Google has updated its document on how to verify your business in Google Business Profiles to add that you Google “may require you to verify by more than one method.” This might be related to some fraudulent business profiles being created using one of the verification methods.
Verification methods. Google currently offers several methods to verify a business listing with Google Business Profiles. When this first launched, Google had only the postcard method, where Google would mail the business address a postcard and pin. But Google has added numerous options since, including:
- Phone or text
- Video recording
- Live video call
- Postcard
Double verify. Now, Google may request that some businesses use not just one verification method, but two. Here is a screenshot of the updated document:
Stefan Somborac who spotted this said on Twitter that maybe this will lead to “a stricter verification process” and thus possibly “reduce fake locations on Google Maps.”
Why we care. This may add additional steps for you and your customers when verifying their business profiles with Google but hopefully this will reduce fake business listings in Google Maps. Google has not commented on this change, so it is hard to know for sure why Google added that line, but we can all guess it is related to helping ensure the business is a real business.
You may want to communicate to your customers that they may need to verify their business more than one way, if you are working with a business that has yet to verify their business profile in Google.
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Source: Search Engine Land