How We Know Google Trusts BBB Accredited Businesses

[Stefan Somborac]

Getting BBB accredited involves more than just paying an annual fee; there is a vetting process. Accreditation requires businesses to meet a set of standards. I'm not familiar with the details, but it's clear that Google puts a significant amount of trust in accreditation (at least in the US). How do we know?

If you run into a verification issue, you need to contact GBP support through the verification status tool. (As described in this thread.)

If the profile is outside the US, the form asks for a link to your government registration.

But if the profile is for a US business, the form asks for your BBB URL instead!

The form changes dynamically when you change the country drop-down.

While there isn't a similar BBB URL request during the appeals process, personally, I'll submit a BBB link (if available) when handling suspension cases, too. If the verification team puts value in it, why wouldn't the suspension team as well?

 

[fisicx]

If the profile is outside the US, the form asks for a link to your government registration.

In the UK there in no requirement for government registration. You can pay £100 to register as a company but it's not required.

 

[Stefan Somborac]

In the UK there in no requirement for government registration. You can pay £100 to register as a company but it's not required.

Yeah, the same is true in Canada; small business owners can operate as a "sole proprietor" under their own name. (I think this is a "sole trader" in the UK?) I believe there is a similar business status in most/all US states.

Unfortunately, there is often a disconnect between what is legally required in a region vs. what documentation Google would like to see to verify the existence of a business.

 

[JS Girard]

I assume there is no hard evidence this goes beyond the verification process? 'cause I believe it's been looked at for ranking before, hasn't it?