Google Guaranteed vs Google Screened: Which Badge Do You Get?
The difference between the Google Guaranteed and Google Screened badges - eligibility, verification, cost, which verticals get which, and how each badge affects your ranking and trust in Local Services Ads.
Two Badges, One Program - and They Are Not the Same
If you are setting up Local Services Ads (LSA), one of the first things you will run into is a badge next to your business name: either Google Guaranteed (a green checkmark) or Google Screened (a blue checkmark). They look similar and both signal trust, but they are not interchangeable. The badge you get depends on your industry, and each carries a different promise to the customer.
Understanding the distinction matters because the badge is a big part of why LSA works at all. It is the reason a searcher trusts a name they have never heard of enough to call. This guide covers what each badge means, who is eligible for which, how verification works, what it costs, and how the badge factors into ranking and trust.
For how LSA fits against the rest of your paid search, see LSA vs Google Ads.
What the Google Guaranteed Badge Means
Google Guaranteed is the badge for home and local service businesses - the trades. Plumbers, HVAC technicians, electricians, roofers, locksmiths, cleaners, and similar service providers earn this badge after passing Google's screening process.
The defining feature of Google Guaranteed is the guarantee itself: Google backs the quality of the work up to a coverage limit. If a customer is not satisfied with a job booked through LSA, they may be eligible for a reimbursement from Google (subject to the program's terms and caps). That backing is powerful - it removes a big chunk of the risk a homeowner feels when hiring someone new, which is exactly why the badge drives calls.
Put yourself in the homeowner's shoes to see why this matters so much. Hiring a contractor you have never met to work in your home is a high-anxiety decision - stories of no-shows, shoddy work, and overcharging are everywhere. The green checkmark, and the reimbursement promise behind it, is Google effectively saying "we vetted this business and we stand behind the work." That transfers trust from a brand people already rely on (Google) to a local business they have never heard of. For a small operator competing against established names, that borrowed credibility can be the single biggest advantage LSA offers.
If you run a home-services business, this is the badge you are working toward. Our trade guides go deeper on setup for plumbers and locksmiths, among others.
What the Google Screened Badge Means
Google Screened is the badge for professional services - primarily categories like legal, financial, and certain other professional or healthcare-adjacent fields. Lawyers are the classic example.
The key difference is that Google Screened does not come with a money-back guarantee on the work. That makes sense - you cannot "reimburse" the outcome of a legal case the way you can refund a botched plumbing job. Instead, the Screened badge signals that the professional (and often the firm) has passed background and license checks. It is a trust-and-credentials signal rather than a work guarantee.
So the mental model is simple: Guaranteed = trades, with a work guarantee; Screened = professionals, with verified credentials. Same program, same top-of-page placement, different promise. For lawyers specifically, see Local Services Ads for lawyers.
Why does the guarantee disappear for professional services? Because the nature of the work makes an outcome guarantee impossible or inappropriate. You cannot promise a legal verdict, a financial return, or a specific professional result the way you can promise a functioning water heater. Regulatory and ethical rules around these professions also constrain what can be advertised and guaranteed. So instead of backing the outcome, Google Screened leans entirely on *credentialing* - confirming the professional is licensed, in good standing, and has passed background checks. For a client choosing a lawyer, "this firm has been vetted and its attorneys' licenses verified" is the relevant reassurance, and that is exactly what the blue checkmark communicates.
Eligibility: Which Badge Does Your Vertical Get?
You do not choose your badge - your industry determines it. When you sign up for LSA, Google routes you into the correct verification track based on the service category you select.
- Home and local trades → Google Guaranteed. Plumbing, HVAC, electrical, roofing, locksmith, cleaning, and many more.
- Professional services → Google Screened. Legal is the most common, along with certain financial and professional categories.
The list of eligible categories evolves and varies by country, so the practical step is to start the LSA signup for your specific business category and let Google direct you. If your category is not yet supported in your area, you will find out early in the process. Either way, the badge follows the vertical - it is not a menu you pick from.
The Verification Process
Both badges require you to pass Google's checks before your profile can go live and show the badge. The exact requirements vary by category and region, but the process generally covers several of the following:
- Business verification - confirming your business is real and legitimate.
- License checks - verifying required professional or trade licenses for your category.
- Insurance checks - confirming appropriate coverage, especially for home-services trades.
- Background checks - for the business and, in many professional categories, for the individual practitioners.
This is intentionally the gatekeeping step: the badge means something *because* not everyone passes. Expect it to take time and to require documentation, so start early. Verification is one of the things Google keeps entirely within its own process - it is not something any third-party tool can shortcut or apply on your behalf. AdTurbo, for instance, acknowledges and analyzes your verification status and guides you through what is needed, but the actual verification happens with Google.
