negotiated my Google offer three years ago and have helped four other people negotiate theirs in the past two years. here's an honest breakdown of what worked and what didn't.
what actually moved the number: a competing offer from another FAANG or well-known growth-stage company. this is by far the most effective lever. Google HR has a comp matrix and competing offers trigger a recalibration process. the number doesn't have to be higher than Google's initial offer, it just has to be credible and comparable. I had a Meta offer at a similar level and Google came up on equity by about $40k/yr. asking specifically about equity, not base. base at most levels has a tighter band. equity is where there's actual flexibility, especially at L5 and above. saying 'is there room to bring the equity grant closer to the top of the L5 range' works better than 'I need more money.' unvested equity you're leaving. if you can document it (provide the vesting schedule), they'll consider a sign-on to offset it. not guaranteed but it works more often than not.
what did nothing: 'I need more for cost of living' with no competing offer. heard this repeated a lot in prep materials and it doesn't work. there's nothing for them to calibrate against. trying to negotiate level. happened to a friend who thought they deserved L6 instead of L5. they pushed back, Google said 'leveling is final based on interview performance,' and that was that. you're not going to win a level argument post-loop. emotional framing ('this is really important to me'). they're not unsympathetic people but they're working within a system. it doesn't move the spreadsheet.
the actual process: verbal offer comes from recruiter. you can ask for time. I'd say 'thanks, I want to give this proper consideration' and ask for a week. they'll usually give you 5-7 business days. use that time to get competing offers if you don't have them, or at minimum research the level's compensation band so you're not negotiating blind.
final note: be polite and direct. 'I'm very interested and I'd love to make this work, here's what I need to get there' beats any complicated strategy.