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How I Finally Verified My Google Business Listing After Weeks of Rejections

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Verifying my Google Business listing turned out to be a longer journey than expected. For about a month, I faced repeated rejections with no clear indication of why. After plenty of trial and error, some research, and a helpful Reddit post, I finally succeeded. If you’re going through a similar process, here’s what I learned—and hopefully, these tips can make your experience smoother.

Step 1: Google’s Instructions for Home-Based Businesses

I initially thought that including my address might add transparency, but Google has specific guidelines for home-based businesses. If customers aren’t meant to visit your location, Google advises not to include your physical address. Instead, you should set a service area, indicating the locations you serve. This small tweak may seem trivial, but making this change helped align my listing with Google’s requirements.

Step 2: Reddit’s Game-Changing Advice on Video Verification

Even after following Google’s guidance, my verification still got rejected. During my research, I found a Reddit post that suggested a different approach for the video verification process. Google’s official instructions allow for video submissions between 30 seconds and 5 minutes, but my 1-1/2 minute video kept getting rejected. Reddit users advised sticking closer to the 30-second mark.

Creating a shorter video was challenging, but after several takes, I managed to bring it down to around 38 seconds. Thankfully, it finally uploaded and was accepted.

Key Takeaways

Here’s what worked for me:

  1. Skip the address if you’re a home-based business without in-person customer visits.
  2. Use a service area rather than a physical address to align with Google’s expectations.
  3. Keep the video around 30 seconds, despite Google’s suggestion of up to 5 minutes. My attempts over 1 minute didn’t work, but a shorter clip finally did.

After incorporating these tips, I was able to verify my listing successfully. If you’re struggling with verification, hopefully, these insights can help you avoid some of the trial and error I went through!

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