Google Business Profile verification for dental practices
Until your profile is verified, you cannot fully manage it. Here is how verification works for a dental practice, the traps that cause it to fail, and why Google sometimes asks you to do it again.
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Google Business Profile verification is how Google confirms that you really run the practice on the profile and that it is at the address shown. Until it is done, you cannot fully manage the profile. To verify, go to your profile, select Get verified, and follow the method Google offers you: a phone call or text, email, video, a postcard or instant verification through Search Console. Google says verification reviews take up to five working days. This guide covers each method, the mistakes that cause dental practices to fail, and why Google sometimes asks you to verify again.
How do I verify my Google Business Profile?
- Sign in to the Google account that will own the profile. Use an account the practice controls, not a personal one.
- Find your profile on Google Search or Maps, or create it at business.google.com/add.
- Select Get verified.
- Choose from the methods Google offers and follow the on-screen steps.
- Wait for Google's review. Leave the name, address and category alone until it is finished.
That last point matters. Google warns that if you edit the business name, address or category during verification, the code it sent you will not work.
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The verification methods, and which you will get
You do not choose freely. Google says the options available to you depend on your business type, public information, region and opening hours, and that in some cases you may need to verify with more than one method.
| Method | How it works | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Phone or text | A code is sent by call or SMS to the practice number | Phone menus cannot receive the code |
| A link or code goes to an address shown on screen | You must be able to open that inbox | |
| Recorded video | You film the practice and upload from a phone | Strict rules on what to show and who appears |
| Live video call | You show the premises to Google live | Not available for every business |
| Postcard | A code is posted to the practice address | Most arrive within 14 days |
| Search Console | Instant, if your website is already verified there | Only offered in some cases |
Google business profile verification by phone number
Phone verification is quick when it is offered, but it can trip up a practice for one reason. Google says you must be able to answer the business phone or receive texts, and that interactive voice response systems will not get the code. If your practice line starts with "press 1 for appointments", the automated call cannot get past it.
- Choose a quiet time and have someone ready at reception to answer directly.
- If your phone system allows it, switch the menu off for a few minutes or route the call straight to a handset.
- If the practice number is a landline, choose the call option, because a text will not arrive.
Google business verification video: how to pass first time
Google's video verification rules are specific, and a practice has particular reasons to plan the recording.
What Google wants to see
- Where you are: street signs, building numbers, nearby businesses or familiar places that show the location.
- That the practice exists: your name on a permanent fixture, such as a sign, wall or window.
- That you manage it: something only staff can access. Google's examples are things like opening a cash register or a storage room. For a practice, unlocking the front door, opening the staff room or showing the decontamination room works.
The rules the recording must follow
- At least 30 seconds long.
- One unedited, continuous recording with no breaks.
- Recorded live and uploaded from a mobile device through your Business Profile. Pre-recorded videos are not allowed.
- No sensitive information such as bank, tax or ID numbers, no private information about you or others, and no other people's faces.
Why this matters more for a dental practice
The ban on other people's faces and private information lines up with your duty of confidentiality to patients. Record before the first patient arrives or after the last one leaves. Keep computer screens, the appointment book, lab tickets and anything with a patient name out of shot, and ask staff to stay out of frame.
Plan the route before you press record, because you cannot stop and restart within one video. A sensible order is: the street and a neighbouring landmark, the outside of the building with your sign, the front door as you unlock it, then reception and a staff-only room.
Google my business video verification not working
If your video is rejected, Google says you will be told what was missing and can resubmit following the on-screen guidance. Examples it gives include the business name not being visible on the shop front and no nearby area being shown. Film your sign in good light, hold the shot for a few seconds, and widen out to show the street.
How long does it take for a Google business to get verified?
Google says verification reviews take up to five working days once you have completed the steps, and on rare occasions longer. A postcard adds delivery time, and Google says most codes arrive within 14 days. Verification through Search Console can be instant, and Google says some businesses are verified straight away.
If the Get verified button reappears after you thought you had finished, Google says that means it could not completely verify your business, and you will need to try again.
How much does it cost to verify your business on Google?
Nothing. Google says you can add or claim your business at no charge, and verification is part of that process. Be wary of anyone who calls the practice claiming to be from Google and asking for a fee to verify or protect your listing.
Why does Google keep making me verify my business?
Google's own explanation is a recent change to your details. Google says it may ask you to re-verify because some of your business details were recently updated, to make sure your information is accurate. Its editing page says that if you change your business name after it is verified, you might need to verify again, and a move to new premises is the kind of change that can trigger the same request.
So if you are rebranding or relocating, expect to verify again. Get the new sign up before you change the profile, make sure your website shows the new name and address, and make the change in one go rather than in several edits.
Why am I unable to verify my Google Business Profile?
When verification keeps failing, the cause is usually one of these:
- The details do not match the real world. A profile name with treatments or towns added, or an address with no permanent signage, will struggle. Check it against Google's guidelines for representing your business.
- You edited during verification. Changing name, address or category invalidates the code.
- The phone menu blocked the call. See the phone section above.
- Someone else already owns the verified profile. You need to request ownership instead. Google gives the current owner three days to respond.
- There is a duplicate. Google allows one profile per business, so a second listing for the same location will not verify cleanly.
Verifying several practices at once
Groups with ten or more locations of the same business can apply for bulk verification through Business Profile Manager. Google says agencies managing several different businesses and service area businesses cannot use it, and duplicate, suspended or disabled profiles do not count towards the ten. Smaller groups verify each site individually.
Is it worth having a Google Business Profile?
For a dental practice, yes. The profile is what appears in the map and the panel when patients search for you, and it is free. Google says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and popularity, and one of its own tips for ranking well is to verify your business. An unverified profile is one you cannot keep accurate, cannot reply to reviews on and cannot defend against unwanted edits.
Once verified, the work moves to the profile itself and your reviews. Our local SEO guide for dentists covers that, and this guide to review targets shows how to work out what your town needs.
Check your profile is earning its place
Once your profile is verified, Practice Radar shows where it sits in the map pack across your town each week, against the practices you are competing with.
Run on our own practice first: ninth of the 14 practices measured in its town in May, first of 18 in September, on UK-wide search value. Page-one keywords: 6 in May, 194 in September.
Thirty days free. No card, and nothing starts automatically when it ends.