Profile verification
How does a law firm verify its Google Business Profile?
The verification methods Google offers today, how to film a law office without showing a client file, what to do in a shared suite, and why verification fails.
By Charlotte Thompson, Co-Founder, Ad Hoc Digital
Last updated
The short answer
If you read one part of this page, read this.
A law firm verifies its Google Business Profile with whichever method Google offers it: a phone call or text, an email, a live video call, a recorded video or a postcard. Google chooses the options based on the business, and the firm can't pick a different one.
For law offices, the video methods are where it goes wrong. Google wants to see your sign, your street and proof you run the place, but the video must not show private information or other people's faces. That rules out filming the reception area with clients in it, or a desk covered in case files.
We take firms through verification when we build a new profile for AI search or Local Services Ads, which requires a verified profile. We work with law firms across the US and Canada, and also in Australia and the UK.
Why it matters
Until the profile is verified, most of what you add doesn't show.
Verification is how Google confirms you own or represent the firm. Without it, you can't reliably edit the profile, and your photos and posts sit in pending.
- Photos and posts
Google says photos and videos show on Google only after you verify, and that posts stay pending while a profile is unverified.
- Local Services Ads
Google requires a "public and verified" Business Profile before Local Services Ads will run. Our Google Verified guide covers the separate screening that comes after.
- Local results
Google's own ranking tips say a verified business is "more likely to show up in search results."
The methods
Google offers five verification methods, and decides which ones you get.
Google says the options depend on your business type, public information, region and business hours. It recommends video where you're eligible, and some firms have to complete more than one method.
| Method | How it works | What a law firm should know |
|---|---|---|
| Phone or text | Google calls or texts a code to the business number | Google says phone menus (IVR systems) won't get the code. A firm whose main line goes to a phone tree or answering service needs a person ready to answer |
| Google emails a link to an address on the verification screen | Only works if you can use that exact address | |
| Live video call | A Google support rep joins a video call while you show the office | Only during the office's business hours, and you have to be at the office |
| Video recording | You record and upload one continuous video from a phone | Recorded live in the app, unedited, at least 30 seconds, with no private information or other people's faces |
| Postcard | Google mails a code to the office address | Most arrive within 14 days and expire after 30. Don't edit the name, address or category while you wait |
Google says verification options "are automatically determined by Google and can't be changed." Since the options are fixed, the useful work is preparing well for the method you have, which for most law offices means getting the video right.
Video verification
A verification video for a law office shows the street, the sign and the keys, and nothing confidential.
Google's storefront video has to show the location, proof the business exists with its name on a permanent fixture, and proof you manage it. Google also says it must not show sensitive numbers, private information or other people's faces.
Pick a quiet time
Film before clients arrive or after they leave. Anyone in the waiting room is a face Google says shouldn't be in the video.
Clear the route first
Walk the route you'll film and close the file room, turn monitors off, and clear desks along the way. A visible client file is private information about someone else.
Start outside
Show the street sign, the building number and a nearby business, so Google can match the spot to the pin on Maps.
Show the sign with the exact name
Google says the name must be clearly printed on a permanent fixture, like a signboard, wall or window, and must match the name on the profile. If the door says "Rivera Law, PLLC" and the profile says "Rivera Law Group", fix one of them before filming.
Prove you run the office
Open the office door with your own keys, or show an employee-only area. Google lists non-sensitive business documents as acceptable proof; a utility bill in the firm's name works, a client letter doesn't.
Record in one take
Record from the Business Profile on a phone, unedited and without breaks, for at least 30 seconds. Google says pre-recorded videos aren't allowed and you can't record offline and upload later.
Timing
Google says reviews take up to 5 business days, and some profiles verify instantly.
After you complete a method, Google reviews what you sent. It says that takes up to 5 business days, and on rare occasions longer.
Google lists two cases where a profile can verify instantly: when the firm's website is verified in Google Search Console, and with bulk verification for 10 or more locations of the same business. Bulk verification rarely applies to law firms; our multiple locations guide explains why.
Plan around it. If you're launching Local Services Ads, start verification first, since Google won't run them on an unverified profile and the reviews on the ad come from it. Google search ads are different: Google says you don't need a verified account to run location assets there.
When it fails
When verification fails, Google usually tells you why, and the fix is in the details.
Google describes three signs of trouble: the "Get verified" button coming back, a "Review issues" notice on a video, or a request for more information.
- "Get verified" appears again
Google couldn't completely verify the business. Try again, and if more than one method is offered, try another.
- "Review issues" on a video
The video wasn't accepted. Google's examples include the business name not visible on the storefront, no nearby area shown, and missing proof of authorization. The new video has to include everything from the first one plus what was missing.
- A request for more information
Google says this usually follows recent changes to your details. Changes to the name, a move to a new address, or a category edit can all send a verified profile back through verification.
