Manage verification

  • Providers can directly verify merchant businesses on their platforms, eliminating the need for redirection to the Business Profile UI.

  • Verification options include postcard, phone call, SMS, and email, and can be fetched using the locations.fetchVerificationOptions method.

  • Location creation involves searching for existing locations or creating new ones, followed by initiating the verification process using the locations.verify method.

  • Verification status can be retrieved using the locations.getVoiceOfMerchantState and locations.verifications.list methods.

  • Completing verification may require a PIN code and using the locations.verifications.complete method.

Providers who offer listing management directly on their platform can verify a merchant's business within their site. This eliminates the need to redirect the merchant into the Business Profile UI.

Get current state

Users can call locations.getVoiceOfMerchantState on a location to retrieve its current status. If the hasVoiceOfMerchant boolean is true, then the location is already in good standing and no additional action is required. Otherwise, if the gain_voice_of_merchant action in the response contains verify, you must complete verification. Follow the instructions below for more information.

Fetch verification options

Providers can use the locations.fetchVerificationOptions method to prompt merchants to choose a preferred contact method from a list of available verification methods.

To fetch the verification options, use the following:

HTTP
POST
https://mybusinessverifications.googleapis.com/v1/{locationId}:fetchVerificationOptions

{
  "languageCode": "en"
}

Initiate the verification process

After you choose a verification method, initiate the verification process with locations.verify. As a result of this call, the location moves to a verified state or an error status is returned.

HTTP
POST
https://mybusinessverifications.googleapis.com/v1/locations/{locationId}
:verify

// Use only one of the below verification methods

// For postcard verification:
{
  "method": "ADDRESS",
  "languageCode": "en",
  "addressInput": {
    "mailerContactName": "Ann Droyd"
  }
}

// For phone verification:
{
  "method": "PHONE_CALL",
  "languageCode": "en",
  "phoneInput": {
    "phoneNumber": "800-555-0136"
  }
}

// For SMS verification:
{
  "method": "SMS",
  "languageCode": "en",
  "phoneInput": {
    "phoneNumber": "800-555-0136"
  }
}

// For email verification:
{
  "method": "EMAIL",
  "languageCode": "en",
  "emailInput": {
    "emailAddress": "ex@google.com"
  }
}

Retrieve current verifications

The locations.verifications.list call retrieves the history of verification requests along with their status for the location specified in the call.

To retrieve all verification requests, use the following:

HTTP
GET
https://mybusinessverifications.googleapis.com/v1/locations/{locationId}
/verifications

Complete a pending verification

A PIN code and the locations.verifications.complete method is usually required to complete the verification of a business.

To complete a pending verification, use the following:

HTTP
POST
https://mybusinessverifications.googleapis.com/v1/locations/{locationId}
/verifications/{verificationId}:complete

{
  "pin": "123456"
}

Best practices for GBP verification using API

Location creation

With the GBP Business Information API, you can embed your platform to provide location creation functionality. When you ask merchants to add a new location, make sure to follow these steps:

Collect location information such as business name, address, category from the merchant.

  1. Call the googleLocations.search endpoint.
  2. Provide location data, such as business name, category, address, phone number and website within the API request.

Alternatively, perform a search for potential matching location by following these steps:

  1. Query possible location matches.
  2. Ask the merchant to choose the correct location.
  3. If requestAdminRightsUrl exists in the location response, help the merchant request access and ownership for that location on Google Business Profile.
  4. If requestAdminRightsUrl doesn't exist, create a new location with the Place ID in the location response.
  5. Verify the new location.

Note: If you don't get any possible location matches from your initial query, use a blank Place ID to create a new location. Then, verify that new location.

Location verification

To start the verification process using the GBP API, please follow these steps:

  1. Call the accounts.locations.list method to list all locations for a Google Account.
  2. Select a location to verify.
  3. Call the GetVoiceOfMerchant API method to confirm whether that location requires verification.
  4. If the response returns verify, call fetchVerificationOptions to get a list of methods available to verify that location.
  5. Double-check that the verificationOption data includes the correct address, phone number and email address.
  6. After the mechant selects the best-available verification option, call the locations.verify method to initiate the appropriate verification. To confirm that the initiation is in progress, call the locations.verifications.list.
  7. Call the locations.verification.complete method with the merchant's pin.
  8. Call the GetVoiceOfMerchant API method. If HasVoiceOfMerchant = true, you have successfully verified the location.

Note: If AUTO verification is available for the location, the merchant need not perform any verification steps

For further information on GBP verification, please refer to our help center support article.