The short version
- Customers could only claim the old guarantee for jobs booked through Local Services Ads before December 7, 2025, within 30 days of the job finishing.
- The badge means you passed Google’s screening for your category and country: background, business registration, insurance, license and review checks.
- At the move into Google Ads, your badge transfers automatically, and insurance and license reverification are no longer required.
- If your ads or the page they send people to still say “Google Guaranteed”, change them. It promises a refund Google no longer gives.
On this page · 7 parts
Is Google Guaranteed still a thing?
No. In October 2025, Google folded three Local Services badges, Google Guaranteed, Google Screened and License Verified by Google, into one: Google Verified.[1] The switch came on October 20, 2025.[2] Businesses that had already passed their checks got the new badge automatically, and Google said Local Services ranking wouldn’t change.[3]
So if you searched “how to get Google Guaranteed”, the honest answer is that you can’t anymore. What you can get is Google Verified, by passing Google’s Local Services screening.
Two limits. The badge is a Local Services feature: it shows on your Local Services ad and profile, and Google says it “may dynamically appear on other surfaces”. And it isn’t offered in Australia or New Zealand, because Local Services Ads don’t run there. How Local Services work overall is on the main Local Services page.
What ended with the Google Guarantee?
The money-back guarantee. Under Google Guaranteed, a homeowner unhappy with a job booked through your Local Services ad could ask Google for a refund. Google discontinued it with the badge change. The last window: customers could claim only for services booked through Local Services Ads before December 7, 2025, and only within 30 days of the job being finished.[3]
For any job booked after that date, Google refunds nothing. That changes what you can say to a homeowner who asks “Are you Google Guaranteed?” on the phone.
“Yes, we’re Google Guaranteed, so Google covers you if anything goes wrong.” That was the old promise. It’s gone, and the homeowner can look it up.
“We’re Google Verified, so Google has checked our business. And our own warranty covers the work.” Then say what your warranty is.
What does the Google Verified badge check?
Your business, your licenses and insurance, a background check, and in some categories your reviews. The exact list depends on your category and your country. Google says the checks “may include background, business registration, insurance, and license checks, and minimum review requirements”.[4] For most US home-service categories, plumbing, HVAC, roofing, electrical and pest control among them, the list looks like this:[5]
| Check | What Google looks at |
|---|---|
| Background | The business and the owner, for select users. Identity and criminal history. No credit check, and no charge to you. |
| Field workers | Electricians, HVAC, plumbing, garage door and locksmith get an extra level: background checks on the service professionals too. |
| Business registration | That the business is real and registered, plus an identity check on the person who represents it, for select users. |
| License | State-level business and owner licenses, where local law requires them. Google checks them against state databases. |
| Insurance | General liability, for select users. The certificate must stay valid for at least 14 days after you submit it. |
| Reviews | A minimum, in some categories. |
Garage door and locksmith businesses also go through Advanced Verification, which includes video interviews with Google. “Select users” is Google’s wording, and it doesn’t publish who’s selected. Google also says the checks you passed are listed on your profile, so homeowners can see what was checked.
How do you get Google Verified in your country?
You get it through Local Services sign-up, at g.co/localservices. New pay-per-lead campaigns can’t be created inside Google Ads yet, even in the US.[6] The badge is issued once you’ve met every requirement for your category.
| Country | What’s different |
|---|---|
| US | A public, verified Google Business Profile first. Business registration by D-U-N-S number (a Dun & Bradstreet business ID), EIN (your federal tax ID) or Secretary of State filing. Background and representative checks for select users. Screening averages 3–4 weeks after you submit documents. |
| Canada | Background checks for select users. Registration uses Canadian business documents. Insurance for select users. |
| UK and Europe | Registration uses local documents, such as a company registration number (CRN) in the UK or a SIRET number in France. Insurance for select users, and employer liability insurance isn’t accepted. In the UK you need a license or business registration, plus reviews for your category. |
| Australia and New Zealand | Not available. Local Services Ads don’t run there. |
A US D-U-N-S number can take up to 30 days to come through, so apply for that first if you don’t have one.[4]
Some US businesses go through a risk-based review instead. If you qualify for accelerated verification, you get the badge quickly, then have 14 days to finish the remaining steps, or your ads stop.[4] In the UK you can start getting leads after the first checks, but until you have the badge, Google places your listing below providers who’ve finished onboarding.[7]
Google re-checks advertisers over time and can ask you to repeat a check. Ignore a request and you can lose the badge, have your ads paused or have the account suspended. Fail a background check and you wait 30 days to reapply. After a second denial, it’s 180 days every time.[4]
What changed for the badge when Local Services moved into Google Ads?
