A trades business in Hildesheim wonders why it suddenly appears in Google Maps under a wrong phone number. A practice in Sarstedt receives a notice that its listing has been suspended. A shop in Alfeld finally wants to verify its profile but fails at a video that Google demands. These three situations share one cause: Google tightened the rules around the business profile noticeably in 2025 and 2026. Anyone creating a profile today or changing important details must pass video verification more often, and fake or hijacked listings are suspended faster - sometimes it hits the honest ones too. For local businesses a lot is at stake: 84 percent (Rio SEO Local Search Consumer Behavior Study) of consumers search for local businesses on a regular basis, and 46 percent (GoGulf) of all Google searches have local intent. An unverified or manipulated profile means being invisible in exactly these moments. This article explains step by step how to verify your business profile safely and protect it from fakes for the long term - in plain language, without jargon.
Key takeaways
- Google increasingly requires video verification for newly created and for significantly edited profiles; the AI-assisted review usually takes 24 to 48 hours (UPLOAD Magazin).
- A verified, complete profile pays directly into trust and visibility - complete listings are considered reputable about 2.7 times more often (Google).
- Fake and hijacked listings are a real risk: they redirect calls, change addresses and can push a business out of Google Maps.
- A hijacked profile can usually be recovered - through the Claim ownership function and, if necessary, via Google support.
- The best protection is a well-kept, consistent profile with active control, embedded in clean local visibility across all directories.
Why Verification Became Stricter in 2026
For most local businesses the Google Business Profile is the most important digital business card - often more important than their own website, because it appears directly in search and on the map. The value of this visibility is considerable: 76 percent (Google) of people who search for something nearby on their smartphone visit a relevant business within a day, and 28 percent (Google) of these searches result in a purchase. Where so much attention and revenue converge, abuse and fraud gather too. Fake listings, hijacked profiles and spam undermine users' trust in the results - and this trust is Google's most valuable asset.
In response, Google has tightened the review considerably. Since 2023 video verification has been required for more and more new and edited profiles, and it was rolled out broadly in 2025 (tillhub). Instead of a simple postcard with a code, the owner today often has to prove by video that the business actually exists at the given address and that they run it. The assessment is largely handled by an AI that typically decides within 24 to 48 (UPLOAD Magazin) hours. This protects against fakes, but it also means honest businesses should know the rules precisely so as not to end up unnecessarily in a queue or even a suspension.
Video verification
Now the most common method: a short, uninterrupted video shows the location, signage and proof that you run the business. The AI-assisted review usually takes 24 to 48 hours (UPLOAD Magazin).
Postcard by mail
The classic route: Google sends a code to the business address. It is offered less often and takes longer, but remains available for some categories and locations.
Phone, SMS or email
For some established or already known businesses Google offers instant confirmation by call, SMS or email. Which option appears is decided by Google based on category and history.
Video Verification: What Google Now Wants to See
Video verification seems intimidating at first but follows a clear logic. Google wants to establish three things beyond doubt: that your location really exists, that it matches the stated address and that you are entitled to manage the profile. In practice this means filming in a single, uninterrupted shot - from the exterior with street sign and house number, past the entrance with your signage, into the interior - and showing proof of management there, such as a till, tools, stock or business documents.
It is important that the video confirms the details in the profile. If the filmed address differs from the listing or there is no link between you and the business, the review is rejected. If the video is turned down, there is no cause for concern: you can usually repeat it or request an alternative method. Pure service providers without a shop - a mobile care service or an electrician working at the customer's site, for instance - film a branded vehicle, equipment and documents that prove the business instead. The following order has proven effective.
- Prepare: have the street sign, house number, entrance with your signage and clear proof of management ready.
- Film in one take: from outside to inside, without cuts and without interrupting the recording, in good lighting.
- Show the link: till, tools, goods, a branded vehicle or business mail that prove you actually run the business.
- Match the details: make sure name, address and category in the profile exactly match what the video shows.
- Upload and wait: the AI-assisted review usually decides within 24 to 48 hours (UPLOAD Magazin); if rejected, resubmit or choose an alternative.
- Secure access: after successful verification, immediately check who has access to the profile and remove anyone no longer needed.
Rehearse the video once
Hijacked and Fake Profiles: the Real Danger
As strict as verification seems, it has a serious background. Fake and hijacked listings are not a fringe phenomenon but a persistent problem that Google and security researchers have wrestled with for years. For an affected business the consequences are immediate: a stranger changes the stored phone number and intercepts your calls, moves the address to another location or replaces your photos. In the worst case a second, fake listing is created under your name that catches customers before they reach you. Because 84 percent (Rio SEO Local Search Consumer Behavior Study) of consumers search locally on a regular basis, every manipulation affects real enquiries at once.
