Guides · Local Services Ads
Google Guaranteed Is Now Google Verified: How to Get the Badge
By Josh Croom · October 27, 2026 · 10 min read
Google Guaranteed is now called Google Verified. Google swapped the old green check for one blue Google Verified badge in October 2025 and ended the money-back guarantee that came with it. You still earn the badge the same way, by passing Google's Local Services screening, and Google says that takes 3 to 4 weeks on average once your papers are in.
One expired paper and a quiet phone
Monday, 7:10 AM. A roofer checks his phone on Monday and sees no new leads from the weekend. His insurance renewed on Friday, but nobody sent Google the new certificate, so his Local Services ads sat on hold.
One paper ran past its end date, and Google stopped showing his profile until he sent a current one on Monday afternoon. A shared folder with every end date on a calendar would have caught it a month early.
What changed when Google Guaranteed became Google Verified
Google announced the change in August 2025, and it took effect on October 20, 2025. Businesses that already held a badge didn't have to do anything, because Google moved them to the new badge on its own.
Before October 20, 2025
- Three labels: Google Guaranteed, Google Screened and License Verified by Google.
- A green check next to the business name.
- A money-back guarantee for customers who booked through the ad.
Google Verified, today
- One label for every business that passes screening.
- A blue check on your profile, and sometimes on other Google pages.
- No money-back guarantee. Claims covered jobs booked before December 7, 2025.
- Google says the change didn't affect how Local Services ads rank.
What Google checks before you get the badge
Google's checks change by trade and by state, so your own Local Services dashboard has the final list. These are the checks Google describes for most businesses.
Office staff don't need a background check, because Google asks for one from the owners and from the people who do the work in a customer's home or workplace.
The person who completes the checks has to be an owner or manager on your Business Profile. If they aren't, the dashboard lets them ask for access, and Google can take up to 24 hours to mark that step done.
| Check | What Google wants | Who it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Background check | Identity and criminal history for people, and court judgments and liens for the company. It isn't a credit check, and Google doesn't charge for it. | The business, its owners and, in some trades, every worker who goes into a customer's home |
| Business registration | A D-U-N-S number, or your state filing, your IRS EIN or your state revenue registration if you can't get one | Select trades and businesses in the US |
| Insurance | A signed certificate of insurance with your policy number, good for at least 14 days after you send it | Trades whose category requires coverage |
| License | Your state licenses, which Google checks against state databases and lists on your profile | Trades and states that license the work |
| Business Profile | A public, verified Google Business Profile linked to your ad | Every business |
Where the time goes
Google gives an average for screening. Our own Local Services accounts show why it often runs longer.
- 3 to 4 weeksGoogle's average for screeningafter you send your documents
- 71%of the files Google rejected in our accountswere turned down because they had expired
- 9.4license and insurance filessent to Google per account, on average
Why expired papers cause most of the trouble
Google re-checks businesses on a regular basis and may ask you to repeat a check to keep running. That's why our accounts sent Google 9.4 license and insurance files each, on average, and why you need to track the end date on every paper.
Google wants an insurance certificate to stay valid for at least 14 days after you send it, so a certificate that ends next week can fail even when your coverage is fine. The name on the certificate has to match the name you advertise under. If it doesn't, Google asks for your Doing Business As paper to prove the link.
Google also checks that the address on your insurance covers the area you serve, and that your coverage meets the amount your category requires. The upload screen in your dashboard shows that amount, so check it before you call your agent.
Before you upload anything, check the end date, the exact business name and the policy or license number on every paper. A quote or a draft won't pass, so ask your agent for the final certificate with a signature on it.
How to get the Google Verified badge
Each step takes a few minutes. A missing or wrong paper adds time to your screening, so get these right before you send anything.
Step 1
Make one shared folder
Name it Google paperwork and give two people access, because the person who set it up won't always be the one Google emails.
Step 2
Write your legal name once
Copy it exactly from your state papers and use it on every form. If you advertise under another name, add your Doing Business As paper now.
Step 3
Check your Business Profile
Make sure the profile is public and verified, and that the person doing the checks is an owner or manager on it. Google won't run your ads until this step clears.
Step 4
Get the final insurance certificate
Ask your agent for the signed certificate with your legal name, policy number and end date. Scan your licenses too, and save each one as a clear PDF.
Step 5
Start the background checks early
Where Google asks for background checks, every owner needs one, and in some trades so does every worker who goes into homes. Each person agrees to the check first, so ask them the day you apply.
Step 6
Put every end date on a calendar
Set each reminder a month before the paper expires. Then the new one goes in before the old one runs out, and your ads keep running.
Step 7
Name who answers Google
Pick one person to handle ID checks and follow-up reviews. Google says a missed review can cost you the badge, pause your ads or suspend the account.
