Creating and verifying Google Business Profiles (GBPs) is a game-changer for local visibility, especially for multi-location businesses that want to ensure they’re discoverable across all regions. Verified businesses average 1,803 monthly views, predominantly from discovery searches (84%).

However, managing and verifying these profiles is no small feat for larger businesses with dozens or even hundreds of locations. From confirming profile consistency to meeting Google’s verification requirements, the process can quickly become overwhelming if not handled strategically.

Did You Know?

64% of businesses have verified their Google Business Profiles.

With years of expertise in handling high-volume Google Business Profile management, Zceppa’s powerful automation tools simplify large-scale Google Business Verification and streamline GBP creation, and monitoring.

This blog will break down Zceppa’s optimized and automated approach for multi-profile creation and verification and Google’s established process for bulk verification.

Let’s dive into this dual approach to ensure your profiles are consistently verified and accurately represent each of your locations.

Quick Rundown on How to Create Your Google Business Profile Listing

Before diving into large-scale solutions, it’s essential to understand the foundational steps of Google Business Profile (GBP) creation. Here’s a brief breakdown:

1. Sign In – Log into Google Business Profile Manager.

2. Add Business – Follow the steps to add your business name, address, and category.

3. Verify – Complete the verification process based on Google’s guidelines, usually via postcard, phone, or email.

4. Optimize – Add details like hours, website link, and photos to attract more visitors.

Steps For Google Business Verification at Scale

When dealing with multiple locations, manual verification quickly becomes inefficient.

Solution? Google’s Bulk verification has further been made simpler by Zceppa’s significant automation. This allows businesses to validate multiple profiles in one go, leveraging our automation for a faster, more accurate process.

Stage 1: Existing Profile Verification or Baselining

Establishing a baseline is crucial. It helps to ensure profile accuracy and avoid duplicates that can undermine a business’s credibility. Furthermore, profiling what already exists creates a foundation for successful profile management.

Before actually starting the verification process, complete the following Google prerequisites to avoid setbacks, reduce errors, and ensure that profiles are ready for public listing:

1. Current Profile Audit: Conduct an initial audit of all existing profiles to identify any duplicates, unverified profiles, or incomplete data. This audit will ensure that each location profile aligns with Google’s quality guidelines.

2. Website Preparation: Ensure all business locations are accurately listed on the company’s website. Updating the website’s location pages improves credibility and allows Google to cross-reference these profiles with other verified sources.

In large organizations, frequent staffing changes and shifting vendor priorities can lead to consistency in profile data. Additionally, Google’s “Add a Missing Place” feature allows users to create profiles, sometimes resulting in duplicates. Here’s how Zceppa ensures a clear and accurate profile baseline:

1. Identify Existing Profiles: 

Zceppa’s automation leverages the Google Maps API to programmatically identify all current profiles associated with your business.

Note: You can also do this manually, though it’s time-consuming. By using the Maps API, you get a streamlined, data-driven solution that quickly gives you an accurate view of existing profiles.

2. Detect Duplicates, Closed, or Unverified Profiles: 

Duplicates or unverified profiles can hurt your brand’s credibility and confuse potential customers. By identifying these profiles early on, Zceppa ensures that your data remains clean.

3. Cross-Reference Location Lists:

This step involves matching your internal business locations with existing Google profiles to avoid data discrepancies.

4. Claim Unclaimed Profiles & Merge Duplicates:

Zceppa automates the process of claiming unclaimed profiles and merging duplicates, which can be tedious when done manually.

Zceppa Advantage: 

Through an automated audit, Zceppa checks for key profile completion markers and generates a completion report, identifying opportunities for improvement. This step saves time by highlighting areas where profiles need updating to ensure consistency across locations.

Stage 2: Bulk Profile Creation

After auditing and verifying existing profiles, you can create profiles in bulk with Zceppa, making it possible to add new locations at scale without getting bogged down in manual data entry.

1. Prepare Profile Details: 

Using Zceppa’s template, fill in details for each location (e.g., address, contact info, category). The provided sample format makes it easy to gather all necessary information.

2. Submit Bulk Creation Request: 

Ensure the base location is verified, and the correct email with access rights is provided, and then send your data to Zceppa’s team.