Less than people think. Google’s own words: “your verified status and your Google Verified badge will transfer to Google Ads automatically”, and “insurance and license reverification are no longer required.”[6]
That’s all it says. It doesn’t say every other check is gone. Google’s screening page still says advertisers are regularly re-evaluated, so treat “no reverification” as covering insurance and licenses only. Keep your documents current anyway. You’ll need them for your customers and your state.
The badge also stays a Local Services feature after the move. Google lists it as one of the things that set pay-per-lead campaigns apart from a standard Performance Max campaign. There’s no asset that adds it to a Search ad. Verification checks still count toward your profile quality when Google ranks Local Services Ads.[8] If your account hasn’t moved yet, the before-the-move checklist has what to save first.
What should you change if your ads still say “Google Guaranteed”?
Take the old name off every ad, asset and page this week, and say what the badge stands for in your own words instead. “Google Guaranteed” names a program that ended and promises a refund Google no longer gives. Google’s misrepresentation policy bans “implying affiliation with or endorsement by another organization” without its consent.[9] Google hasn’t said whether naming its own badge in a Search ad counts, as of October 2026. We wouldn’t test it by putting “Google Verified” in your headlines either.
Campaigns › Assets
Checked against the official help pages, Oct 2026
Callouts can be up to 25 characters, and headlines up to 30.[10] Use only the lines that are true for your business:
Callouts (25 characters max)
Licensed & Insured
Background-Checked Techs
Local, Licensed & Insured
Workmanship Warranty
Headlines (30 characters max)
Licensed & Insured Plumbers
Fully Insured Roof Repairs
Background-Checked HVAC TechsMore on writing these is in assets and ad copy examples. If you run Search and Local Services together, Local Services vs Search covers how to keep them from counting the same lead twice.
FAQ
How do I get Google Guaranteed now?
You can’t. Google replaced it with Google Verified in October 2025. Sign up for Local Services at g.co/localservices and pass the screening for your category to get the new badge.
Does Google Verified cost anything?
Google doesn’t charge for the background check, and it doesn’t run a credit check. You pay for the leads your Local Services ads bring in, not for the badge.
Does the badge help my ranking?
The checks you’ve passed count toward profile quality, which is part of how Google ranks Local Services Ads. If you take leads before your badge comes through, your listing shows below ones that have it. Google said merging the old badges into one didn’t change ranking.
Can I show the Google Verified badge on my Search ads?
No. It’s a Local Services feature, and no Search asset adds it. Say what it stands for instead, like “Licensed & Insured”.
Is Google Verified the same as Google Ads advertiser verification?
No. Advertiser verification is a separate identity check Google can ask any Google Ads advertiser to complete. Passing one doesn’t give you the other.
Can I get Google Verified in Australia or New Zealand?
No. Local Services Ads don’t run in either country, so there’s no badge to apply for. Owners there run Search campaigns with call assets instead.
Sources
- 1. Google, “Google Verified makes it easier to find trusted local businesses advertising on Google”, Aug 20, 2025 (opens in a new tab) ↩
- 2. SmartSites, “Google Local Services Ads: What You Need to Know in 2026”, April 3, 2026 (agency report of the switch date; Google’s own announcement says “starting in October”) (opens in a new tab) ↩
- 3. Local Services Help, “About Google Verified badge”, checked Oct 28, 2026 (opens in a new tab) ↩
- 4. Local Services Help, “Understand the screening and verification process”, checked Oct 28, 2026 (opens in a new tab) ↩
- 5. Local Services Help, “Business screening and verification requirements – United States”, checked Oct 28, 2026 (opens in a new tab) ↩
- 6. Google Ads Help, “Local Services Ads transition to Performance Max campaigns with pay-per-lead goals”, checked Oct 28, 2026 (opens in a new tab) ↩
- 7. Local Services Help, “Getting started with Local Services Ads – United Kingdom”, checked Oct 28, 2026 (opens in a new tab) ↩
- 8. Local Services Help, “About ad rankings”, checked Oct 28, 2026 (opens in a new tab) ↩
- 9. Advertising Policies Help, “Misleading representation”, checked Oct 28, 2026 (opens in a new tab) ↩
- 10. Google Ads Help, “About callout assets”, checked Oct 28, 2026 (opens in a new tab) ↩