How long does Google Verified take?
Google says screening takes 3 to 4 weeks on average after you send your documents, and it suggests starting as soon as you open your Local Services account. That average counts from the day your papers are in, so a missing or wrong paper adds time on top of it.
Some businesses move faster, because Google runs a risk check at sign-up and a business that passes it may get the badge quickly. It then has 14 days to finish any remaining steps to keep its ads running.
If Google asks for a D-U-N-S number and you don't have one, Google says the application through Dun & Bradstreet can take up to 30 days. Check whether you already have one before you start, because many businesses do.
Does the badge help you get more calls?
Google says the switch to Google Verified didn't change ranking. Your verification checks still count, though. Google lists them in profile quality with your rating, your review count, your response time and your photos.
New Local Services lead
Google Verified profile · 7:14 AM
Google says higher-quality profiles may rank higher and may pay less per lead. Your bid matters too, and so does how likely Google thinks your ad is to bring a lead. A fast answer helps on both counts, and our callback routine shows how to reach every new lead within minutes.
We cover ranking, reviews and setup in order in our Local Services Ads guide.
What happens if Google says no?
A failed background check keeps a business out of the program. You can contact the background check partner to fix any errors in your record. Once Google makes a final decision, you have to wait 30 more days to reapply, and a second denial means waiting 180 days.
Those waits apply to background checks. A license or insurance paper that Google rejects works differently, because you can fix it and upload it again. Your ads can sit on hold until Google accepts the new one, though, so check every paper against every other paper before you send anything.
Are your papers ready?
Answer five quick questions, and your answers stay in your browser.
Does your legal name match on your license, your insurance and your Business Profile?
Is your insurance certificate signed, final and good for at least another month?
Is the person applying an owner or manager on your Business Profile?
Do you know the end date of every license and policy?
Has every worker who goes into homes agreed to a background check?
You're ready to apply. Send everything in one sitting, then put each end date on a calendar before you close the folder.
You're close. Fix each question you answered No before you upload, because one mismatch can cost you weeks.
Start with the shared folder in Step 1. Gather every paper first and apply second, so Google sees one clean file.
Your Google paperwork folder
Tick each one off as you go. Your ticks stay on this device.
0 of 7 done
What happens to your badge when Local Services moves into Google Ads?
Google started moving Local Services campaigns into Google Ads in August 2026. The first group was select home and storefront service businesses in the US. Broader groups follow in late 2026, and the rest move in 2027. Your account's admin gets an email 14 days before the move.
Google says your verified status and your Google Verified badge carry over on their own. It also says insurance and license reverification are no longer required after the move. If Google ever needs another business check, you'll see a notice inside Google Ads, so keep the folder and the calendar anyway.
The way you pay stays the same, and Google still charges only for valid leads, such as calls and messages. A billed Local Services lead cost $19.28 to $56.40 in the four trade accounts we studied from March 13 to June 10, 2026, depending on the trade. Our LSA vs Google Ads post has the full numbers.
How we help with Google Verified
On Open Spots Local we build your Local Services profile and work through Google's screening with you. It's $997 every 4 weeks, plus a $1,997 build, paid once. Stop anytime in your first 30 days, and the fee never starts. The 13-cycle plan: the build is $0 today, and you sign up for 13 cycles, one every 4 weeks. There’s no 30-Day Stop. If you stop before your 13th cycle, the build you skipped goes on your last bill.
If Google says no to Local Services: Then we switch you to our Search plan. You don’t pay a new setup, and your Local setup covers your first two Search bills.
If you'd like a second pair of eyes on your papers before you apply, book a call with Miguel. He'll walk through what Google will ask your trade for and how long your screening is likely to take.
Questions people ask
Is Google Guaranteed the same as Google Verified?
Google Verified is the new name for it. Google replaced Google Guaranteed, Google Screened and License Verified by Google with one Google Verified badge on October 20, 2025. Screening still comes first, but the money-back guarantee ended.
How do I get Google Guaranteed now?
You sign up for Local Services Ads and pass Google's screening, and the Google Verified badge comes with it. Google says the checks take 3 to 4 weeks on average after you send your documents.
Does Google still offer the money-back guarantee?
No. Google ended it along with the old badge. Customers could ask for money back only on jobs booked through Local Services Ads before December 7, 2025, and only within 30 days of the job.
How much does it cost to get Google Verified?
Google doesn't charge for the background check. You pay for the leads your Local Services ads bring in, because Google charges by the lead rather than by the click.
What happens if Google turns down my application?
Fix what Google flagged before you try again. After a final background check denial, you wait 30 days to reapply, and after a second denial you wait 180 days.
See how we run Local Services Ads for trades
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