Have you ever been browsing on Google and seen those ads at the top that have a little green check mark next to them that say “Google Guaranteed?”
Maybe you’ve wondered, “what are those, and why do they have that?”
Well, the reason they have that little green check mark badge is that the businesses that run Local Services Ads are Google Guaranteed. That’s what those ads are called.
So, of course that begs the question, “what is Google Guaranteed?”
Table of Contents
- What is the Google Guarantee?
- What does the Google Guarantee Reimburse for?
- What is Google Screened?
- How to Get Google Guaranteed
- FAQ (frequently asked questions)
What is the Google Guarantee?
The Google Guarantee is a verification badge
that is available to businesses that pass a Google screening and qualification process in order to use Local Services Ads.
In essence, the badge is an indicator signal to customers that a business has passed this qualification process in order to qualify as Google Guaranteed.
Another way of putting it is that the Google Guarantee is Google’s way of letting potential customers know that the work quality of a business who is Google Guaranteed can be trusted.
And if for some reason, the work quality of a Google Guaranteed business is unacceptable to a customer who hired the business though a Local Services Ad, Google is willing to pay for it (up to a certain amount).
The way that Google pays for it is by offering dissatisfied customers a reimbursement for the amount paid on an initial invoice. This reimbursement amount does have lifetime limit.
In the United States, the upper limit of this lifetime reimbursement is $2,000.
That is what the Google Guarantee is.
What does the Google Guarantee Reimburse for?
The Google Guarantee may reimburse customers for issues related to quality of work only.
However, for a reimbursement to even be possible, the customer must have hired the business in question directly through a Google Local Services Ad.
If a reimbursement from Google is issued, the cost of the job invoice on the initial service or work performed is what would be covered.
It’s important to note that reimbursements are not issued for damages to property, future projects and/or add-ons, cancellations, dissatisfaction with the responsiveness of the business, or the prices they charge.
The decision for Google to reimburse a customer who is not satisfied with the work quality of a Google Guaranteed business is completely up to Google. Whether a reimbursement is issued is 100% at their discretion.
Google Guarantee reimbursements have an upper lifetime limit of $2,000.
How do reimbursements work?
If a customer decides to submit a request for reimbursement, Google will communicate directly with the customer to handle the request. At that time, Google will make a decision on the reimbursement.
With that being said, if a customer takes legal action or involves insurance with a Google Guaranteed business, that matter is then handled directly with the customer and the business.
Google’s offering for reimbursements are only based on work quality.
What is Google Screened?
Google Screened is similar to Google Guaranteed except that it is a Google verification specific to professional service firms. These business types include lawyers and law firms, financial planners, and real estate agents.
When businesses of these types pass the Google screening process to run Local Services Ads, the Google Screened badge
is what shows next to their ads.
What are the requirements to be Google Screened?
In order for a business to be Google Screened, the firm must pass both a business-level background check and individual business owner background checks.
So, if there are multiple owners in the business, each owner must pass a background check.
In addition, employees at the firm who perform services for customers must also pass a license check. Depending on the specific business type, a background check may also be required.
View the requirements by category.
All of these screening requirements must be passed before the business is eligible to become Google Screened.
Why all the requirements?
Having these screening requirements in place help ensure to potential customers that businesses that are Google Screened have been thoroughly vetted.
This not only helps create peace of mind for the potential customer, but also shows that a Google Screened business is credible and trustworthy.
Which business types can become Google Screened?
The Google Screened badge is available to businesses of professional services including law, real estate, and financial planning who pass the Google screening process.
How to become Google Guaranteed
If you are interested in your business becoming Google Guaranteed, the first step is to check your eligibility to use Google Local Services Ads by completing the sign up process.
If your business is eligible to use Local Services Ads, you will then need to complete and pass the Google screening requirements in order to become Google Guaranteed.
Google will let you know the exact documentation you will need to provide. This documentation will be used to complete the screening process.
Upon completing and passing the Google screening process, your business will then become Google Guaranteed.
Care for step-by-step instructions? Here’s how to do it.
Time needed: 1 hour
How to Get Google Guaranteed
- Check if your business is eligible
Visit the Google Local Services Eligibility page. Fill out the shown fields for location and job category, then select Check Eligibility.
