Google Guaranteed is now Google Verified: what changed for contractors

What happened to Google Guaranteed

For years, home-service businesses on Local Services Ads carried a green Google Guaranteed badge, and Google would reimburse an unhappy customer up to a lifetime limit ($2,000 in the US). Google has now simplified this into a single Google Verified badge for all advertisers and is discontinuing the money-back guarantee. Customers could still request reimbursement for services booked through Local Services Ads before December 7, 2025, as long as they filed within 30 days of the job being finished.

If an agency is still selling you “Google Guaranteed status”, ask what they mean. The badge you can get today is Google Verified, and you get it from Google directly by passing screening.

How to get Google Verified (the old Google Guaranteed)

Existing advertisers who meet the verification requirements got the new badge automatically and don’t need to do anything. New advertisers sign up for Local Services Ads and complete Google’s screening and verification, which may include:

• A criminal background check for every owner of the business.
• In applicable categories, background checks for every employee, independent contractor or temp worker who goes to customers’ homes. Office staff are excluded.
• Business registration, license and insurance checks, depending on your trade and state.
• Minimum review requirements in some categories.
• Proof that you own or manage your Google Business Profile, and an identity check for the person who represents the business.

A failed background check means a 30-day wait before reapplying, and 180 days after a second denial. Some categories can run pre-badge ads that take leads while the checks finish, but the badge only shows once everything is complete.

What Google Verified costs

Nothing for the badge itself, and Google says businesses aren’t charged for the background checks. Some older articles mention a $50 monthly fee; that isn’t how it works now. You pay for the leads your ads bring in: a February 2026 benchmark averaged $53 per lead across home-service trades. Our LSA cost per lead guide has the numbers by trade.

Is the badge worth it without the guarantee?

The badge still tells a homeowner that Google checked your license, insurance and background, and it comes with a spot above the normal search results. What changed is that Google no longer backs the job with money. In practice, what wins the lead after the badge is the same as before: reviews, a fast answer and a booked visit. When we called 281 roofing, HVAC and plumbing companies during business hours in October 2026, fewer than half picked up, so for many shops the phone is a bigger problem than the badge.