How To Verify My Google Profile

Google announced you can now create verified Google Profiles that potentially can show up in the Google web search results. Danny Sullivan has the ultimate guide on how these Google Profiles work. For example here is my profile as displayed in the Google web results:

It can also show up in this format:

To have your profile displayed in the Google web results, you likely need to have a verified listing. How do you verify your profile in Google? It isn't that easy.

Here is a picture of my profile, there are two verifications. (1) The profile itself (aka "verified name") and the (2) email address.

Let's start with verifying the profile (aka the name):

(1) You must go to Google's Knol site and sign in.
(2) Then go to your profile settings.
(3) Click on the "Name Verification" tab
(4) Then choose to verify by phone or via credit card

If you verify by phone, you enter in your phone number and Google will call it. When you get the call, Google will display a pin code followed by a pound sign on the Knol web site. When prompted, enter in the pin code and pound sign and you should be verified. If you verify by credit card, just enter in your credit card information. Note, Google currently can't verify American Express or Debit cards.

Verifying your email address:

(1) Go to your Google Profile and click "edit profile"
(2) Midway through the page it says "Verified domains" and explains:

You can verify email addresses and choose which domains (the part after the @) you'd like to appear on your profile. Your email addresses will not be displayed. This will help visitors to your profile know that you are the real you. Learn more

If your email is already verified, it should read:

You have verified email addresses at the following domains. Check which domains you'd like to appear on your profile. Your email addresses will not be displayed. This will help visitors to your profile know that you are the real you.Learn more

Gmail, Yahoo, Microsoft and other free email accounts cannot be verified as domains. You need your own domain. You can add a non Gmail alternative to your Google account to verify your email.

That is basically how to get the verification labels on your Google Profile.

Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.

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posted rustybrick in Google Search Engine at April 22, 2009 8:16 AM Comments (10)

Comments

That would be nice if they offered traffic stats from these profile pages if we choose to place them in the SERPs

Posted by Jaan Kanellis at April 23, 2009 19:55

Barry, You broke Google Knol! :)

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Posted by Ash Nallawalla at April 24, 2009 02:31

Knol doesn't show the Name Verification tab any more.... at least not when I'm logged in.

Posted by Farhad at April 28, 2009 07:00

Farhad, I see it still. I think it is a US only thing...

Posted by Barry Schwartz at April 28, 2009 07:15

It looks like the verified domains feature is no longer functioning on google profiles. In the past, when you added a verified domain it appeared on your profile with a checkbox for whether to display it or not. Now, it no longer gives you the checkbox/display option for new domains added. The older domains I'd verified in the past are still visible but I can't get the new ones I've added to show up.

If you have recently created a new profile, you'll notice that the verified domains area is completely missing, as is the link to add verified domains, although it can still be accessed directly from here: https://www.google.com/accounts/AddNonGmailAlternate

I haven't been able to find any other reports of this, nor have I been able to figure out how to contact google about it.

Posted by Jesse at July 19, 2009 16:31

I made mine on Saturday 18th July.
http://www.google.com/profiles/robertabdul

I was able to verify my domain.

Yes it is only a US thing, I realise after creating the account!

Posted by Rob Abdul at July 19, 2009 20:30

Jesse, I have the exact same problem. A while back, I was able to verify an old email account that I had with embarqmail.com, but when I tried to put up a new one, it wouldn't appear as a verified email domain in the upper right hand corner of my profile. I decided to remove the old one to see what would happen, but then I noticed that there was no longer a domain verification indicator on my profile even after I added the email back to my account. Like you said, the "verified domains" area on my profile's "edit" page is gone! Let me no if there any further developments.

Posted by Lorenz at July 25, 2009 00:31

Jesse and Lorenz: I have the same problem as both of you. I wonder if Google will fix it?

Posted by Max at August 2, 2009 10:03

Uh, I don't know where any of you are getting that you can verify by phone - that is NOT an option. The only options are by Credit Card or by Social Security number. Social Security Number!? To go to HELL, Google.

Posted by prowse at October 12, 2009 23:59

when i am trying to sigin to orkut. it is not entering.reporting problem as your email account is not verified. what should i do now

Posted by ashok at November 7, 2009 08:51

How To Verify My Google Profile

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