A few practical tips make verification go smoothly. Have your documents ready before you start - business registration, current licenses for every service type you plan to offer, and proof of insurance that matches your trade. Mismatches are the most common cause of delays: if you list a service you are not licensed for, or your insurance does not cover the work you advertise, verification stalls until it is resolved. For businesses with multiple employees or practitioners, understand which individuals need background checks in your category, because that can extend the timeline. And do not treat verification as one-and-done - licenses and insurance expire, and letting them lapse can jeopardize your badge, so keep them current. The businesses that sail through are simply the ones who prepared their paperwork before hitting "start."
What the Badge Costs
Here is the reassuring part: earning the badge itself does not carry a separate per-badge fee. You are not paying a subscription for the checkmark. The cost of LSA is the per-lead charge - you pay when someone contacts you through the ad, not for holding the badge. For how that lead pricing works and typical ranges, see how much do Local Services Ads cost.
There can be indirect costs in getting verified - maintaining the required licenses and insurance, for example - but those are costs of running a legitimate business, not fees for the badge. The badge is what you unlock by passing verification and running LSA; the money you spend is on leads.
Because the only spend that scales is lead spend, it pays to know what a lead is actually worth to you. If you also run Google Ads Search, our free max CPA calculator works that out from your close rate and job value - the same "what can I afford per lead" logic that keeps LSA profitable once the badge is doing its job.
This is a genuinely favorable structure compared to how people often imagine it. There is no monthly "trust fee," no charge for displaying the checkmark, and no penalty for weeks when you happen to receive few leads - you simply pay for the contacts you get. It means the badge itself is never a sunk cost weighing on your budget. The only spend that scales is lead spend, which scales with results. That is worth keeping in mind if you have been hesitant to pursue LSA because you assumed the guarantee or the verified badge carried an ongoing premium. It does not - the premium, if any, is in doing the legitimate business things (proper licensing and coverage) you should be doing anyway.
How the Badge Affects Ranking and Trust
The most obvious effect of the badge is trust. A green or blue checkmark next to your name, at the very top of the results, tells a stranger that Google has vetted you - and for Guaranteed, that the work is backed. That trust is a huge driver of click-and-call behavior; it is often the difference between a searcher choosing you or scrolling on.
It is hard to overstate how much this changes the buying moment. A homeowner comparing three plumbers they have never heard of has almost nothing to go on except the signals right there on the page. The badge, sitting alongside a strong review score and a nearby location, does a lot of the persuading before they ever pick up the phone. That is why LSA can work for newer or smaller businesses that would struggle to rank organically or compete on brand recognition - the badge levels the playing field by supplying the trust they have not yet built on their own.
The badge also interacts with ranking. It is table stakes for appearing in LSA at all - no badge, no LSA placement. Beyond that, your position among badged competitors comes down to the ranking factors we cover in Local Services Ads ranking factors: proximity, review score and count, responsiveness, hours, and budget competitiveness. In other words, the badge gets you into the game; your reviews, responsiveness, and budget decide where you place within it.
That is where ongoing management comes in. The badge and verification are one-time-ish gates you clear with Google, but the levers that move your day-to-day visibility - budget, bid, bidding strategy, and status - are things you manage continuously. AdTurbo applies those through Google's API and runs LSA analysis on demand, while guiding you on the dashboard-only items like verification, service types, and service areas. See AI Local Services Ads management for the full picture.
Related Guides
- AI Local Services Ads management
- Local Services Ads ranking factors
- How much do Local Services Ads cost?
- LSA vs Google Ads: Which Drives Better Local Leads in 2026?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Google Guaranteed and Google Screened?
Google Guaranteed is for home and local trades and includes a money-back guarantee on the work up to a coverage limit. Google Screened is for professional services like legal and confirms background and license checks but does not guarantee the work. Same program and placement, different promise.
Do I get to choose which badge I have?
No. Your industry determines it. When you sign up for LSA in your business category, Google routes you into the Guaranteed track (trades) or the Screened track (professionals) automatically.
How much does the Google Guaranteed badge cost?
There is no separate per-badge fee. LSA charges you per lead - when someone contacts you through the ad. You earn the badge by passing verification and running LSA; indirect costs like maintaining licenses and insurance are simply the costs of running a legitimate business.
Does the badge help me rank higher in LSA?
The badge is required to appear in LSA at all, so it gets you into the auction. Your position among other badged businesses then depends on proximity, review score and count, responsiveness, business hours, and budget competitiveness - the standard LSA ranking factors.
