Search giant Google has updated its documentation regarding the verification of Google Business Profiles (formerly called Google My Business listings), with businesses now potentially having to verify themselves using two different methods.
When a business sets up a listing and sets its address, Google requests verification on this. Traditionally, businesses could only verify their listings via a postcard, wherein Google would send a card to a business address containing a code, and this code would need to be inputted online by the business to prove it was indeed based where it claimed to be. Since then, several options have been added, including video calls, video recordings, emails, texts and phone calls.
Now, however, businesses may have to verify themselves using two of these methods, with Google’s documentation updating to say that it “may require” verification using “more than one method”.
One eagle-eyed Twitter user spotted the update and posed the question of whether stricter controls on verification would help to tackle false locations on Google Maps:
If you've verified any Google Business Profiles lately, you know there's a push for video verification.
And now this: "We may require you to verify by more than one method."
Will a stricter verification process reduce fake locations on Google Maps?
— Stefan Somborac (@StefanSomborac) March 1, 2022
While Google itself hasn’t released a statement on the change as of yet, this update, while perhaps a little more time-consuming for business owners, should help to ensure all business information on Google is accurate, with only genuine businesses listed – which will be a benefit to both customers and businesses alike.
Having an up-to-date Google Business Profile set up offers several advantages to businesses, with the most significant being that it helps potential customers find you on the web. Here at Engage Web, we can create a listing for you as part of our Fresh Start web design package, and we can optimise it too as part of our search engine optimisation (SEO) services. If you’d like to find out more, drop our team a message today.
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