Small business marketing
Google Business
Profile.
Claim the profile, verify it, then keep it accurate. Google offers several ways to verify, from a postcard to a live video. Once you're live, the rules owners break most often are simple: keywords in the business name, a PO box or virtual office as the address, or more than one profile for the same place.
Written by Dan Picken, a marketer who checks the sources. Last checked 2 November 2026.Getting
verified.
Google offers several ways to verify: a recorded video, a live video call, phone or text, email, a postcard, and for some businesses instant verification. Which ones you see depends on the business. Verification codes expire after 30 days.
If Google asks for a video, it must be one unedited take of at least 30 seconds, recorded live, showing where you are, that the business exists (signage, or tools and a vehicle for service businesses), and that you manage it (opening the till or the back office). Plan the shots before you press record.
Verification video planner
Plan the 30 seconds
before you hit record.
Google may ask for a video to verify your profile. It has to be one unedited take of at least 30 seconds. Pick your type of business and tick off each shot as you plan it.
Film in daylight, keep moving slowly, and don't stop and restart: the video must be continuous.
Shot list
What gets profiles
suspended.
Google's guidelines are strict on a few things:
- Keywords or taglines in the business name. Google's own example: 'Midas Auto Service Experts' isn't allowed when the business is called Midas.
- A PO box, mailbox service or virtual office as the address.
- More than one profile for the same business at the same place.
- A name, address or phone that doesn't match what customers see in real life.
Keeping it
current.
Posts come in three types: updates, offers and events. They archive after six months unless they have dates, and can be scheduled to repeat. A short post every week or two shows the business is active.
Two features have changed. Chat ended on 31 July 2024; eligible profiles can show SMS or WhatsApp instead. And public Q&A is being replaced by an AI 'Ask' button in Maps that answers from your own Q&A answers and relevant reviews, which makes accurate details and good reviews matter more.
The details that
win the click.
Pick the most specific primary category you can, then add a few secondary ones that are genuinely true. Write the description for a customer, not for Google: what you do, who for, where, and what makes you easy to choose. Add your services or products with short descriptions and prices where you can.
Photos matter more than most owners think. Add real ones of the outside (so people recognise it), the inside, your work and your team, and replace them every season. Then reply to every review in your own words. With Q&A making way for AI answers drawn from your answers and reviews, accurate details and recent reviews matter more.
What I see most often
What I see
most often.
- 1
Suburbs in the business name
A cafe listed on Maps as '[Name] Gosford Best Coffee' when the sign just says the cafe's name.
- 2
Wrong or missing hours
Public holiday hours never updated, so people turn up to a closed door.
- 3
A profile nobody can log in to
Set up years ago by someone who has left, with no other owner.
- 4
No photos from the owner
Only customer photos, some of them old or unflattering.
The honest bit. A great profile won't make up for few reviews or a long distance from the searcher. But a wrong one can lose you customers who were already close by.
Questions
people ask.
How do I verify my Google Business Profile without a postcard?
Google offers other methods, including video, phone, SMS and email. The options depend on your business.
Why was my Google Business Profile suspended?
Common causes are keywords in the name, a PO box or virtual office address, or duplicate profiles, all against Google's guidelines.
How often should I post on Google Business Profile?
Every week or two is enough to look active. Posts archive after six months unless they have dates.
What happened to Q&A on Google Maps?
It's being replaced by an AI 'Ask' button that answers from your Q&A answers and relevant reviews.
Related
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going.
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