Such takeovers usually happen inconspicuously. Often the owner only notices something is wrong when customers stay away or complain about a wrong number. It is therefore worth knowing the typical warning signs and checking your own profile regularly. The following overview contrasts how a healthy profile differs from a suspicious one.
| Feature | Healthy, verified profile | Suspicious or hijacked profile |
|---|---|---|
| Control | Access only for you and vetted people | An unknown person suddenly has access |
| Contact data | Your phone number and address are correct | Number or address were changed without your doing |
| Status | Verified and publicly visible | Suspended, duplicated or not findable |
| Edits | Changes originate from you | External change suggestions get accepted |
| Photos and content | Your images and descriptions | Foreign or unfitting images appear |
Consistency makes manipulation harder
Recovering a Hijacked Profile
If a profile has already been taken over or claimed by a stranger, fast but measured action is needed. The central lever is the Claim ownership function: through it you tell Google that the business is yours and trigger a conflict process. The current supposed owner is notified and has a deadline to respond. If they do not react or cannot prove their authorisation, you usually gain access. If the automatic route is not clear-cut, Google support helps, to which you present evidence such as a trade registration, imprint or invoices with your address.
- Stay calm and secure evidence: capture screenshots of the false listing, the changed number and the time it happened.
- Claim ownership: submit the access request through the affected listing and prove your authorisation.
- Wait out the deadline: Google notifies the current access holder; without a proven counter-reaction control usually passes to you.
- Involve support: if things stall, contact Google support and have evidence such as a trade registration or imprint ready.
- Clean up after recovery: remove foreign access, correct contact data and check verification again.
This process sometimes takes patience, because Google checks thoroughly in case of doubt so as not to favour the wrong side. That very fact shows why prevention is cheaper than cure: a profile that is cleanly verified and actively maintained from the start is considerably harder to hijack. How local presence is built and secured overall is deepened in our article on local visibility in Hildesheim.
Protecting the Profile from Fakes for the Long Term
Protection is not a one-off action but a habit. A profile that is checked and maintained regularly is a poor target for attackers - and a good one for customers. The effort pays off twice, because the same measures that protect against manipulation also strengthen visibility: complete profiles are considered reputable about 2.7 times (Google) more often, listings with photos receive around 42 percent (Google) more direction requests and about 35 percent (Google) more clicks to the website. And 87 percent (BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey) of consumers use Google to judge local businesses - a hijacked or incomplete profile gives away trust right here.
Check regularly
Review your profile at fixed intervals for changed contact data, foreign edit suggestions and duplicate listings. Spotting anomalies early prevents larger damage.
Keep details consistent
Name, address and phone number should be identical everywhere - on the website, in directories and in the profile. Consistency strengthens ranking and hinders manipulation at once.
Secure access
Use a strong password and two-step verification for the Google account, grant access only to trusted people and revoke it as soon as it is no longer needed.
Visibility and protection are the same task
Verification, Website and Local Visibility as One System
A verified profile only unfolds its effect together with the rest of your online presence. Customers who discover you in Google Maps often check your website afterwards, and those who arrive via the website look for opening hours and reviews in the profile. These channels should show the same details and interlock. Solid local search engine optimisation and well-thought-out search engine optimisation ensure you are findable in both worlds. In addition, location pages for the Hildesheim region help you become visible beyond your immediate town without endangering the consistency of your data.
Reputation also includes handling reviews. A verified profile is the basis for responding to feedback and acting in the case of unjustified criticism. How to deal professionally with Google reviews and when it is worth having an unjustified Google review removed sensibly complements the protection of the profile. Verification, visibility and reputation should be thought of together - then each building block feeds the next.
A verified profile is not a bureaucratic tick but the lock on your most important digital door.
Verification is the beginning, not the goal
Realistic Expectations and Honest Effort
As important as verification is, one should be honest about its limits. No one can assure that a profile will never be challenged or never attacked - Google's systems decide automatically, and even correct listings occasionally end up in a review. What can be achieved is a cleanly verified, consistent and actively maintained profile that makes manipulation harder and, in an emergency, holds robust evidence ready for recovery. In our experience the risk of a takeover drops noticeably when access is secured and data is identical everywhere (project experience).
If you would rather not go through verification yourself, or a profile is already causing problems, we accompany you - from the first confirmation through consistent upkeep to recovering a hijacked listing. How such an approach looks in practice can be seen in our references, and which steps make sense for your business we are happy to clarify in a no-obligation conversation.