How to claim and verify your Google Business Profile for a company in Romania

You search for your business on Google and it's already there — with an address, maybe a few reviews, maybe an old photo a customer uploaded. The catch: you don't control it. You can't change the hours, can't reply to reviews, can't add photos. The profile exists, but it isn't truly "yours" until you claim it and pass verification.

The good news: the process is free and you can do it yourself in about 20-30 minutes of actual work. The catch: verification (by postcard, phone, or video) can take anywhere from a few minutes to two weeks, depending on the method Google offers you. In this guide I'll show you exactly what to do, in what order, and where Romanian businesses usually get stuck.

First, check whether the profile already exists (and who owns it)

Don't reflexively create a new profile — you risk a duplicate, which splits your reviews and confuses Google.

Search Google for your business name plus the city (e.g. "MPO Beauty Salon Cluj-Napoca"). If a panel appears on the right with an address and map, the profile exists.

• If you see "Claim this business" — nobody has claimed it yet. This is the easiest case.
• If it says "Own this business? Manage this profile" or it looks already managed, someone has taken it: a former web designer, an ex-employee, or Google auto-generated it.

Go to business.google.com, sign in with the company's Google account (not a random personal one), and search for the business there. Google will tell you whether it's free or already claimed by someone else.

Case 1: the profile is free — claim it directly

Here the process is simple:

• Go to business.google.com or press "Claim this business" straight from the search result.
• Confirm the name, category (e.g. "Beauty salon"), address, and phone. Be exact: the name must be your real business name, not one stuffed with keywords ("Best Cluj Salon" breaks Google's rules and can get you suspended).
• Pick the verification method Google offers you. You don't choose — Google decides which options to show based on your business type and area.

Once you start verification you can already fill in the profile (hours, services, photos), but changes only go public after you're verified.

Case 2: someone else has claimed it — request access

This happens a lot: the former "website guy" created the profile under his own account and vanished, or a departed employee holds it on a personal email.

• When you search for the business in business.google.com, Google shows a message like "Someone has already claimed this profile" plus a partially masked email (e.g. `a•••@gmail.com`). Look closely — you can often tell who it is.
• Press "Request access" and fill in the form. The current owner gets an email and has 3-7 days to respond.
• If you know them, call in parallel and ask them to approve or transfer primary ownership to you. Much faster than waiting.
• If they don't respond in time, Google may let you claim the profile yourself, sometimes still via a verification.

Don't abandon it or make a duplicate — push to recover the existing one so you keep the reviews.

The verification methods, plainly explained

Google uses one or more of these, and doesn't always give you all of them:

• Postcard (PIN code): an envelope arrives at your business address with a 5-6 digit code in ~5-14 days. You enter it in your account. Don't change the address, name, or category while you wait — it resets the process.
• Phone / SMS: you get the code instantly. Fast, but not offered to everyone.
• Email: rare, only for certain profiles.
• Video: you record a clip showing your premises, an identifying element (signage, equipment), and proof you're there. Increasingly common. Film in good light and clearly show the street and interior.

If no code arrives or verification fails, search "Google Business Profile support" and ask for help via chat — support is available in English.

After verification: making the profile actually bring in customers

Verification is only the entry ticket. A verified but empty profile won't help. Once you have control:

• Fill it 100%: exact hours (including holidays), services with rough prices, a real description, a correct primary category plus secondary categories.
• Add good photos you took yourself, not downloaded. The space, the team, real work.
• Reply to ALL reviews, including the negative ones, calmly and briefly. It matters a lot to whoever's reading.
• Keep the data identical everywhere — on your site, on Facebook, in the profile (same name, same address, same phone).

This is where our work comes in: at MPO Web Studio we build your website linked to your Google profile, we prepare a free demo before you pay anything, and we work 100% remotely with transparent pricing. If you'd like a hand with the profile or the site, message us on WhatsApp — no strings attached.

An honest warning: nobody can "guarantee you the #1 spot on Google." If someone promises that, run. Ranking comes from a complete profile, real reviews, and a good site, over time.