Video Verification Issues

[Jeffrey]

Hello all!

Recently, creating new Google listings or verifying existing ones have become a huge headache for my team. Here's one example that I need assistance on.

A local client of ours has an unclaimed listing that we've been trying to verify for about a month now. Originally, the only verification option was phone call, but this wouldn't work because they have a phone tree. As an alternative verification option, we contacted support and Live Video Verification was enabled. Last week I went to my clients practice to do the verification but sat in Google's queue for an hour before I had to leave to do other stuff. Shortly after, Google disabled the video verification option again, so I had to reach back out to get it re-enabled. Yesterday they turned it back on, so today I decided to try it again. This time around I sat in Google's queue for 4 hours. This wasn't working, so I reached out to support, and they just reiterated how to perform the video verification. We're just going around in circles here. What should my next steps be? Google support isn't helping much. Attached is a screenshot of what I saw for 4 hours

Thanks!

 

[Jeffrey]

Edit - After I posted this I tried starting up a new verification and it worked. Is this level of difficulty common nowadays? It seems like Google hasn't decided on a replacement for the postcard so it's been a huge mess lately

 

[shelbykoch]

Edit - After I posted this I tried starting up a new verification and it worked. Is this level of difficulty common nowadays? It seems like Google hasn't decided on a replacement for the postcard so it's been a huge mess lately

Are they doing away with the postcard? The last two GMBs I tried creating required video and phone verification.

 

[BenFisher]

Video happens to be more efficient and harder to fake. Postcards will remain for circumstances, I would not be surprised to see fewer and fewer postcard requests.

 

[shelbykoch]

Do you have any advice for marketing companies who are gonna have to have their clients do these videos? The postcard was so simple. Getting them to do these videos is going to be impossible.

 

[valentinb13]

is there any known way to get alternative verification methods? I have a client that is only getting this video verification and I'm not confident it's going to work...I started the "contact support" process but not sure if that will result in a different option for verification.

 

[shelbykoch]

is there any known way to get alternative verification methods? I have a client that is only getting this video verification and I'm not confident it's going to work...I started the "contact support" process but not sure if that will result in a different option for verification.

I've never been able to get another method unfortunately. They just give some sad excuse for why that business has to be verified that way. Or they say I never requested a postcard and when I explain to them that was never an option, they tell me to request the postcard...

 

[Jeffrey]

For most of the time, the only method that I have been able to add upon request is video verification. I tired to request instant verification using Google Search Console a little while back and Google support said that they can't manually change the verification method available, it's selected only by their algorithm.

 

[Ann Schmitter]

My account is just giving me postcard option and then clients are NEVER getting the postcard. Google isn't giving me the video verification option....so do I need to contact support to get that for our clients? Verification has gotten much more difficult lately.

 

[Ann Schmitter]

Do you have any advice for marketing companies who are gonna have to have their clients do these videos? The postcard was so simple. Getting them to do these videos is going to be impossible.

Yes, I totally agree. I work with clients all across the country and video will be so difficult to make work. I haven't even been getting video verification as an option! Only postcards, that never seem to arrive.

 

[valentinb13]

My account is just giving me postcard option and then clients are NEVER getting the postcard. Google isn't giving me the video verification option....so do I need to contact support to get that for our clients? Verification has gotten much more difficult lately.

From what I can tell and what I've read you don't want this video verification method — when I go into the client's dash I can't do it for them — they'll need someone on site with their mobile ready to record video while logged in. And then the OP talks about being on hold for hours waiting to be able to do the verification. It does not sound like a user-friendly system.

 

[Jeffrey]

Video verification has made it much more difficult to verify a listing. It probably does weed out many spam profiles, but it makes it much harder to verify legitimate businesses. For almost every verification, I have to create a google support ticket to enable video verification because the options available don't work.

Do you have any advice for marketing companies who are gonna have to have their clients do these videos? The postcard was so simple. Getting them to do these videos is going to be impossible.

Whenever a client has to do a video verification I usually send them a screen recording and a direct link to the verification page. The screen recording will guide them through how to do the video verification. I'll tell them what Google usually asks to see so they are prepared. From what I've seen, it's usually much easier for a client to verify a practice listing rather than a practitioner. Usually, the practice manager or marketing director handles the video call with Google, but Google prefers to speak directly to the doctor to verify affiliation. So that can be difficult if they are with a patient.

My account is just giving me postcard option and then clients are NEVER getting the postcard. Google isn't giving me the video verification option....so do I need to contact support to get that for our clients? Verification has gotten much more difficult lately.

I don't get the postcard option much anymore, but when I do it also seem to never arrive. I tried phone verification for a client yesterday, and that didn't work either, even though they didn't have a phone tree.

 

[cleverlyengaged]

I am currently trying to verify for a client and get this message?

“Video Calls are currently unavailable. Try again later.”