How Google Verifies Businesses—and What You Need to Know in 2025

In today’s digital-first world, a verified Google Business Profile is essential for visibility and trust. But behind that little green checkmark is a complex system designed to balance ease of access for legitimate businesses with robust defenses against fraud. Here’s what you need to know about how Google verifies businesses, what’s changing, and how to stay ahead.

What Google’s Verification Team Looks For

Before your business can appear on Google Maps or Search, it must pass a verification process. Google’s team checks for three key things:

1.   Physical Presence: Your business must exist at the address you provide.

2.   Authenticity: You must be a real person—not a bot or scammer.

3.   Authorization: You must be authorized to manage the business profile.

These checks help ensure that users find real, trustworthy businesses when they search.

The Balancing Act: User Experience vs. Security

Google faces a constant challenge: making verification easy for honest businesses while keeping bad actors out. Every improvement in user experience risks weakening security, and every new security measure can frustrate legitimate users.

To strike the right balance, Google focuses on:

·        Streamlining onboarding for trustworthy businesses.

·        Strengthening fraud prevention to protect users and the platform.

Smarter, Simpler Video Verification

Video verification has become a cornerstone of Google’s process, especially for new businesses. Based on user feedback, Google has rolled out several improvements:

·        Clear Rejection Feedback: If your video is rejected, you’ll now get specific reasons and tips to fix it.

·        Video Previews: You can review your video before submitting to catch issues early.

·        Animated Tutorials: Step-by-step guides in the Help Center walk you through the process.

·        Multi-Location Support: Chains and franchises now have a smoother path to verifying multiple locations.

These updates aim to reduce confusion and increase success rates for legitimate businesses.

Navigating Suspensions and Re-Verifications

Sometimes, even honest businesses get caught in the net. Suspensions and re-verifications are necessary to maintain platform integrity, but they can be disruptive.

Google is working to:

·        Minimize unintended suspensions by refining its detection systems.

·        Improve the appeals process so businesses can resolve issues faster.

·        Enhance support responsiveness to reduce downtime and frustration.

Best Practices for Video Verification

Want to get verified on the first try? Follow these tips:

For Storefront Businesses:

·        Show your business name clearly on exterior signage.

·        Include interior shots relevant to your business (e.g., kitchen for a restaurant).

·        Demonstrate authorized access (e.g., unlocking doors, using registers).

·        Capture identifiable surroundings like street signs or landmarks.

For Service Area Businesses:

·        Display branded vehicles, uniforms, or tools.

·        Film yourself actively providing services at a client location.

·        Use clear location markers to confirm your service area.

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

·        Don’t film generic or unmarked areas—Google needs to verify your location.

·        Avoid using unauthorized individuals to record the video.

Looking Ahead: What to Expect in 2025 and Beyond

Google isn’t done evolving. In the coming months and years, expect continued improvements in three key areas:

·        Simplified verification for authentic businesses.

·        Stronger anti-fraud systems to protect users.

·        Better customer support to resolve issues quickly and clearly.

These efforts reflect Google’s commitment to transparency, innovation, and trust.

Bonus Insight: ChatGPT’s Role in Local Search

While Google remains the dominant force in local search, ChatGPT has made notable strides—especially since integrating Microsoft Bing’s search index.

ChatGPT now delivers more accurate local results by:

·        Pulling data from Bing.

·        Applying its own algorithm to interpret and present results.

This means your business’s visibility in ChatGPT depends on being listed in Bing’s search index—not just Google’s.

Key Differences in Local Results

When comparing local search results side-by-side, ChatGPT and Bing often show similar listings—but not always in the same order. For example:

·        A dry cleaner ranked #2 in ChatGPT might appear as #14 in Bing.

·        Some businesses shown in ChatGPT don’t appear in Bing at all.

This suggests that ChatGPT isn’t just repackaging Bing’s data—it’s reinterpreting it.

What This Means for You

To stay visible across platforms:

·        Claim and optimize your Bing Places listing.

·        Ensure consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone) data across directories.

·        Encourage reviews on multiple platforms, not just Google.

Understanding ChatGPT’s Local Search Capabilities—and Its Limits

As ChatGPT becomes more integrated into how people search for local businesses, it’s important to understand what it can—and can’t—do. While it has made impressive strides in surfacing local results, especially since integrating Bing’s web data, there are still key limitations that business owners should be aware of.

What ChatGPT Can’t Access

Despite pulling data from Bing’s search index, ChatGPT does not access Bing Places for Business profiles. This means:

·        It doesn’t pull in business profile data like hours, photos, or direct updates from Bing Places.

·        It can’t display third-party enhancements such as Facebook or Yelp reviews embedded in Bing listings.

·        It doesn’t have visibility into Bing’s geographic map displays or interactive features.

These limitations were confirmed through detailed testing and direct questioning of ChatGPT’s local search behavior.

How ChatGPT Builds Local Results

Instead of relying on structured business profile data, ChatGPT uses a web-based approach. When you ask for something like “best coffee shops in Austin,” it initiates a Bing search, scans the top 20–30 results, and then applies its own logic to organize and present the information.

Here’s how the process works:

1.   Initial Scan: ChatGPT reviews a wide range of sources—store websites, review aggregators, local blogs, and directories.

2.   Deeper Dive: It narrows the list to 5–8 sources that appear most relevant and informative.

3.   Selection Filter: From there, it selects 3–5 sources that meet its internal standards for quality, clarity, and accessibility.

ChatGPT’s Filtering Criteria

ChatGPT doesn’t just list the top-ranked pages. It evaluates sources based on:

·        Relevance: Titles like “Top 5 Vegan Cafes in Austin” are prioritized over vague or generic listings.

·        Authority: Trusted domains like Yelp, REI, or local magazines are favored.

·        Rich Metadata: Pages with business hours, star ratings, and addresses are seen as more valuable.

·        Unique Content: It avoids repetitive or outdated aggregator listings unless no better options exist.

To be included, a source must also be:

·        Verifiable: Users should be able to independently confirm the information. Anonymous or poorly sourced content is excluded.

·        Linkable: The page must be accessible without a paywall or subscription.

What About Google?

Despite occasional mentions of Google ratings or Maps links, ChatGPT does not have direct access to Google Search or Google Maps. Any Google-related content it references must appear on a page indexed by Bing.

The Map You See Isn’t From ChatGPT

If you’ve noticed a map in ChatGPT’s local search results, it’s not generated by the model itself. Instead, it’s part of the ChatGPT interface—what OpenAI calls the “front end.” The map is built using structured data (like names and addresses) that ChatGPT provides, then visualized through a mapping service.

Final Thoughts

Google’s verification process is evolving to be more user-friendly without compromising on security. By understanding what Google looks for—and avoiding common pitfalls—you can get verified faster and stay visible longer.

And with ChatGPT emerging as a new player in local search, it’s more important than ever to diversify your online presence. Optimize for both Google and Bing to ensure your business is discoverable wherever your customers are searching.

Keep in Mind

While ChatGPT is becoming a powerful tool for local discovery, it doesn’t replace Google or Bing’s native business platforms. Instead, it offers a curated, conversational layer built on top of Bing’s web results. For businesses, this means optimizing your presence across the web—especially on Bing-indexed sites—is key to being found in ChatGPT’s local recommendations.