COMMON PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED WITH VERIFICATION ON GOOGLE BUSINESS PROFILE
Verification is the single most important thing when it comes to using Google Business Profile. However, it’s also the part where a lot of things could go wrong and a lot of business owners could end up scratching their heads.
That moment you go into panic mode when you realise that your postcard has not arrived yet or your money-making venture is showing up as a duplicate listing of someone else’s business. There is a solution for everything that may go wrong when verifying your listing on Google Business Profile.
Most of the time, contacting Google Business Profile support is enough to have just about any hitch that pops up out of nowhere resolved. For the most part, all that it will take is for you to prove that your business is in fact yours and it does exist. Manual approval of new verification is sometimes needed in high-spam niches.
Can’t wait for Google Business Profile support to spring into action? Keep on reading. Below you will come across some of the most common problems (as well as answers to those) that business owners encounter with verification.
My GBP Postcard Hasn’t Arrived Yet
Google Business Profile will send you a postcard with a verification code that will complete the verification process. The said postcard usually reaches the business owner within 5 days, although at times it may take a little longer.
If your postcard hasn’t showed up after 14 days, you have every right to think that something’s wrong. It’s because most likely Google Business Profile has no plans of sending you one. What you could do is get in touch with Google Business Profile support — you will probably be asked to send snapshots of your business.
Old Business Address is on the GBP the Postcard
Nothing can frustrate your prospective customers more than learning that the address of your business listed on Google is no longer the current one.
To keep more potential customers from ending up annoyed and running to the direct competition, you should verify your Google Business Profile listing at an old address without any delay. There’s no need to contact Google Business Profile support for this — just follow these simple steps and you’re golden:
1. Choose “claim this business” or “own this business”.
2. Select “I am authorized to represent this business”.
3. Click on “verify later link” — do not click on “to verify”.
4. Select “info section” once the business account details have opened”.
5. Input current business address and other information.
Completing the steps above will allow you to verify the business listed on Google Business Profile. By the way, if you searched for your business at its old address using Google, select “own this business?” On the other hand, if you searched for it using Google Maps, select “claim this business”.
Can’t Receive GBP Verification Postcard at Business Address
No matter to which address the verification postcard was sent, it’s important that you use the actual location of your business. This is a must so that your customers may be able to locate your business when looking for it using Google Maps or any other navigational app that uses Google Maps.
After waiting for 14 long days and no postcard has arrived, go to Google Business Profile Help and key in that you need help with verification.
Do you have a PO Box? Do not use it as the address of your business — you want your customers to arrive at your business, not at the post office. If you are living in a country where PO Boxes are supported, you may use yours as the secondary address to which you may receive deliveries.
GBP verification Still Pending Although Already Verified
The pending status can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few days. It all depends on how much verification the Google Business Profile system has to deal with. Usually, the status should be lifted from being pending after a week. If yours is over 7 days already, there are a couple of probable reasons behind such:
• Google Business Profile is not so sure that your business actually exists as it cannot come across any corresponding business details — this could happen even though your business is already verified.
• There is an ongoing high-spam situation in the business category in which yours fall, and the pending status calls for manual release as the system cannot perform it on its own.
For further assistance regarding this matter, go to Google Business Profile support.
The GBP VERIFICATION System Doesn’t Want to Accept Your PIN
You are 100% certain that the PIN that you are entering is correct. However, it seems like Google Business Profile doesn’t want to accept it, and it’s evidenced by the system being stuck in a loop.
Fret not because this can be resolved simply by resetting the PIN. This can be accomplished by editing the business name, its address and other pertinent information related to your business. If you didn’t have any trouble getting your postcard and you don’t want to edit any business detail, you may request for a different PIN.
The solution suggested above could pose a problem if your postcard took a long time to get to you. To have your PIN reset, get in touch with Google Business Profile support and head to “verification”.
Verifying by Phone Option Not Available For Google Business Profile
Google Business Profile will provide you with a handful of verification options to have your business verified. One of the most common of the bunch is by means of the postcard approach — if Google Business Profile sent you a postcard, then it’s important that you verify your money-making venture by means of this method.
The only time that you will get other verification options, such as via a phone, is when Google Business Profile is 100% sure that your business is in fact in existence, as confirmed by its location as well as other indicators.
Changing PIN to Verify by Phone
Have you provided a phone number that’s on an automated system to make sure that your customers getting in touch via phone calls will get to the right department?
If so and you wish to have your business verified by phone, see if you could switch off the automated system until such time that you are finished with providing the PIN. By the way, it’s a good idea to provide your mobile number, too. That’s because in some instances Google Business Profile allows verification via SMS.
Switching to a Different Email for Google Business Profile Verification
There are instances in which verifying a business can be accomplished by means of email. Usually, Google Business Profile offers this option if the system is able to detect that the email is associated with a domain.
Just in case you provided a wrong email with a domain name, you can create that email if it doesn’t exist for a hassle-free verification process. Otherwise, you may try exploring other verification options.
Verification Box is Nowhere to be Found WITHIN GBP
There are actually a couple of places on the Google Business Profile site where you will find a verification box. One is on the home page, and the other is on the info page.
Simply log into your Google Business Profile account in order to access either of the two pages.
Google Business Profile Already Verified but Showing as a Duplicate
If your business has been successfully verified but is showing as a duplicate of another, there is only one reason behind this: the business already has an existing listing.
All you have to do is Google your business to come across that other listing — you can do so in search or maps. You can also simply start the whole process again in the dashboard of your Google Business Profile account.
If you are having difficulty with a listing you can always contact our expert Google Business Profile management team for assistance! They will be happy to help you.
