Google Guaranteed Is Now Google Verified: A Contractor's Guide (2026)

Google Guaranteed no longer exists as its own badge. Google replaced Google Guaranteed, Google Screened and License Verified with one badge called Google Verified, and it ended the Money Back Guarantee. Contractors now earn Google Verified by passing Local Services Ads screening. That means background, license and insurance checks, plus reviews, depending on your trade and state.

If you searched "how to get Google Guaranteed," this is the answer you need. The badge you're after has a new name, and the customer refund that came with it is gone. The screening behind it is still there. I'm Daniel Gonzalez, and DG Agency sets up Google Local Services Ads for roofing, plumbing, electrical, flooring and other contractors. Everything below about Google's rules comes from Google's own help pages, linked so you can check them.

One thing up front. Nobody can promise you the badge. Not us, not any agency. Google runs the screening and makes the call. Anyone who guarantees you'll pass is selling something they don't control.

Last updated October 19, 2026.

What changed with Google Guaranteed

Google's help page on the change says it is "launching a single badge for all advertisers." Here's what that means in plain terms.

A few details from that same page matter if you already run Local Services Ads.

• If you already passed verification, you don't have to do anything. Google says eligible existing advertisers "will automatically earn the new Google Verified badge."
• New advertisers have to pass Google's screening and verification process to get it.
• Google says the change does not affect how your ads rank.
• The old refund only covers services booked through Local Services Ads before December 7, 2025, and customers had to request it within 30 days of the job.

So if a competitor's site still says "Google Guaranteed," it's out of date. And if an agency is still selling you "the Google Guarantee," ask them what they think you're getting.

Google Guaranteed vs Google Screened vs Google Verified

This used to be a real question, because Google showed different badges to different kinds of businesses. Today, Google's help pages describe one badge, Google Verified. Google says the badge signals to customers "that your business has passed Google's proprietary screening process." Your profile also calls out the specific checks you passed, like a verified license.

There are a couple of edge cases. Google says the badge isn't currently available in auto, beauty and dining categories. And the Google Screened name still shows up in one spot on Google's US requirements page, for some real estate agents. For contractors, the answer is simple. You're working toward Google Verified.

How to get the Google Verified badge

You don't apply for the badge on its own. You get it by signing up for Local Services Ads and passing screening. Google says the process "varies by business category and location and may include background, business registration, insurance, and license checks, and minimum review requirements." Here's how it works for a typical contractor.

1. Get your Google Business Profile in order

Google says Local Services advertisers "must have a public and verified Google Business profile." The person doing the business checks also has to be an owner or manager on that profile. Get this right first, because everything else hangs off it.

2. Make your business name match everywhere

Your license, insurance certificate and Google profile should all show the same business name. Google's insurance rules say "The name on the documentation must match the name you want to advertise with," and if it's different, you attach something like a DBA. In our experience, a mismatched name is a common holdup for contractors.

3. Pass the background checks

For many trades and locations, Google requires background checks on the business, the owner, and the field workers. That means employees, contractors and subcontractors who work in customers' homes. Office staff and customer service reps don't need one. Google says the check covers identity and criminal history, and civil items like judgments and liens at the business level. It "doesn't involve a credit check or a credit pull." And Google says businesses "aren't charged for the background check."

Google's partner Evident also runs an identity check on the business representative, using a government photo ID.

Some trades get more screening than others. Google's US requirements page calls HVAC, plumbing and electrical "an urgent category." It says professionals in those trades go through an extra level of screening that includes background checks on service professionals.

4. Submit your license

Google says it "validates these licenses against the state or country databases," and your verified licenses show on your profile. You also have to confirm you hold any county or city licenses that apply, and that your techs are properly licensed. Pick service categories your license actually covers. We've seen a category held up because the license on file didn't cover it.

5. Submit proof of insurance

Upload your certificate of insurance. Google says the minimum amount "depends on the category and location," and the document must be "active and valid for at least 14 days after the time of submission."

6. Get some reviews

Google recommends 5 or more reviews, and says depending on your business type you may need 5 reviews for your ad to show. Ask every customer. Don't only send the link to the happy ones, because Google's review policy doesn't allow selective asking.

How long Google Verified takes

Google says that on average, screening takes 3 to 4 weeks to complete after you submit your documents. Some advertisers qualify for what Google calls accelerated verification. They get the badge quickly and then have 14 days to finish the remaining steps to keep their ad running.

Here's what that looked like for two of our clients in 2026. CPG Solar in the San Fernando Valley, which we onboarded on September 7, had its Local Services ad live on September 8. First Choice Flooring in Murrieta had LSA live 18 days after signing. I'm sharing those as real examples, not promises. Your timeline depends on your trade, your state and how clean your paperwork is.

If you're denied, Google says you wait 30 days to reapply. If a second application is also denied, you wait 180 days. So it pays to get the paperwork right the first time.

Does the badge cost anything?

Google doesn't charge for the background check. Local Services Ads themselves are paid by the lead. Google's lead page says, "With Local Services Ads, you pay for valid leads." Your insurance and license costs are your own, and an agency's fee, if you use one, is separate. Ours starts at $5,000 a month. Details are on the pricing page.

Keeping the badge once you have it

Google says advertisers are regularly re-evaluated. If Google asks for a follow-up review and you don't complete it, you can lose the badge, have your ads paused or get the account suspended. Keep your insurance current, renew licenses on time, and update your field worker roster when you hire. Then watch the things that move your ranking. Google says missed calls may hurt your responsiveness, and its ranking page lists rating, number of reviews, average response time and the verification checks you've completed as parts of profile quality.

Will Google Verified get you more calls?

The badge alone won't. It's the ticket into Local Services Ads. After that, your bid, your reviews, how fast you answer and how well your job types match the search decide how many calls you get. We wrote about what happens to leads after you're live in our LSA lead credits study.

If you'd rather have someone handle setup and the weekly work, our trade pages for roofing, HVAC, plumbing and electrical show how we run it. We also have local pages for contractors in metros like Phoenix and Tampa Bay, which cover each state's license rules. We'll walk you through Google's process. We won't promise the result, because Google decides.