Google Guaranteed is now Google Verified: Google announced on August 20, 2025 that a single badge would replace the Google Guaranteed, Google Screened and License Verified by Google badges, along with the Money Back Guarantee.
Facts on this page were checked against Google's pages on 2026-09-30.
If you still search for "Google Guaranteed local service ads," you're not alone. People still search it, and it names a badge Google retired. Here's what changed, in Google's words, and what it means for your migration to Performance Max.
What did Google announce?
Google's blog post says: "Google Verified will replace other LSA badges and programs, like Google Guaranteed, Google Screened, License Verified by Google and the Money Back Guarantee." On timing: "Starting in October, we'll be unifying all Local Services Ads (LSA) badges to create a single, clear signal of a business' credibility." The post is dated August 20, 2025, so the change began in October 2025.
On what the badge shows: "The new badge will show alongside details of which verification checks a business has passed."
So the point of the change is one badge that says what was checked, where there used to be several with different meanings.
What happened to the guarantee?
Google's Help page says: "Google will be discontinuing the Money Back Guarantee associated with the Google Guarantee badge." It gave eligible consumers until December 7, 2025 to submit reimbursement requests for services booked through Local Services Ads. That date has passed.
If a customer asks you whether your work is "Google Guaranteed," the accurate answer today is that Google replaced that program with the Verified badge, and it doesn't include the money-back guarantee.
How do you get the Google Verified badge?
For new advertisers, Google says they "will need to successfully complete the Local Services screening and verification process." The Help page we read refers to separate pages for the specific requirements and doesn't list licenses, insurance or background checks itself, so we won't list them either. Start with Google's own screening pages for your category.
What happens to your badge at migration?
Google's migration page says: "If you have already completed business verification, your verified status and your Google Verified badge will transfer to Google Ads automatically." It adds that "Insurance and license reverification are no longer required, but if any additional business-level checks are ever required, you will view a notification in your Google Ads account."
Google also says, in describing how pay-per-lead campaigns differ from standard Performance Max, that "Eligible businesses in select verticals can display the Google Verified badge on their profile page after passing required business registration and representative checks." Whether your vertical counts as one of the "select verticals" isn't something Google's pages list, so check your own account.
Two practical points. Google's wording is conditional on having already completed verification, so don't count on migration to give you a badge you never earned. And the notification Google mentions arrives in Google Ads, so make sure the account administrator's email and your Google Ads notifications reach a person. Our migration overview covers the other dates and emails.
Who does this matter to most?
Businesses that advertised the badge in their own marketing. If your website, vehicle wraps or flyers still say "Google Guaranteed," they describe a program Google has replaced. Updating them is cheap and avoids promising something you can't deliver, especially the money-back part.
Who can skip it? Anyone already showing the Verified badge with no plans to change the wording anywhere.
Your Business Profile is part of what Google checks and pre-fills, so if yours is out of date, our prep list is a sensible next step, and the comparison of Local Services Ads with other Google Ads campaigns covers where the badge applies.