Struggling with GMB Phone Number Verification? Citations Might Be the Missing Link

If you’re a local business owner or digital marketer like me, you’ve probably experienced that frustrating moment when your Google My Business (GMB) profile just won’t verify, especially the GMB phone number verification part.

I’ve been there. 

One of my clients, a small tuition academy, he came to me for GMB project. We optimized their profile, added service areas… but GMB just wouldn’t verify their phone number. No matter how many times we requested a call or SMS, it either didn’t come or failed to verify.

After days of trial and error, I found the secret sauce, citations. That one missing piece changed everything. So today, I’m going to share that exact process with you, step-by-step.

First, What Is GMB Phone Verification?

To show your business on Google Maps or in local search results, Google first needs to confirm that your business is genuine

There are a few verification methods:

  • Phone call or SMS
  • Postcard
  • Email (rare)
  • Video verification
  • Live video call with Google support

Most businesses prefer phone verification because it’s the fastest, but that’s also the one that fails most often.

Why Does Phone Verification Fail?

You might be thinking same question in your mind! Why I tell you,

  1. Your phone number isn’t listed consistently online.
  2. Google can’t cross-check your business info with trusted sources (other platforms).
  3. If your business is recently launched and lacks an online presence, it may struggle to gain Google’s trust.
  4. You used a mobile or virtual number (instead of a landline).

In our case, the number wasn’t listed anywhere else online. Google just didn’t trust it, and that’s where citations came in.

Citation, citation, citation!

What Are Citations?

A citation refers to your business’s name, address, and phone number (NAP) being listed on external websites, such as online business directories.

Think of it like this

The more times your business details appear online, exactly the same way, the more Google believes you’re real and reliable.

Real Example: How Citations Helped Us Verify Phone Number on GMB

Here’s what we did for my client when GMB phone verification wasn’t working

Step 1: Audit the Business Info

We started by double-checking these three things:

  • Business Name ✅

     

  • Address ✅

     

  • Phone Number ✅

     

Then I made sure this same format would be used everywhere.

Always add the country code in your number. For India, use +91.

Step 2: Create Citations on Top Indian Directories

We listed the business manually on these trusted India-specific directories

gmb phone number verification

Platform

Link

Justdial

justdial.com

Sulekha

sulekha.com

IndiaMART

indiamart.com

YellowPages

yellowpages.in

Hotfrog

hotfrog.in

Facebook Page

facebook.com/business

Bing Places

bingplaces.com

We made sure every listing had,

  • Correct Business Name

     

  • Same Phone Number

     

  • Same Address

     

  • Website link (if available)

     

  • Logo and business photos

     

Step 3: Wait for Citations to Get Indexed

It took about 3-5 days for most listings to go live. To speed it up, we

  • Searched for our business name + phone number on Google to check visibility.

     

Submitted a few listings (like YellowPages and Justdial) via mobile OTP to make them go live instantly.

Step 4: Reapply for GMB Phone Verification

After a week of building citations, I logged into Google Business Profile and clicked “Verify by phone” again.

Guess what? This time, the call came immediately!
 And within seconds—our business was verified.

Why This Works

Google uses something called “Entity Trust”. If it sees the same business details on multiple trusted platforms, it assumes you’re legit.

This is why citations help with phone verification even though they don’t directly verify your number.

Bonus Benefits of Citations

Once you build strong citations, you’ll notice more:

  • Local search visibility (especially “near me” results)

     

  • Backlinks to your website

     

  • Inbound calls from platforms like Justdial or IndiaMART

     

⭐ Improved GMB trust & profile authority

Tools to Make Citation Building Easier

Some of the tools I use to build citations,

  • Google Sheet – To track citation sites, login info, and status
  • Whitespark – (for international/local citation ideas)

Ubersuggest or Keyword Planner– To find low competition keywords to use in descriptions

Citation Best Practices

  • Use the same NAP format everywhere
  • Use real, working phone numbers 
  • Don’t duplicate listings
  • Add photos and business categories
  • Update outdated citations regularly
  • Track everything in a spreadsheet

Conclusion

If you’re struggling with GMB phone verification, don’t panic.
 Before jumping to video verification or contacting Google support, fix your online presence first.

Start with building 7-10 strong citations, maintain consistent business info, and THEN retry the phone option.

It worked for me. It worked for my client.
 And I know it’ll work for you too—because Google rewards consistency and trust.

  • GMB phone verification often fails due to low trust.
  • Listings on reputable websites, known as citations, play a key role in establishing credibility with search engines.
  • Keep your business name, address, and phone number identical on every directory or platform you use.
  • Build citations on high-authority sites like Justdial, Sulekha, IndiaMART, etc.

After a few days, retry verification—it usually works!