefront and should be a service-area business.[8] If customers don't come to your address, Google's video page says not to add it to your profile. If it's already there, Google's guidelines say a service-area business should hide it.[2][7] While a postcard is on the way, don't touch the address.[1] The Google pages I checked don't say whether hiding it during a video review changes anything.
For your video, Google's page asks for:[2]
- Where you operate: street signs, nearby landmarks or other identifiers at your business address. If you work from home, landmarks and signs in your immediate neighborhood.
- Proof the business exists: your tools, equipment, business cards or branded apparel.
- Proof you manage it: you doing the work, unlocking a van with your business branding, or a business permit, invoice or utility bill in your profile's name.
My own practice, not a Google rule: before a client records anything, I get the name on their Google profile and their paperwork to match. In Florida, that's the Sunbiz registration (the state's business registry) and the local business tax receipt, which I covered in my guide to the Indian River County business tax receipt.
A business that only operates online isn't eligible for a Business Profile and can't be verified.[2]
When it says there are "no more ways to verify"
The Google help pages I checked don't use or explain this phrase, and they don't say how many tries you get. My reading: your profile isn't offering you another method right now, so the next step is support. Google's pages say to try the verification methods available to you first, then contact support if you still can't verify.[1][2] The pages I checked don't say whether support can turn a method back on.
What I'd do, in order:
- Write down every reason Google gave for a rejected video. You'll need them for support.
- Check the name on your sign, truck and documents against your profile (see the name rule).
- Check the address setting (see work from home).
- Contact support as described in still waiting, and say plainly that no verification options are showing.
- Don't start a second profile to get around it. Google's guidelines say, "There should only be one profile per business,"[7] and its sign-up page says, "Your Google account may be suspended if we find multiple profiles for the same business in the same metropolitan area."[5]
Verification problem or suspension?
A suspension is a different problem. Google says, "We may suspend or disable Business Profiles that don't follow our guidelines."[10] The suspension page I checked doesn't show what a suspension notice looks like on your screen, so if you're not sure which you have, check your verification status first. Google's appeals page asks you to do that before any appeal anyway.[6] If it's a suspension, read my post on getting a suspended Google profile back before you file anything. If you want me to handle it, suspension recovery is $400, and I look before you pay.[12]
When it's worth getting help
If you've fixed what Google asked for and you're still stuck, I can walk it with you. I can't make Google approve a profile; Google makes the call.
Questions people ask about verification
Why did Google ask me for a video when someone else got a phone call?
Google says, "Verification methods are automatically determined by Google and can't be changed." The options depend on your business type, public info, region or business hours, and some businesses have to verify with more than one method.[1] You can't pick the method, but if your profile shows more than one, you can try another.
How will I know verification worked?
Can verification ever be instant?
Sometimes. Google says, "In some cases, Google verifies a profile instantly," for example when you've verified your website with Google Search Console.[1]
Can I delete my verification video?
Yes. Google says, "You can delete your verification video anytime."[2]
Do I have to verify again if I move?
Yes. Google says that if you move your business to a new address after it's verified, you "must verify your business again."[9]
- Google Business Profile Help. Verify your business on Google. Review times, the "Get verified," "Review issues" and more-information fixes, postcard, phone and live call rules, the contact support link, how methods are chosen, the confirmation email and instant verification. Read October 26, 2026. support.google.com/business/answer/7107242
- Google Business Profile Help. Verify your business with a video recording. Video rules, rejection reasons, what to include in a new video, matching names, what service-area businesses film, not adding an address you don't serve customers at, online-only businesses, deleting the video, and trying available methods before contacting support. Read October 26, 2026. support.google.com/business/answer/14271705
- Google Business Profile Help, Learning Center. 3. Check your verification status. The status tool, trying again or another method when the button reappears, and the confirmation email. Read October 26, 2026. support.google.com/business/answer/15698162
- Google Business Profile Help. Understand what happens to your Business Profile edits. Edit review times. Read October 26, 2026. support.google.com/business/answer/3038311
- Google Business Profile Help. Sign up for Business Profile. Customers finding a profile only after verification, and suspension for multiple profiles. Read October 26, 2026. support.google.com/business/answer/10514137
- Google Business Profile Help. Appeal Business Profile content & profile restrictions. Unverified content possibly not appearing, and checking verification status before an appeal. Read October 26, 2026. support.google.com/business/answer/13597551
- Google Business Profile Help. Guidelines for representing your business on Google. The business name rule, one profile per business, and hiding a service-area business's address. Read October 26, 2026. support.google.com/business/answer/3038177
- Google Business Profile Help. Manage your service areas for service-area & hybrid businesses. Businesses without permanent on-site signage not being eligible as storefronts. Read October 26, 2026. support.google.com/business/answer/9157481
- Google Business Profile Help. Edit your Business Profile. Verifying again after a move or a name change. Read October 26, 2026. support.google.com/business/answer/3039617
- Google Business Profile Help. Fix suspended or disabled profiles. Suspension of profiles that don't follow the guidelines. Read October 26, 2026. support.google.com/business/answer/4569145
- About this site: Top Three Web Design. Services and prices. The $300 Google Business Profile setup. topthreewebdesign.com/services
- About this site: Top Three Web Design. Google Business Profile management. Verification help, suspension recovery, and verification help included with setup. topthreewebdesign.com/google-business-profile-management
Stuck on verification? Text me what you see.
Text a screenshot of what your profile shows, with your business name. The listing check is free, no obligation: I'll look up your profile and tell you what's wrong with it.