3. Automated Creation & Error Reporting: 

Zceppa’s API-driven process creates each profile and generates error reports if issues arise. Within 24 hours, you’ll receive an email confirming the profile’s successful creation or highlighting any fields that need correction.

4. Verify in Zceppa’s Dashboard: 

Log into Zceppa to see real-time progress on profile creation and confirm successfully added locations.

Stage 3: Bulk Profile Verification

Once profiles are created, the final hurdle is achieving Google’s bulk verification, a process that can be challenging without guidance. You can efficiently group and verify profiles with Zceppa.

1. Create a Location Group: 

For bulk verification, create a Location Group in GBP. To fulfill Google’s verification requirements, ensure that at least 10 profiles in this group are verified.

2. Add New Profiles to the Group: 

Include all newly created profiles in this Location Group. This structure organizes your profiles and prepares them for Google’s bulk verification process.

3. Request Bulk Verification via Google Support: 

Contact Google Support to request bulk verification for all profiles in the group. This step may involve communication with Google, as they often request additional verification details or clarification.

4. Prepare for Follow-Up Questions: 

Google typically responds within 24-48 hours, though additional questions may arise. Be prepared to answer questions related to NAP consistency (Name, Address, Phone Number) and to confirm that profile data aligns with website information.

Now, while Google’s bulk verification process offers advantages, businesses may still encounter challenges.

Common limitations include:

Delayed Responses: Google may take longer than expected to process bulk verification requests, especially during high-demand periods.

Incomplete Information: Profiles with missing or inconsistent data are often flagged, leading to additional verification steps.

Unverified Locations: Profiles that don’t meet Google’s standards may remain unverified, impacting the business’s visibility in those areas.

Google’s Standard Verification Process for Businesses

Google’s guidelines for verifying business profiles are designed to prevent misrepresentation and maintain consistent, reliable data across all Google Business Profiles (GBPs). Let’s dive into the key aspects of Google’s current process, focusing on the requirements for individual user accounts and business group verifications.

Google’s Guidelines: Individual User Accounts vs. Business Groups

Google’s verification process varies based on the type of account being verified:

Individual User Accounts: Typically suited for single-location businesses or those with few locations. Verification here involves basic steps to confirm the business’s existence and address through mail or phone.

Business Groups: Ideal for multi-location businesses, this option allows companies to manage and verify a larger set of profiles under a single entity, streamlining the process. Google requires these businesses to create a Location Group that consolidates profiles, making tracking and verifying multiple locations in bulk easier.

Note: Multi-location businesses must use a business group to initiate bulk verification requests, especially if they intend to verify over ten profiles at once.

Step-by-Step Bulk Verification Process with Google

Once a business has met the criteria and has 10 verified locations, it can proceed with Google’s bulk verification process, which involves the following steps:

1. List Preparation: Prepare a spreadsheet listing all the locations you intend to verify. Each entry should include accurate Name, Address, and Phone Number (NAP) information.

2. Submit the Spreadsheet to Google: Submit this list to Google’s support team, formally requesting bulk profile verification.

3. Profile Information Accuracy Check: Ensure that the information in all profiles is up-to-date before submitting. Any changes to NAP details after verification may result in a re-verification request for all profiles in the group, which can cause delays.

4. Request Approval: Google generally responds to bulk verification requests within 24-48 hours, though follow-ups may be required. The response will typically indicate whether further steps are needed or whether the profiles have been verified successfully.

By following these steps, businesses can minimize delays and ensure their profiles meet Google’s verification standards.

Transforming Large-Scale GBP Management with Zceppa & Google

Managing GBPs at scale requires more than just knowledge of Google’s policies. It takes the right tools to streamline processes, keep data accurate, and minimize the repetitive work of managing multi-location profiles. Zceppa’s automated process aligns perfectly with Google’s requirements, helping businesses stay ahead by maintaining profiles and managing verification efficiently.

To maximize your business’s local visibility and manage its reputation across regions, combining Zceppa’s automation with Google’s verification guidelines is essential. This approach ensures a consistent, accurate, and verified presence for each location and builds a credible reputation that keeps your business top-of-mind for customers everywhere. Maintaining this credibility fosters trust and stays relevant in every market you serve.

Unlock Seamless GBP Management with Zceppa’s Automation. Access our Free GBP Trial to get started or email us at [email protected] for further queries.