Google Guaranteed vs Google Screened: what replaced them, and how to get verified now.

The short history: two badges, now one

For years, Local Services Ads showed one of two badges next to a business name:

• Google Guaranteed. Google defined Google Guaranteed advertisers as home services providers that passed its verification process. Home service trades such as plumbing, electrical and HVAC carried it, and it came with a money-back guarantee for the customer.
• Google Screened. The equivalent badge for other service categories, such as professional services. It showed that the business passed Google’s screening, but it did not come with a money-back guarantee.

Google has now merged these. Its help page says it is “simplifying our advertiser badging by launching a single badge for all advertisers”: the Google Verified badge. The old “About Google Screened” help page now shows the Google Verified article instead. If you search for “Google Guaranteed” today, you are looking for a program that has changed.

What the Google Verified badge is

The Google Verified badge appears on Local Services Ads profiles and may appear on other Google surfaces. Verified profiles also show which checks the business passed, such as a license or background check.

Who gets it:

• Existing advertisers that had completed Google’s verification requirements earned it automatically. No action needed, and their ads kept running.
• New advertisers earn it by completing the Local Services screening and verification process.

One exception Google lists: restaurants, coffee and dessert shops and other dining categories can run Local Services Ads with only a verified Business Profile, and the Google Verified badge is not available to them.

Google also says the badge does not affect how ads rank. It is a trust signal for the customer, not a ranking boost.

What happened to the money-back guarantee

The Google Guarantee used to let a customer ask Google for reimbursement if they were unhappy with work booked through a Google Guaranteed business. Google says it is discontinuing that Money Back Guarantee.

The terms Google gives for the wind-down:

	Per Google
Eligible bookings	Services booked through Local Services Ads before December 7, 2025
Claim deadline	Within 30 days of the initial service completion date
After that	No reimbursement program is described

For a contractor, this changes the sales conversation more than the day-to-day. You can no longer say “Google backs our work”. What you can say is that Google checked your business, and the badge shows which checks you passed. Your own warranty and your reviews now carry the trust the guarantee used to.

Which checks apply to which trades

Google’s US requirements page lists checks by category. The pattern for the trades most people ask about:

Trade	What Google checks
Plumber, electrician, HVAC	Business registration, state license where required, insurance, and additional screening for urgent trades, including background checks on service professionals
Locksmith, garage door	The same, plus Advanced Verification, which can include a review of your Google Ads account, public data and video interviews
Roofing, remodeling, cleaning, lawn care	Business registration, licenses where local law requires them, insurance where applicable; background checks for select advertisers
Lawyers	State bar license check for each attorney, plus business owner identity verification
Financial planners, real estate agents	License check for each planner or agent
Dining	Verified Business Profile only; no Google Verified badge

Background checks are done by third-party risk management companies Google works with, and can cover the business, the owner and field workers. A business that already screens its own workers to Google’s standard can apply for equivalency so those workers don’t need a second check. Some categories, such as architects, drain experts and interior designers, are available only in California and Florida.

How to get Google Verified, step by step

1. Claim and verify your Google Business Profile. A public, verified profile is required for every advertiser, and its name, address and hours sync to your ads.
2. Check eligibility. Make sure your trade is a Local Services category in your area.
3. Sign up for Local Services Ads. Pick your categories, job types and service area. Google recommends setting the area broadly and selecting every job type you actually do.
4. Submit documents. Usually your business registration, license numbers and a certificate of insurance with the coverage Google asks for in your category.
5. Complete background checks. The owner and, for many trades, every technician who goes into customers’ homes. The checks are run by third-party screening companies Google works with.
6. Get reviews. Google recommends 5 or more, and some business types need five before the ad shows.
7. Set a budget and go live. Google allows pre-badge ads after preliminary checks in some cases; the full badge needs all steps done.

We handle this paperwork and the ad setup as part of Ads and Listings.

How long it takes

Google says the process takes 3 to 4 weeks on average after documents are submitted. The most common delays are the ones you control: a technician who doesn’t finish their background check invitation, an insurance certificate that doesn’t name the business exactly as registered, or a license that doesn’t match the state you serve.

One change that helps: under Google’s 2026 move of Local Services Ads into Performance Max campaigns, verification carries over automatically and Google says insurance and license reverification are no longer required for migrated accounts.

Does the badge still matter?

Yes, but for a different reason than before. You need verification to run Local Services Ads at all, and the badge is what customers see on the ad. What decides whether your ad shows is ranking: your bid, how fast you respond, your rating and review count, and how well your services match the search. Missed calls hurt responsiveness, so the badge is only half the job. The other half is answering, which is where an AI receptionist can help.

If you’re not sure whether your profile, reviews and phone handling are ready for Local Services Ads, a free audit checks them and tells you what to fix first.