Ensuring that your service area business is verified on Google is an important step towards gaining visibility and credibility. However, without Google My Business verification, your potential customers may struggle to find reliable information about your business, resulting in missed opportunities and reduced trust. In this article, we will highlight the most efficient way to verify your service area business on Google and provide guidance on optimizing your listing and maintaining its accuracy.

Importance of Verifying Your Service Area Business

Verification confirms to Google that your business is legal and that you’re authorized to manage it. Until your profile is verified, it may not show up in Google Maps or local search results. Verified profiles also gain access to additional features, including insights, messaging, and review management, all of which enhance visibility and trust.

Defining Service Area Businesses and Google’s Role

A service area business provides services directly to customers at their locations rather than at a fixed business location. Examples include SEO consultants, social media managers, content creators, and digital marketing agencies. For these businesses, the challenge lies in connecting with potential clients across a broader online marketplace rather than serving a single local area like a traditional physical store.

Google plays a key role in bridging this gap through its Google My Business platform. By allowing service area businesses to specify their coverage areas, Google helps them appear in local searches suitable to those areas, even without a physical store that customers can visit. This facility ensures that when a potential customer in your service area searches for local services, your business appears prominently in their search results.

Common Verification Methods

Google offers several ways to verify your business. The availability depends on your industry, location, and how your profile is set up:

  • Video recording – You upload a single short video showing your business signage, interior, billing table, tools, and location. This is the most common method.
  • Postcard by mail – A code is sent to your business address. This is the traditional method and can take 5–12 days. This method is now fading away!
  • Phone call or SMS – Some businesses can verify instantly by receiving a code via phone.
  • Email verification – Google sends a code to your registered business email. Not available for all businesses.

The fastest way to verify a service area business on Google is often video verification, especially if you are not eligible for instant verification. Start by accessing your Google Business Profile, clicking “Get verified,” and selecting the “Video recording” or “Business video” option to record a continuous video up to five minutes long. The video must show evidence of your business location or operations, branding, tools, and a connection to the business.

Prepare for Video Verification

  1. Gather Evidence: Collect business documents like licenses or utility bills, marketing materials (business cards, cash register), and tools of your trade.
  2. Identify Your Location: Film street signs, the building number, and any nearby landmarks or businesses.
  3. Show You’re Connected: Film yourself or provide relevant documents that prove you’re authorized to represent the business.
  4. Ensure Compliance: Make sure your business address is listed correctly on the profile, or if you are not displaying the address publicly, you will not be expected to show a physical store.

Record and Upload

1. Start Recording: On your Business Profile, click Get verified, then select Business video.

2. Film the Video:

  • Record a continuous video, ideally 1-2 minutes, but no longer than 5 minutes.
  • Show the business location and its address, any street signs, and your tools or equipment.
  • Open the office drawer and show your belongings, such as unlocking the door and demonstrating the business permit or invoice..
  • Film official documents, like business licenses or documents matching the business name and address.

3. Stop and Upload: Once finished, select Stop recording and then Upload video.

Important: Plan your video carefully before recording, as it must be created and uploaded directly from your mobile device via your Business Profile. Offline recordings cannot be uploaded later.

Your video should:

  • Be an original, unedited recording without pauses or breaks.
  • Last at least 30 seconds.
  • Be recorded and uploaded from a mobile device through your Business Profile.

Your video must not include:

  • Sensitive details such as bank, tax, or ID numbers.
  • Private information about yourself or others.
  • Other people’s faces.

What Happens Next

  • If successful, you will receive a notification confirming your profile is verified.
  • If Google needs more information, you’ll be prompted to try again and review the requirements.

Steps to Accelerate the Verification Process

  • Show your business location: Capture street signs, building numbers, neighbouring businesses, or well-known landmarks near your premises. This verifies that your business is correctly positioned on Google Maps.
  • Show proof that your business exists: Include footage of your storefront, showroom, or signage. Ensure your business name is clearly visible on a permanent fixture such as a signboard, wall, or window, and that it matches the name on your Business Profile.
  • Show proof of management: Demonstrate that you manage or represent the business by recording areas or actions only staff can access — for example, opening a cash register, entering a storage room or kitchen, or using a point-of-sale system.

Monitoring and Updating Business Information

Regular monitoring and updating of your Google My Business information is important for maintaining an accurate and authoritative presence. Schedule periodic reviews of your business details to ensure everything is up-to-date and reflects any changes in services, operating hours, or service areas. Be alert about new reviews and respond quickly to both positive and negative feedback. This interaction not only promotes trust but also demonstrates your commitment to customer satisfaction.

Verifying your service area business on Google is an important step in utilizing digital platforms for greater reach and success. Video verification is the fastest and most secure way for service area businesses to get verified on Google. By planning your video carefully, showing your location, signage, equipment, and proof of ownership, you can often complete verification in just one to two days. A verified Google Business Profile not only boosts your local visibility but also signals to customers that you’re an honest, trustworthy business.