Google Guaranteed is gone. Google retired the Google Guaranteed and Google Screened badges on October 20, 2025 and replaced both with a single badge called Google Verified. The refund promise behind the old badge ended too. Most home service businesses still talk about the program like it is 2024, and that gap is costing them leads.

What Happened to Google Guaranteed?

Google retired the Google Guaranteed program's badge on October 20, 2025. The green checkmark that home service providers earned through the Google Guaranteed verification process was replaced by a new badge called Google Verified. The Google Screened badge used by professional service providers like lawyers and real estate agents was folded into the same Google Verified badge at the same time.

The biggest change is the guarantee itself. The old Google Guaranteed program backed jobs with a refund promise to unhappy customers. That guarantee was discontinued. The last claims were limited to services booked before December 7, 2025. Today there is no money-back backing at all, just verification.

Myth 1: "I Need the Google Guaranteed Badge to Run Local Services Ads"

You need verification, not the old badge. Local Services Ads still require the same verification process the Google Guaranteed program used: business registration checks, license checks, insurance, and background checks. Pass those and your Local Services Ads show the Google Verified badge next to your business name in Google search results.

So if you hear a salesperson pitch "get Google Guaranteed," they are describing something that no longer exists by name. What you are really buying into is Local Services Ads with Google Verified status. We explain how the whole system works in our guide to what Local Service Ads are and how they work.

Myth 2: "Google Still Refunds My Customers if I Mess Up"

No. The money-back guarantee is over. The final window closed for services booked before December 7, 2025. If your website, your ads, or your sales pitch still promises that Google backs your work with a refund, you are making a claim Google no longer honors, and that is a fast way to lose trust with a customer who checks.

Myth 3: "The Badge Change Killed the Value"

The value was never the refund. The value is placement. Local Services Ads sit above everything: above regular Google Ads, above the map, above the organic results. That placement did not move an inch when the badge changed. Local businesses with the Google Verified badge still get the trust signal, and potential customers still see a vetted business at the top of the page.

Here is a number from real campaigns: Google LSA painting leads averaged $46.37 per charged lead across 17 campaigns in July 2026 (99 Calls, 2026). Compare that to shared leads from Angi or HomeAdvisor at $25 to $80, sold to 3 to 5 contractors at once (GeoQuote contractor data, 2026). An LSA lead calls you and only you.

Myth 4: "Google Guaranteed Cost a Fortune"

The Google Guaranteed cost question mostly confused two things: the badge and the ads. Verification itself does not carry a monthly fee for Local Services Ads. You pay per lead, not per click, and you set a weekly budget. Whether Local Services Ads are worth it for your business depends on your trade and your close rate, but pay-per-lead pricing means a slow week does not burn budget on clicks that never call. Unlike Google Ads, you are not paying for traffic. You are paying for conversations.

That is also why the digital marketing math is simpler here than almost anywhere else. If a lead costs about $50 and you close half of them, you know what a booked job costs you before you spend a dollar.

What Should Home Service Businesses Do Now?

The Bottom Line

The Google Guaranteed program as you knew it is gone: the badge retired in October 2025, the guarantee ended, and Google Verified took its place. But the machine behind it, Local Services Ads, is the same machine, and for home service providers it is still one of the cleanest lead sources a local service business can buy in digital marketing. The businesses that update their language and get verified now will look current and trustworthy. The ones still saying "Google Guaranteed" in 2026 look like they stopped paying attention.

SpeedMobi has helped 5,000+ home service businesses get found online since 2013, across 87+ trades. Getting verified and set up right is exactly the kind of unglamorous work that fills a schedule.

FAQ: Google Guaranteed, Google Screened, and Google Verified

Is Google Guaranteed worth it now that the badge changed?

Yes, because what made a Google Guaranteed business valuable was never the label. Google Local Services Ads still put a verified local service business above the search results, and the Google Guarantee badge's replacement carries the same customer trust. The qualification process and screening process are unchanged: business registration, license checks, insurance, and background checks. Small businesses that pass get a verified by Google mark on their local service ads, higher quality leads than pay per click campaigns, and more customers from the same local services ad spend. It can feel time consuming, but the payoff is a local service business standing in front of potential clients at the exact moment they search.

Which business types can get the badge?

Eligible industries keep expanding. Home service trades like plumbing, HVAC, and body shops came first through the old Google Guaranteed program, while the Google Screened side covered professional services like law firms, financial planners, and real estate agents. Newer service categories range from pet training and child care to yoga studio owners and even primary care physicians in some markets. Every service type has its own rules: minimum review requirements on your business listing and Google Business Profile, insurance for your service area, and a clean screening process. Pick the right business category when you apply, because a wrong service type stalls the Google Guaranteed status review. If your business fails a check, Google says which one, and most local businesses can fix it and reapply. Google Screened works the same way for professional service providers.

What does Google Guaranteed cost compared to standard Google Ads?

There is no monthly fee for the badge itself. The Google Guaranteed cost question is really a local service ads cost question: pay per lead, so budget maps to conversations instead of clicks. A Google Guaranteed company also converts better than standard Google Ads in many trades, because the badge signals a vetted local service and boosts the business's credibility, which means more leads and more customers from the same spend. That is what makes a Google Guaranteed business model attractive for small businesses chasing high quality leads.