Recording the video Google asks for to verify your business

Google often asks a new or edited Google Business Profile for a short video before it shows on Maps and Search. The video has to prove three things: where you are, that the business is real, and that you run it. Below is a plan you can follow with your phone, in one take.

Before you press record

• Record it on your phone, in your Google Business Profile: tap Get verified, then Business video, then Start recording. Google does not take a video recorded earlier and uploaded later.
• One take, no cuts or editing, at least 30 seconds. If you stumble, tap Try again before you upload.
• Have everything you will show within a few steps of each other, so you can walk from one to the next without stopping.
• Keep out other people's faces, and anything with a bank account, tax or ID number on it.

If customers come to your office (storefront)

About 45 seconds. Walk it once before you record.

Time	Film this	What it proves
0 to 10 s	Stand on the sidewalk. Show the street sign at the nearest corner, then pan to your building number and the business next door.	Where you are. It should match the address you gave Google.
10 to 20 s	Turn to your door or window and hold on the sign with your business name, painted, printed or mounted, not a paper note.	The business exists, under the name you gave Google.
20 to 35 s	Open the door with your key and walk in. Show your desk with your business cards or framed license on it.	You are allowed in, and the name matches.
35 to 45 s	Sit down and open something only staff can: your agency or CRM software, a booking calendar, a locked file drawer.	You run it.

If you go to your customers (service area, or you work from home)

Google's word for this is a service-area business. Don't give Google your home address as the business address. The video still has to show your area, so film near where you work.

Time	Film this	What it proves
0 to 10 s	Outside, show the street sign at the nearest corner and a landmark or business people would recognize. Not an empty field or a blank wall.	You are in the service area you gave Google.
10 to 25 s	Show your business name printed on something real: your car or yard sign, your business card, your state license.	The business exists, under the name you gave Google.
25 to 40 s	Open your branded car with its key, or open a lockbox, or sign in to the app or system you use for clients (your MLS, your agency's quoting system, your CRM).	You run it.
40 to 45 s	End on your business card or license again, close enough to read.	Ties the name to you one last time.

You do not have to talk. If you want to, say what each shot is as you go, for example "This is the corner of Main and 3rd, and here is my office sign."

Why videos get turned down

• Business name not visible. The sign or card was too far away, too dark, or went by too fast. Hold each one for two or three seconds.
• No nearby area shown. Start outside with a street sign, every time.
• No proof you run it. Showing the business is not enough; open or sign in to something with your own key or password.
• The name doesn't match. The name on your sign or card has to match the name you gave Google. If that is "Smith Realty Group" and your card says "Jane Smith, Realtor", show something with "Smith Realty Group" on it, or change the name with Google first.
• A cut, an edit, or under 30 seconds.

After you upload

Google says a review can take up to 5 business days. Google then shows Successful or Not successful. If it was not, it tells you what was missing under Review issues, and you can record again. Google's own page on this is Verify your business with a video recording.

Once you're verified, use the same name, phone and website with Google as on your website and your license page. See What search engines and AI tools read.

What you'll see: Successful in your Google Business Profile, usually within 5 business days, and your business on Google Maps and Search.