Can customers find my business before it's verified?

No. An unverified profile is editable in the dashboard but won't appear in normal Google Search or Maps results, and you can't publicly reply to reviews until verification is complete.

How long does postcard verification take?

Typically one to two weeks for the postcard to arrive, depending on your location and postal service, plus whatever time it takes you to enter the code once it lands. Phone, email, and instant verification, where offered, are usually much faster.

I run a mobile or home-based business with no shopfront — can I still verify?

Yes. Set the profile up as a service-area business, hide your exact address, and Google will typically offer phone or video verification instead of a postcard.

Google Business Profile

How to Verify Your Google Business Profile

A Google Business Profile doesn't appear in Search or Maps until it's verified. Here's every verification method Google may offer you, what each involves, and what to do if verification stalls.

Updated 20 July 2026 · 5 min read

Why Google gates visibility behind verification

Verification exists to confirm that whoever is managing a listing genuinely operates the business at that location, rather than a competitor, a prankster, or an unrelated third party. Until it's done, you can still build out your profile behind the scenes — hours, category, photos, description — but none of it shows up in ordinary Google Search or Maps results, and you can't reply to reviews as the business.

Which verification method you're offered depends on your business type, category, and history with Google — you don't get to pick freely, and the option shown in your dashboard is the one available to you.

The verification methods Google uses

Most new profiles are offered one of the following, shown automatically in the Business Profile setup flow:

Postcard by mail — Google posts a printed code to your business address; the most common method, especially for a business's first listing.
Phone — a text message or automated call with a verification code, offered to some eligible businesses and usually the fastest option when available.
Email — offered when the email address on the profile is already associated with a verified domain or an existing verified profile for the same business.
Video verification — Google asks for a short recorded walkthrough showing your signage, premises, and evidence you operate there; used more often for service-area businesses without a public storefront.
Instant verification — if you've already verified the same business's website through Google Search Console with a matching email, verification can complete immediately with no extra step.

Getting through postcard verification

Enter your business details exactly as they appear on official paperwork, then request the postcard. It typically arrives within one to two weeks, though delivery times vary with location and postal service. When it lands, log back into your Business Profile dashboard and enter the five-digit code printed on it — codes usually expire after a set window, so don't let the postcard sit unopened.

If the postcard never turns up, request a new one from the dashboard rather than waiting indefinitely — a lost or delayed postcard is common and easily resolved with a resend.

If verification stalls

Double-check every detail on the profile matches your official business name, address, and phone number exactly — small mismatches are the most frequent cause of a rejected or delayed verification.

If postcard verification has failed or taken far longer than expected, check whether phone or video verification has become available in your dashboard as an alternative — eligibility can change as Google gathers more signals about the business.

For a verification that's genuinely stuck with no path forward in the dashboard, use Google Business Profile's support contact option and be ready to supply proof of the business: an ABN extract, a lease or utility bill, or licensing documents.

Service-area and home-based businesses

If you don't have a public storefront — a mobile trade, a home-based consultancy — you can still verify, but you'll typically be steered toward phone or video verification rather than postcard, and you should set your profile to hide your exact address while still specifying the areas you serve. This keeps your home address private while your business remains fully verified and visible in local search.