- A postcard that never arrives
Don't request a second code while waiting: Google says a new request cancels the code in the mail. Check that the mailing address is right, give it the 14 days Google mentions, then try again or use another method if one is offered.
From our client work
Verification goes quickly when the firm's details match everywhere and the right person is ready.
When we set up a new profile, the delays we see are rarely Google's. They're a phone tree, a sign that doesn't match, or an owner who's in trial all week.
- Who verifies: the owner, or someone at the firm working directly with the owner. Google's rules say an agency must work with the business owner to complete verification and never claim a profile without the owner's consent.
- The code stays with the firm. Google says never to share a verification code, "even with those who manage your Business Profile." We're added as managers after verification.
- The name on the sign, the profile, the state registration and the website should all read the same before you start.
- Someone answers the main line in person during the verification window, if phone is the method.
Verification is the unglamorous step in front of results that aren't. A Toronto solo with no online presence had its first client signed in 24 hours once we'd built everything from the ground up, and a DUI defense solo made $13,500 from $600 in ad spend on an LSA listing that needed a verified profile underneath it. Our DUI defense marketing page shows where the profile fits for that practice.
If verification is stuck, schedule a consultation and we'll look at what Google is asking for.
Common mistakes
Where firms go wrong.
These are the verification slips that hold law firms up longest.
Filming a busy office
Clients in the waiting room and open files on desks break Google's rule against private information and other people's faces, and they're a confidentiality problem for the firm.
Editing while a postcard is in the mail
A change to the name, address or category makes the code useless. Leave the profile alone until the code is entered.
Requesting a new code too soon
Google says a new request invalidates the code already on its way. Most arrive within 14 days.
A phone tree on the verification line
Google says IVR systems won't get the code. Have a person answer, or a line that rings straight through, while you wait for the call.
Letting a vendor keep the code
The firm should own the profile and the code. Agencies are added as managers afterward.
Real results
What this looked like for real firms.
Two firms where a verified profile sat underneath the first results: one built from nothing, one on Local Services Ads.
Identifying details are anonymized to protect our clients. Individual result, not a promise or prediction of any specific outcome for your firm.
FAQ
Questions lawyers ask us.
Straight answers to the questions that come up most.
How long does Google Business Profile verification take?
Google says its review takes up to 5 business days after you complete a method, and occasionally longer. Postcards add their own wait: most arrive within 14 days. Some profiles verify instantly, for example when the website is already verified in Google Search Console.
Can I choose postcard instead of video?
No. Google says the methods are determined automatically and can't be changed. If several are offered, you can try another. If none works, Google suggests contacting support, but prepare properly for the method you have first.
What should a law firm show in a verification video?
The street and building number, the firm's sign with the exact profile name, and proof you run the office, such as opening the locked door with your keys or a utility bill in the firm's name. Never client files, screens or anyone's face. Film in one continuous take of at least 30 seconds.
Our main number goes to an answering service. Can we verify by phone?
Google says phone menus won't receive the code. Have a lawyer or staff member answer the business line directly during verification, or use another method if Google offers one. Our answering services guide covers the rest of that setup.
Do we have to verify again if we move offices?
Yes. Google says a move to a new address after verification means verifying again, and name or category changes can trigger it too. Plan moves so the new office has its sign up before you change the profile.
Can our marketing agency verify the profile for us?
Google says representatives must work directly with the business owner to complete verification, and the owner shouldn't share the code with anyone. In practice the firm verifies, then adds the agency as a manager. Our questions to ask an agency guide covers ownership.
Our office has no sign. Can we still verify?
Not as a storefront. Google says a business without permanent on-site signage should be listed as a service-area business, with the address hidden. If clients do visit, putting up a permanent sign with the firm's name is the simpler fix.
Where we do this
The services this guide touches.
What this looks like when we run it for a firm, with a demo for your practice on each page.
Sources
Where these facts come from.
Official pages we read when writing this page. Platforms and rules change, so check the current version before you act on any of it. This is marketing guidance, not legal advice.
- Google Business Profile Help, Verify your business on Google
- Google Business Profile Help, Verify your business with a video recording
- Google Business Profile Help, Guidelines for representing your business on Google
- Google Business Profile Help, Business eligibility and ownership guidelines
- Google Business Profile Help, Edit your Business Profile
- Google Business Profile Help, Manage your business category
- Google Business Profile Help, Manage your Business Profile photos and videos
- Google Business Profile Help, Create and manage posts on your Business Profile
- Google Business Profile Help, Tips to improve your local ranking on Google
- Google Local Services Help, About Google Business Affiliation
Written by
Co-founder of Ad Hoc Digital. Leads social media and content, runs onboarding for new client firms, and is on the regular check-in calls with clients.
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