Google Guaranteed Is Now Google Verified: What Home Service Pros Need to Know

Key takeaways

• Google Guaranteed is now the Google Verified badge.
• Google discontinued the money-back guarantee.
• New advertisers still complete Google’s screening and verification process.
• Your verified status transfers when your account moves into Google Ads.

If you came here looking for the Google Guaranteed badge, here is the short version. Google replaced Google Guaranteed with a single Google Verified badge and ended its money-back guarantee, but the screening behind the badge still determines which home service companies earn trust and appear at the top of search results.

This guide explains what changed, what the Google Verified badge means for your business, and how to earn it. You will also see what happens to your verified status as Local Services Ads move into Google Ads.

What is the Google Guarantee?

The Google Guarantee was the label and customer protection that set Local Services Ads apart for years, so it helps to know what it covered before you look at what replaced it.

The Google Guarantee was a customer protection program tied to Local Services Ads that Google replaced with the Google Verified badge in October 2025.

Under the program, eligible customers could request reimbursement for qualifying services booked through Local Services Ads.

Google discontinued that money-back guarantee and accepted reimbursement requests only for services booked before December 7, 2025. Customers had to submit those requests within 30 days of the service completion date.

Google also moved all advertisers to one badge. Coverage of the change reports that the Google Screened and License Verified by Google labels folded into it as well.

What is the Google Verified badge?

The Google Verified badge now does the job the Google Guaranteed label used to do, which is to show customers that Google checked your business.

The Google Verified badge is a trust label that shows a business passed Google’s screening and verification process for Local Services Ads.

Businesses that have already completed verification earned the badge automatically, with no action required. New advertisers earn it after they meet every verification requirement.

The badge appears on your Local Services Ads profile, and Google says it may also appear on other surfaces where it helps consumers.

This process will allow businesses to stand out and showcase their credibility in comparison to competitors who aren’t verified. 

This verification process can be the deciding factor between which company receives a person’s business and which doesn’t. If you searched Google for a plumber and didn’t recognize any of the company names that appeared, you’d call the one verified by Google over the one that wasn’t. It’s that simple.

When a person clicks on a Google Verified company, they’re taken to the Local Services Ads profile for the business, which lists the verifications the business has passed.

This increases the company’s credibility even further.

Verification is attractive to customers because Google screens each business before its ads run. Depending on the category and location, those checks can include background, business registration, insurance, and license checks.

When your home service company is Google Verified, you give valuable customers a reason to choose you over your competitors.

How do you get the Google Verified badge?

Google’s requirements vary by business category and location, so check your Local Services dashboard for the exact steps that apply to you. In the U.S., the process generally follows the steps below.

The process to earn the badge consists of various questions from Google, as well as checks completed with Google’s verification partners.

Those partners include local background check providers, Dun & Bradstreet for business registration data, and Evident for the representative identity check.

1. Connect and verify your Google Business Profile. The person completing the checks must be an owner or manager of the profile.
2. Confirm your business registration. In the U.S., Google uses a D-U-N-S number and accepts a Secretary of State registration, an IRS EIN, or a Department of Revenue registration if you can’t get one.
3. Complete the business representative check. Google confirms the representative’s affiliation with your business, then runs an identity check using a government-issued photo ID.
4. Complete background checks. These cover business owners and, in applicable categories, the field workers who serve customers. Google doesn’t charge businesses for them.
5. Upload your insurance documents. Your certificate must stay valid for at least 14 days after submission and meet the minimum amount shown for your category.
6. Complete license checks. Google validates your licenses against state or country databases.
7. Finish any additional steps. Some advertisers receive the badge quickly through accelerated verification, then have 14 days to complete the remaining steps to keep their ad serving.

Google recommends using the exact same full name for your business and your representative across every document you submit, because mismatches cause delays. Record the date you submit each document and the date each check clears, so you can see where an application stalls.

Google also re-evaluates advertisers regularly. Keep your insurance and license documents current and complete any follow-up review Google requests so your badge and your ads keep running.

To start a new Local Services Ads account today, Google says to begin at g.co/localservices.

Campaigns with pay-per-lead goals can’t yet be created directly in Google Ads, and Google says campaign creation will become available later.

Why should locksmiths be Google Verified?

Scams have shaped how Google screens locksmiths, so verification carries extra weight in this category.

Over the years, locksmiths have gotten into trouble for being involved in online scams. Essentially, the locksmith scam went something like this: A person calls one of the bargain locksmiths that Google Ads or Google Business Profile suggests. The call is then redirected to an offshore call center where someone local is dispatched, and without attempting less drastic options, the locksmith drills the person’s lock open.

And hands them a large bill.

These online scams have made individuals in need of locksmith services skeptical. However, Google noticed what was happening and put a verification process in place to reduce the number of scams. Now, when a person searches for a locksmith on Google, they can choose to call a company they know they can trust.