- Create an account
Next, enter the Google email you want to use for Local Services ads. If you do not currently have a Google Account, enter your current email to create one. Then select, Next.
- Create your profile
Fill out the information shown on the next page to create your business profile. This includes information such as your business name, category, and address.
- Set a budget
After creating your business profile, you’ll be asked to enter an advertising budget based on the number of leads you want to receive per month. Go ahead and enter a dollar amount to see how many leads you can expect to receive.
Note: Not to worry, ads won’t run until your business is Google Guaranteed. Budget can always be changed later too. - Fulfill documentation requirements for Google Screening
Next, Google will request certain documentation based on your business type to begin the Google Screening process. This may include information to perform a background check, license checks, and insurance checks for your business. Fortunately, Google provides a convenient and secure way to provide all of this information online.
- Be patient
The next step is to simply wait. Once you’ve submitted all the requested information for the Google screening process, give Google some time to verify your submission. Usually this process can take a couple of weeks, but not much longer than that. If Google requires any additional documentation from you, they will notify you via email.
- Become Google Guaranteed
After Google completes their screening and verification of your business, it will then become Google Guaranteed as long as all checks are successfully passed. Once your business becomes Google Guaranteed, it will then be eligible to run Local Services Ads.
And that’s it! After successfully completing these steps, your business will be Google Guaranteed.
Have additional questions? Check out the following FAQ.
Google Guarantee FAQ
The Google Guarantee is available to certain home service and professional service based businesses who pass the Google screening and verification process including:
– Acupuncturist
– Animal rescue
– Appliance repair services
– Bankruptcy lawyer services
– Business lawyer services
– Carpet cleaning services
– Carpenters
– Child care
– House cleaning services
– Contract lawyer services
– Criminal lawyer services
– Dance instructor
– Countertop services
– Disability lawyer services
– DUI lawyer services
– Electricians
– Estate lawyer services
– Family lawyer services
– Fencing services
– Financial planning services
– First aid training
– Flooring services
– Foundations services
– Garage door services
– General contractor
– Handyman
– Home inspector
– Home security
– Home theater
– HVAC (heating or air conditioning)
– Immigration lawyer services
– IP lawyer services
– Junk removal services
– Labor lawyer services
– Landscaping services
– Language instructor
– Lawn care services
– Lawyers
– Litigation lawyer services
– Locksmiths
– Malpractice lawyer services
– Moving services
– Personal injury lawyer services
– Personal trainer
– Pest control services
– Pet adoption
– Pet boarding
– Pet grooming
– Pet training
– Plumbers
– Pool cleaner
– Pool contractor
– Preschool
– Real estate lawyer
– Real estate services
– Roofers
– Sewage system
– Siding services
– Snow removal
– Tax services
– Traffic lawyer services
– Tree services
– Water damage services
– Weight loss service
– Window cleaning services
– Window repair services
– Yoga studio
It’s free to get Google Screened. The only cost involved comes after your business has become Google Guaranteed and is eligible to use Local Services Ads. When running ads, you determine your own budget, so the cost is the amount you want to spend on your ads.
Local Services Ads (LSAs) are a pay-per-lead advertising option offered by Google for service-related businesses. LSAs show at the top of Google search results and display the Google Guaranteed badge or the Google Screened badge based on the type of business.
The Google Guaranteed badge is a certification for businesses that run Local Services Ads. It is a green check mark that shows on LSAs and is an indicator to potential customers that the business has been thoroughly vetted and screened by Google to earn the Google Guarantee.
When a business becomes Google Guaranteed, they earn the right to use Local Services Ads. These ads display at very top of Google search results, so businesses using the service generally get much more visibility than other competitors on the first page of Google. Additionally, businesses that are Google Guaranteed only pay for valid leads that come from their Local Services Ads. For these reasons, this makes becoming Google Guaranteed well worth it for businesses that participate in the program.
Wrap-up
We hope this article gave you a foundational introduction to the Google Guarantee and what it entails.
The main thing to keep in mind is that all businesses that run Local Services Ads are Google Guaranteed or Google Screened. Both of which require a screening process by Google that must be passed before being eligible to use Local Services Ads.
Did you find this article helpful? Let us know what you think in the comments.
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