Recently the Virante Search Marketing Google+ Page was given “verified name” status by Google+. The only visible change this makes is that now a checkmark appears next to our name on our profile, as well as any appearances of our name in Google+ search.
As they say, that $5 will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks.
But there are some other benefits to having a verified profile name. Some are present, some future, and at least one purely speculative:
1. It is a trust mark for people who are considering whether to circle your page or not.
2. It qualifies you to get a Knowledge Graph type feature spot about your page in the right column of search.
3. It qualifies your page for a custom URL. At present, these are being rolled out slowly and only to very high activity pages, so keep building your following and engagement.
4. It may …and I stress MAY … have some SEO benefits. If Google now trusts that your Page is the official Page for your official website, then some SEO “juice” may flow between the two. This is not something we know for sure, but I have seen at least a correlation between highly active client verified Pages and a rise in search rankings for their site’s content.
How Do I Get a Verified Name for My Google Plus Page?
UPDATE 7 October 2013: Google no longer accepts applications to verify brand pages (step #4 below). It is unclear at this time if there is any automatic verification that can still take place, or if checkmark verification has been discontinued altogether. In any event, we still recommend steps 1-3 below as best practices for Google+ pages.
Verified names seem to be bestowed by Google+ at their whim and discretion, but there are things you can do to help you qualify:
- Make sure your Page’s name matches the name for which you are known; the name that appears on your website. It does not have to be an exact match (our G+ page name is “Virante Search Marketing,” but the title tag on our website is “Virante High Potential Web Marketing,” and our site’s header simply says “Virante”), but it should be at least identifiable that you are the same brand.
- Set up what I now call “little v verification” by the proper two-way link between your Page and your official website. See “How to Verify Your Google+ Brand Page” for instructions.
- Build a following for your page and post there regularly. Google used to say you needed at least 1000 followers to get a verified name, but now they just say “a meaningful number.” Since there is no way of knowing when you’ve hit that target, keep building, and every so often re-apply (see step 4).
When you think you’ve got a good following and engagement for your brand page, apply for a verified name. Don’t be shy about re-applying later if you’re turned down the first time. We were rejected at first even when we has over 1000 followers. We kept building and posting, and when we reapplied after passing 2500 followers, we got the verification.
A great article, thanks +Mark Traphagen
Hey that is just the information needed.You have great content to read about on every post you create Virante Orange Juice by Mark Traphagen.I enjoy opening the email and getting to find out what you have discovered.
Thanks! Glad you find our posts useful.
My company page has the check mark, but it’s not related to the amount of followers, I’m sure. It’s about verifying that we are a local business through the Google verification process of sending a card through snail mail with a pin number. That’s just part of it I’m sure, we didn’t just pop up out of nowhere. I’ve done the telephone verification before, and been in business for about three years. We have have NAP all over the place on the net.
Yes, Tom, verifying a Local Places & Businesses Page to merge with Google+ Local is a separate process from other page types, and one that can be applied for as you did. All other pages have to earn the verification by building sufficient followings and engagement.
Wow, I did a google search for “Google Plus Verified Name” and look who shows up!
..Thanks for this, I guess I’ll need a few more followers before i am worthy in G’s eyes.
Thanks Rand. Always makes me happy to get a “verified” testimonial that someone found us in search!
You speak of building a Google Plus audience. What exactly were your methods for this? Great post by the way!
Josh, well explaining that is way more than I can do in a comment! Best way for me to answer is to refer you to my Google+ for Business columns at the Windmill Networking Blog. A lot of my columns have been about how to grow an audience for your Google+ page. Especially see my newest post just published today about Google+ Communities.
Hi +Mark Traphagan,
Thanks, useful article. I’ll be checking out your Windmill to grow my G+ page engagement – it is hard, slow work compared with building a personal page.
Great stuff Mark, thanks for sharing. It surely will help in better SERP results.
We have a business operating at an airport on the other hand the administrative work is done at another city. People reach us on the internet searching for “city + airport + service”
We do not have a way to trace google’s PIN at the airport. If we verify the business using our administrative mail the service is going to be attached to the wrong city.
How can we verify our local business in a situation like this?
Is it possible by phone? or other?
I just ran into this post on a search and am wondering being this post is a little dated, what your feedback is as of today’s plus pages and their relation to SEO. Any and all feedback is highly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your support- Bobby C.
Incloud Design
Mark, for hours I have been trying to remove an image from my Google Plus page and have absolutely no idea where it is being pulled from. It is an image I uploaded somewhere about four years ago. On my Google Plus page (Incloud Design) under photos, there is an image I want removed, but It doesn’t seem to be anywhere in settings and after countless forums I’ve had no luck. As much as Google Plus may be useful, so far it has been very confusing and always defaults back to my personal account. I can not do much with my business page at all and have to copy everything from my personal account that I share over to my business page. This seems entirely pointless to me. Hopefully you or someone more experienced here will be able to assist me in this. Besides that, after 2 weeks of posting, sharing and trying to gain a following, not one person has followed me and I can not post comments or share from my business page. Thanks in advance for your support, I’ll be sure to repay any and all feedback! – Bobby C.
Incloud Design
Hi Mark!
I’ve spoken with you on Google+ before about getting my Google+ name verified. Now, let me preface this by saying I already have a Google+ page verified… but you mentioned to me on G+ that Google gives out verified check marks as “gifts” to users on G+. I know celebrities will get these with little trouble, but what do I need to do to get my own personal page verified? I have over 25k followers, been using G+ since Day 1 and even have several web pages verified through Google Authorship… I’ve felt I’ve contributed to not just my own page, but to large communities and individuals… how did people like Bobbi Jo Woods, Matthew Rappaport, Jane Ellen, Stephanie Van Pelt, and even yourself receive the magical check mark?
I frequently produce original Hangouts on Air content, have a pretty decent following on YouTube (225k views and counting), have more than one verified email on my profile page… I even get mentions and plussed by Vic from time to time… am I not contributing enough to G+ ?
Hey Mark. Question. I already have a Google Plus and Places attorney page for “Michael Ehline”. So can I also verify my Google Plus personal page? Does that make sense? Since it says you are an organization, and no longer are apparently an individual, I presume.
Will Google automatically give my page verification status if we reach a certain numbers of followers?