When they’re faced with a choice between two locksmiths, the person searching is going to call the one Google has verified.

It reassures them that the locksmith is focused on quality.

Locksmiths also fall under Google’s advanced verification. That process combines a review of your Google Ads account when you have one, publicly available data, and video interviews conducted by Google. Google lists locksmiths among the categories that move into Google Ads in 2027.

How does being Google Verified give plumbers an advantage?

Plumbing customers often call in the middle of a stressful problem, so trust signals carry a lot of weight.

The thought of having to call a plumber can often lead to feelings of dread.

They’re already overwhelmed with the plumbing issues at hand, but they also worry about things like the plumber being unlicensed or uninsured, scoping out their home for burglary, or overcharging them for their services.

When a plumber makes their business Google Verified, they significantly reduce these concerns. A potential customer sees the Google Verified badge and knows Google has checked the plumber’s credentials. Similar to locksmiths, a customer is more likely to hire a plumber who has been verified than take a chance on one who’s not.

Being Google Verified immediately adds value to your plumbing company.

Plumbing is also in the first group of trades Google is moving into Google Ads, so plumbers are among the first to manage Local Services Ads there.

What are some additional benefits of being Google Verified?

Beyond trust, Google Verified status qualifies your business to run Local Services Ads, which bring benefits of their own.

• Top-of-results visibility: One of the main benefits of being Google Verified is that it qualifies your business to appear in Local Services Ads at the top of Google search results. This ensures visibility to anyone who searches for a company in your industry and allows you to connect with potential customers as soon as they search for your services.
• Lead management in one place: You can reply to messages and manage leads in the Leads page in Google Ads once your account migrates, and in the Local Services Ads dashboard until then.
• Personalization: Being able to personalize messages and your profile also gives your company that extra edge.
• Pay only for valid leads: One of the best advantages of Local Services Ads is that you pay only for valid leads and hear only from customers who have chosen your profile over the rest, which keeps you from wasting time and resources. All of your energy is focused on qualified leads rather than on converting those who aren’t ready yet.
• Visible credibility: Verification also gives customers specific reasons to trust you. Google lists the checks that may apply, and verified profiles call out the relevant verifications, so homeowners can see what Google confirmed.

To see what the badge earns you, track cost per lead and booked-job rate for each service line in your Leads page or CRM, then compare both numbers month over month. Our Google LSA cost guide shows what drives cost per lead.

What happens to your Google Verified badge as Local Services Ads move into Google Ads?

Google is moving Local Services Ads into Google Ads as Performance Max campaigns with pay-per-lead goals, and your verified status comes with you.

• Your badge transfers. If you have already completed verification, Google moves your verified status and badge to Google Ads automatically.
• Reverification isn’t required at migration. Google says insurance and license reverification are no longer required, and any additional business-level checks will appear as notifications in your Google Ads account.
• Your dashboard redirects. After your account migrates, logging into the old Local Services Ads dashboard takes you to your campaign overview in Google Ads.
• Your leads move to a new page. Past leads, message history, and call recordings transfer to the Leads page, which you reach from the Goals menu under Conversions.
• Your performance reports don’t transfer. Download your historical reports before you migrate.

Google started with select U.S. home and storefront trades in August 2026, including plumbing, HVAC, electrical, roofing, and pest control. 

Locksmiths and garage door pros migrate in 2027, and you keep managing your campaign in the current dashboard until your phase arrives. For a full checklist, learn more about what to save before you migrate.

Do I still need SEO if my business is Google Verified?

The short answer is absolutely!

But let’s talk about why.

Making your business Google Verified doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll rank highest in the search results. Our home services search study found that the Local Pack appears on home services results almost every time. The study recommends winning the Local Pack with local SEO first, then adding Local Services Ads where they appear consistently.

SEO continues to be extremely important if you want your company to increase its rankings in search engines like Google.

When you make your business Google Verified and you invest in SEO, you’re increasing your website’s ranking and credibility, which leads to an increase in both traffic and sales for your home services business.

Focusing on good SEO reinforces the value of your company when paired with a Google Verified status. SEO helps you rank higher, while Google Verified helps you communicate your credibility.

To check your own results, search your top five service keywords in your city and note whether the Local Pack, Local Services Ads, or both appear. Then compare your lead volume from each source over the next 60 days.

Want to make your home services company Google Verified, but need help?

Being Google Verified allows you to showcase and build a positive reputation online.

It may seem overwhelming to get everything in place to become verified, but we’re here to help! We can guide you in the right direction and ensure you take all the right steps.

Our industry-leading Internet marketing company will work with you to reach your goals and get your home services company Google Verified with our Google Local Services Ads management! You can contact us online or call 888-601-5359 to speak with one of our experts today!