If you head on over to the Google+ page verification request page, you'll be met with a curious new message:
We are no longer accepting name verification requests. Learn more about website linking for Google+ pages, or learn more about Google+ local pages and local page verification.
That's because sometime after the middle of last month, Google quietly shut down the page verification request process. Previously, page administrators with at least 1,000 followers could complete a short form and receive an official page verification, which included a shiny checkmark badge next to the brand name.
It's unknown what it will take to verify a Google+ brand page, which is a shame for social marketers considering all of the benefits of having a verified page.
Administrators of Google Local pages, which have been integrated with Google+ for quite some time now, can still verify their address by requesting a PIN# by snail mail.