{"id":107103,"date":"2023-07-06T20:30:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-07T01:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dacgroup.com\/why-googles-video-verification-process-is-a-huge-headache-for-legitimate-businesses-3\/"},"modified":"2024-12-30T07:33:41","modified_gmt":"2024-12-30T12:33:41","slug":"why-googles-video-verification-process-is-a-huge-headache-for-legitimate-businesses-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dacgroup.com\/en-gb\/insights\/blog\/local-search\/why-googles-video-verification-process-is-a-huge-headache-for-legitimate-businesses-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Google\u2019s video verification process is a huge headache for legitimate businesses"},"content":{"rendered":"

Report<\/a> after report<\/a> is coming in that many businesses\u2014especially service area business\u2014are unable to verify themselves on Google. It doesn\u2019t matter if you\u2019re a standalone store or one of many locations of an enterprise, Google seems to be making its business-verification process as frustrating as possible. The worst part is that this aggravating process appears to be an intentional feature and not a bug.<\/p>\n

Which businesses are impacted by this issue?<\/h2>\n

Verification on Google is essential to not only give the business owner full control over their listings but to nurture trust among users and customers. An unverified business listing often looks like spam, and that may in fact be Google\u2019s plan.<\/p>\n

Service area businesses, meaning those that don\u2019t have a designated office and instead visit customers to provide a service\u2014such as plumbers and locksmiths\u2014are the ones most often impacted by Google\u2019s verification rejections.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

An unverified Google My Business (GMB) listing, most likely spam.<\/em><\/p>\n

The key insight to note is that service area business are also most likely to have to contend with listings spam<\/a>. Fake listings pop up constantly for these types of businesses, using black hat SEO to outrank legitimate businesses and \u201csteal\u201d leads that they can subsequently sell back to actual service providers. In an attempt to curb this well-known type of search engine spam, Google is trying to make verification an insurmountable obstacle for fake businesses\u2014and unintentionally inducing rage for real ones.<\/p>\n

How does Google\u2019s verification process work?<\/h2>\n

Businesses on Google can verify their listings in several ways. Postcards can be sent to a physical address; phone calls or texts can be sent to the listed business number; or a business can go through video verification, which requires footage of its service vehicle, business license, street view, and equipment, all captured within a certain timeframe upon Google\u2019s request.<\/p>\n

The search giant is imposing video verification on almost all service area businesses, forcing them to follow the most onerous method of the three. And even if businesses follow Google\u2019s instructions meticulously and provide everything that would get a non-service business verified, Google may still reject them. Service area businesses have been known to go through the process dozens of times, with the final, successful attempt being virtually identical to the first.<\/p>\n

\"Google'sIn its current form, the video verification process is an absurdity that prevents businesses from accessing Google Business Profile (GBP)<\/a>\u2019s full functionality. But that might be the entire point: Spammers are unlikely to endure the hassle, giving up when their fake listings fall short of Google\u2019s standards. Legitimate businesses, however, are the ones facing the real challenge, especially when they don\u2019t have the option to submit pre-recorded videos or submit the same types of video verification on each attempt. So, although Google plans on frustrating spammers until they give up, real businesses don\u2019t have that option.<\/p>\n

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