Google Guaranteed is gone: Google Verified explained

What happened to Google Guaranteed?

Google retired it. People still search the old name, but the badge behind it has gone. Google’s announcement said Google Verified would replace Google Guaranteed, Google Screened and other Local Services Ads badges, and Search Engine Roundtable reported the date as October 20, 2025.

Existing advertisers didn’t need to reapply. Google’s help page says eligible advertisers who had completed verification earned the new badge automatically. New advertisers get it after they pass Local Services screening and verification. That decision is Google’s, and nobody outside Google can promise it to you.

Can customers still get their money back?

Not on a job booked now. Google says it is discontinuing the Money Back Guarantee tied to the old badge. Reimbursement covered services booked through Local Services Ads before December 7, 2025, with requests due within 30 days of the initial service completion date.

That leaves a cleanup job. Take any line like “backed by Google’s guarantee” off your website, trucks, estimates and sales scripts. A leftover claim can mislead a homeowner, and state rules on false advertising apply to contractors. California’s CSLB says false, misleading or deceptive advertising used to induce improvement contracts is a misdemeanor. Other states differ, so check with your board or attorney.

What does Google Verified tell a homeowner?

It tells them your business completed the checks Google requires. The badge shows on your Local Services Ads profile and may appear on other Google surfaces, and verified profiles call out the relevant verifications. It isn’t a score for your workmanship, and it carries no promise about the job.

Don’t expect the badge alone to move you up, either. Google’s note on the change says Local Services Ads ranking won’t be affected by it. Availability also has limits: Google says eligible businesses in select verticals can display it.

How are Local Services Ads changing in 2026?

They’re moving into Google Ads as a special Performance Max campaign with pay-per-lead goals, in phases. Google’s migration page sets out what stays and what goes.

The first phase began in August 2026 for select US home and storefront service advertisers, including plumbing, HVAC, electrical, roofing, lawn care and pest control. Service-area businesses without storefronts follow in late 2026, and remaining categories and non-US accounts in 2027. Your account administrator gets an email 14 days before your date and a reminder 7 days later.

Save your history first. Google says previous performance reports won’t carry over and suggests screenshots if you need them right away. Budget math is worth a look as well, since a weekly budget of $700 becomes $100 a day on average, and monthly billing is capped at 30.4 times that daily figure.

What decides who shows first in Local Services Ads?

An auction does, weighing your bid, how likely your ad is to bring a lead, and your profile quality. Google’s ranking page gives the detail, and two parts of it are in your hands.

Credits have tightened too. Google says it no longer supports credits for “job type not serviced” and “geo not serviced” leads, so set service areas and job types with care before the move. Angi’s rules take a different line, as this cost per booked job breakdown shows.

GHOBZ can run Local Services Ads on your own account within its marketing for home service businesses, though no one can promise you a badge or a lead count.

• Responsiveness. Google says missed calls may negatively affect it, which is where a text back for the calls you can’t take helps.
• Profile quality. Google names your rating, number of reviews, response time, images and completed verification checks. How you ask for Google reviews feeds the first two.