--- title: Google Guarantee — definition and how to qualify | Siite description: "The Google Guarantee badge explained: what the verification covers, what the guarantee actually pays, and why it changes how often people call." url: "https://siite.co/dictionary/google-guarantee" type: static generatedAt: "2026-10-22T08:21:10.779Z" --- Paid Media # Google Guarantee The green badge on Local Services Ads, earned by passing license, insurance and background checks, that backs qualifying jobs with a limited Google-funded guarantee. Also goes by Google Screened, Guarantee badge [![Siite](/images/layout/logo.svg)Written by Siite](/about/)Updated September 8, 2026 ## Entry contents [All Terms A to Z←Browse the full dictionary](/dictionary/) The Google Guarantee is the green badge shown on [Local Services Ads](/dictionary/local-services-ads/). Earning it means Google has verified your license and insurance and run background checks. For professional services such as law or accounting, the equivalent badge is Google Screened. It is a verification mark, not a quality rating. > **Briefly explained** > > - A badge on Local Services Ads, not on your website or profile. > - Earned through license, insurance and background checks. > - Backed by a limited, Google-funded reimbursement for customers. > - It gets you considered. Your star rating still decides who gets called. ## What does it take to earn? Three documents, and every one of them has to stay current. - A valid license for the categories that require one - General liability insurance, with the certificate kept up to date - Background checks on the business, and depending on category, on the people doing the work Lapses are the usual reason a badge disappears. An expired insurance document pauses the ads whether or not the policy was renewed in reality. ## What does the guarantee actually promise? That Google may reimburse the customer, up to a lifetime cap it sets, if they are unhappy with work booked through the ads. Read that carefully, because it is widely misunderstood: - It covers the customer, not you - It applies only to jobs booked through the format - Google sets the terms and the cap, and can change them - It is not a warranty on your workmanship, and it does not replace yours ## Why does it change how often people call? Because it is one of the few signals a stranger can act on before anyone picks up the phone. Someone choosing between names they do not know treats third-party verification as a shortcut. It sits at the top of the page, on the format most likely to be seen first on a phone. That position does more than the badge itself, but the badge is what gets you the position. ## What it is not - Not a quality certification. Nobody inspected your work. - Not a substitute for reviews. The badge gets you considered; the rating decides. - Not permanent. It lasts as long as the paperwork does. - Not transferable to your website as a trust mark. ## What do the terms mean? - **Google Screened:** The professional-services equivalent of the badge. - **Lifetime cap:** The maximum Google will reimburse a given customer. - **Verification:** The license, insurance and background check process. - **Responsiveness:** How fast you answer leads. It affects ranking in the format, not the badge itself. Owner questions ## What owners ask us about Google Guarantee ### What does the guarantee actually cover? +Google may reimburse a customer up to a stated lifetime cap if they are dissatisfied with work booked through Local Services Ads. It is not a warranty on your work, and both the terms and the cap are set by Google. ### Do I need the badge to run Local Services Ads? +For most home-service categories, verification is what makes the ads eligible to run at all. Professional categories get a Google Screened badge instead. ### How long does verification take? +It depends on how fast license, insurance and background checks clear. Plan for weeks, and keep the documents current. An expired certificate of insurance pauses the ads. ### What happens if a customer claims against it? +Google handles the reimbursement with the customer and may contact you about the job. Repeated claims put your participation in the format at risk, which is the real cost. ### Does the badge help my rankings elsewhere? +No. It lives on the ad format. It does not affect your Google Business Profile, the Local Pack or organic results.Put this to work ## Guides that use this Step-by-step playbooks from the team, written for owners doing the work themselves. No sign-up and no email required. [### LSAs vs Google Ads for Austin plumbers: when each one wins Local Service Ads pay per lead, Google Ads pay per click. The right answer for a plumber depends on the season. The math from $6.7M in observed spend. Read the guide→](/articles/lsa-vs-google-ads-austin-plumbers/)4.9191 reviewsWhere this turns into work ## Verified, and visible at the top We get the licenses, insurance and checks through verification, keep the documents from lapsing, and run the ad format the badge unlocks. [See the service→](/services/google-ads/)[Ask us about it](/contact/) ![Mikkel Friis, Marketing Manager at Siite](/images/team/panel/mikkel-friis.webp) *Our marketing manager* ## Related entries - [### Local Services Ads Google's pay-per-lead ad format for local service businesses, shown above the Local Pack with a Google Guaranteed badge, where you are billed per lead rather than per click.](/dictionary/local-services-ads/) - [### Review Velocity The rate at which a business earns new reviews over time — a steady, recent flow, rather than a large total collected years ago.](/dictionary/review-velocity/) - [### Google Business Profile The free Google profile that controls how your business appears in Maps and the Local Pack — hours, categories, service areas, photos, reviews and messages.](/dictionary/google-business-profile/) [All terms A to Z Browse every term A to Z Open the dictionary→](/dictionary/)