In recent years, Google has added a couple of badges to Local Service Ads. These include the Google Screened and Google Guaranteed badges. Having a trusted badge from Google can mean a lot when it comes to marketing your local business on Google.
What are these Google Badges? Who are they for? How can someone get one?
Let’s dive in!
What is Google Guaranteed?
Google Guaranteed is a badge awarded by Google to any qualified small business that is running Local Service ads. It is reserved for mostly home service professionals like roofing, HVAC, plumbing, lawn care, etc. You can see a full list of professional services that can apply on this Google Support page.
This badge signifies that you have passed all of Google qualifications checks and any customer that purchases a service from a Google Guaranteed business through a Local Service Ad will be eligible for a $2000 reimbursement on any services they were not satisfied with. This is a max of $2000 in a lifetime and they do also investigate the case before issuing the reimbursement.
You can read more from Google on the topic of the reimbursement amounts and how it works on the Google Guarantee page here.
Something else to note is the cost involved with being a part of the Google Guaranteed Program. Besides the cost of running your ads, which is generally in the $25 per lead range, you will also have a membership fee of $50/mo. So if the leads you can get from this do not offset the price, it may not be worth joining the program. This will be different from business to business.
What is Google Screened?
Spawning from Google Guaranteed, Google Screened has a very similar meaning to its predecessor. It is for business professionals that pass the qualifications criteria that Google has laid out.
The difference between the two is that Google Screened does not come with the reimbursement for work you are not satisfied with and it is also reserved for lawyers, real estate agents, and financial services.
Something else to note is that Google Screened is not completely rolled out for all locations that Google serves. There is no running list of places that have Google Screened available, but many major cities have it available. If it is not in your area you can always try again later and see if it has reached your service area by then.
Which One Is Right For Your Business?
If you are a local business that runs Google Ads and are eligible, then it’s worth pursuing these programs. Having a vote of confidence from Google at the top of the search results can really do a lot for your ad conversions.
The main deciding factor for which you should get is based on your business vertical. Besides that, all you have left to do is apply!
To check your eligibility for either Google Screening or Google Guaranteed all you have to do is sign up for Local Service Ads and see if you pass. You will also need to have at least a 3.0 rating on your Google Business Profile page and it is best to have resolved any negative reviews with responses as all of this will be manually checked.
Before hopping straight into applying though you should prepare some documents to save time from going back and forth to collect all of these documents later in the process.
You will need to pass the following checks:
- Business-Level Background Check
- Business-Owner Background Check
- Employee Background Checks
- License Checks
- Insurance Checks
After you have all of your proof and documents in order go ahead and submit. From there you will hear back from Google if they need anything else from your and their decision.
Conclusion
Getting a badge from Google to display on your ads is a great way to show that one of the world’s best-known brands trusts your business. If you are eligible and plan to run Local Service Ads, signing up could be a great move for your business.
If it is showing up higher in Google than you are after then you should also consider doing some Search Engine Optimization to capture organic searches, as well as any ad, clicks you get from your Local Service Ads.
If you would like to learn more about how you can get your website higher in the rankings, schedule a demo with us today. Let’s chat about how your site can get closer to that precious position #1 on Google.
Good luck!
