Google Business Profile

Pass Video
Verification First Try

Google records you walking through your business to prove you are real. Here is the exact route to film, what to say out loud, and what to hold up to the camera.

1unbroken take

5stops to film

2more tries if it fails

Before You Hit Record

Have These In Hand

Do not go looking for any of this while the camera is running. Tap each one as you get it sorted.

The more paperwork with your name and that exact address on it, the better. That is what carries the video.

Four Questions

What Google Is Actually Checking

Nobody at Google is judging your business. A reviewer is answering four yes or no questions. Answer all four on camera and you pass.

01

Does this address exist?

Answered by the street, the surroundings, and a visible number or sign.

02

Does this person have access to it?

Answered by unlocking the vehicle and the front door with your own keys.

03

Is the business really operating?

Answered by the equipment, the tools, and the desk where the work gets done.

04

Does the paperwork match the listing?

Answered by a bill or document showing the same name and the same address you entered.

Miss any one of these and it gets rejected, no matter how good the rest of the video is.

Five Stops, One Take

The Route To Film

Start the recording outside and do not stop it until the end. Google is watching for one continuous walk from the street to your desk.

Prove the address exists and that you are standing at it.

Pan across the surrounding area, the buildings either side, the road, whatever is around you

Get the street sign or a house number in shot

Show any signage you have out front

Say Out Loud"We are on the corner of Main and Second, and this is our business right here."

This is the part most people skip, and it is one of the strongest signals you can give.

Show the branding on the truck, the magnet, sticker, or wrap

Lock and unlock it on camera. That proves the vehicle is yours, not one you parked next to

Open it up and show the equipment inside, the tools of your trade

Why the keys matter: anyone can film a van. Unlocking it is what shows Google you have access to it.

Same idea as the truck. Use your own key on camera, whether it is a shop or your house.

Put the key in and open the door while filming

Say which kind of space it is as you walk in

If Customers Come To You"This is our public office. This is where customers come in and conduct business with us."

If You Work From Home"This is a private office. Customers do not come here. This is where we do our work."

Walk them through the space. Keep it short and keep moving.

Show the desk, the computer, wherever the paperwork gets done

If it is private, say so plainly: this is a private area where we do our work

Working from home is fine. Google is checking you are real, not that you have a storefront

Finish the video holding your proof up to the lens, one item at a time, close enough to read.

Business card with the company name

Branded shirt or hat

Utility bill showing your business name and that exact address

Invoices, water bill, or anything on company letterhead with the address

More is better here. Every extra document with your name and address on it makes rejection less likely. Hold each one still for a couple of seconds.

Avoid These

Why Videos Get Rejected

Almost every rejection comes down to one of these. None of them are about whether your business is legitimate.

✕

Stopping and restarting the recording. It has to be one take

✕

Filming at night or somewhere too dark to read a document

✕

Flashing paperwork past the lens instead of holding it still

✕

A bill or licence with a different address than the one you listed

✕

Never showing keys, so nothing proves you have access

✕

Keywords in your business name that are not on your signage

The pattern: a reviewer could not see something clearly enough to tick it off. Slow down and get closer.

It Happens

If It Does Not Go Through

A rejection almost never means Google decided you are fake. It means something in the recording was missing, unreadable, or out of order. Fix that and film it again.

Attempt Two: Film It Again, Slower

Go back through every one of the five stops. A skipped step is the usual reason

Lock and unlock the vehicle and the front door again, clearly, on camera

Hold each document still for three full seconds and get close enough that the address is readable

Film in daylight. Most rejected videos are simply too dark to read

Do not change your business name or address between attempts. That resets everything

Attempt Three: File An Appeal And Ask For A Person

Open the appeal form and submit your case

Attach photos of the vehicle, the outside of the building, and the street sign

Attach the utility bill, registration, insurance, and licensing, all showing the same address

Ask for a live video call with a Google representative

Google Appeal Form Start your appeal here

The live call is the one that works. A rep can ask you to point the camera somewhere instead of just rejecting the file. Most profiles that fail twice on a recording pass on the call.

Pass VideoVerification First Try