Google Search Tests Verified Checkmarks for Legitimate Businesses

Google search has always had a serious downside: If you’re not paying attention, it’s easy to click on a scam site that imitates a real business. Now, the company appears to be testing a long-awaited solution: verified blue checkmarks that show a business is legitimate.

The checks began appearing alongside links to official sites of companies including Microsoft, Meta, Apple and Amazon, according to a report from The edge. However, the controls do not appear for all users and Google has confirmed that the feature is still being tested.

“We regularly experiment with features that help shoppers identify trustworthy businesses online, and we’re currently running a small experiment showing checkmarks next to some businesses on Google,” a Google spokesperson said. The edge.

If you hover over a check mark, a message appears saying “this icon appears because Google signals suggest this company is who it claims to be. Google cannot guarantee the reliability of this company or its products.”

The implementation appears to be based on Google’s BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) functionality. This first appeared for Gmail, adding authenticated logos to emails from participating businesses. The implementation is different in research testing, but can rely on the same database of organizations.