Google Verified explained — what replaced Google Guaranteed

If you’ve been told to get “Google Guaranteed”, that badge no longer exists. In October 2025 Google folded Google Guaranteed, Google Screened, License Verified by Google and its money-back guarantee programme into a single blue tick called Google Verified, shown next to your name in Local Services Ads along with the checks your business has passed. Google’s own announcement set it out in August 2025, and it went live that October.

Why the tick matters more than anything else on your ad

Put yourself in the customer’s shoes. They need a locksmith at nine at night, they’ve never heard of any of the three names on screen, and one of them has been checked by Google and the others haven’t. The tick answers the only question they have: are these people real, and will I regret this? An unverified listing still appears, but Google places it below the businesses that finished onboarding — so you’re paying to be the option people scroll past.

What you actually have to prove

It depends on your category, but expect some combination of:

• Who you are — identity of the owner, and sometimes background checks on staff.
• That you’re allowed to do the work — trade licences or registrations where your sector requires them.
• That you’re insured — public liability cover, at the level your category demands, in the business’s name.
• That the business is real — a Google Business Profile that matches the name, address and phone number on everything else.

None of that is hard. What makes it slow is submitting a document that doesn’t match: an insurance certificate in a trading name rather than the limited company, cover that expires next month, a profile address that differs from the one on the paperwork. Each mismatch costs you another wait.

Why it takes three or four weeks, and how to make it two

Checks are done by third parties and queued, so the clock is mostly out of your hands. What you control is whether it goes round once or three times. Before you submit: get the certificate of insurance as a PDF with the company name exactly as registered, confirm the expiry is months away not weeks, make the Business Profile name, address and phone match it character for character, and have the licence numbers for your trade to hand.

Keeping the badge once you’ve got it

It isn’t permanent. Let insurance lapse, let a licence expire, or change the business details without updating them and the tick can come off — taking your ranking with it. Diary the renewal dates now. Google also displays the badge dynamically, so it won’t always be visible on every placement, but the underlying verified status is what earns you the position.

Common misconceptions

“Google guarantees my work now.” Not any more — the money-back programme ended with the rename. The badge says you were checked, not that Google will pay out.

“Verified means top of the list.” No. It gets you into the running. Reviews, proximity, opening hours and whether you answer the phone decide the order, and nobody can buy position one.

“I’ll do the ads first and verify later.” You can, and you’ll spend money sitting below verified competitors while you wait.

Once you’re verified, the next question is what the leads will cost you — that’s in what Local Services Ads cost in the UK.

Not every category can earn the badge. Check whether your trade qualifies first.

Quick answers

What replaced the Google Guaranteed badge?

Google Verified. In October 2025 Google combined Google Guaranteed, Google Screened and its other badges into a single blue Google Verified tick, and retired the money-back guarantee programme.

How long does Google Verified take in the UK?

Usually three to four weeks, and longer if a document is rejected and has to be resubmitted. Insurance in the exact registered company name is the most common delay.

What do I need to pass the Google Verified checks?

It varies by category, but expect identity checks on the owner, trade licences where your sector requires them, public liability insurance in the business name, and a Google Business Profile whose details match.