Google has updated its document on how to verify your business in Google Business Profiles to add that you Google “may require you to verify by more than one method.” This might be related to some fraudulent business profiles being created using one of the verification methods.

Verification methods. Google currently offers several methods to verify a business listing with Google Business Profiles. When this first launched, Google had only the postcard method, where Google would mail the business address a postcard and pin. But Google has added numerous options since, including:

• Phone or text
• Email
• Video recording
• Live video call
• Postcard

Double verify. Now, Google may request that some businesses use not just one verification method, but two. Here is a screenshot of the updated document:

Stefan Somborac who spotted this said on Twitter that maybe this will lead to “a stricter verification process” and thus possibly “reduce fake locations on Google Maps.”

Why we care. This may add additional steps for you and your customers when verifying their business profiles with Google but hopefully this will reduce fake business listings in Google Maps. Google has not commented on this change, so it is hard to know for sure why Google added that line, but we can all guess it is related to helping ensure the business is a real business.

You may want to communicate to your customers that they may need to verify their business more than one way, if you are working with a business that has yet to verify their business profile in Google.

The post Google may require double verification for some business profiles appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Google Search has updated the map in the local pack within the web search results from a static map to an interactive map. The new interactive map allows you to zoom, pan, hover and click to see more details on the map. Previously, clicking on the map just took you into the Google Maps interface.

What is new. When you do a search in Google Search and the local pack comes up showing you nearby businesses that match your query, you can now hover your mouse over the map and see the businesses, their reviews, zoom in and out of the map, drag the map around to see more places or click on a listing directly in the map interface.

Here is a GIF I made of this in action:

Note, this may also appear on the right hand side of the three local listings.

How does this impact local search? Allie Margeson, who first spotted this change, said “businesses that aren’t ranking in the top 3 positions may still have a pin on the map, and now a searcher can hover over that pin and see the business’s review stats at a glance.” This is why, she said, reviews may now be even more important than before – because those customers can quickly see those reviews and decide to click or not click on your listing.

Why we care. It is too early to tell if this will have a significant impact on local search and local businesses. But you should note that this change went live over the past couple of days and pay more attention to your local reviews going forward.

The post Google Search local pack’s map is now interactive appeared first on Search Engine Land.