If you own a small to medium business, you’ve probably heard the term “Google Guaranteed” tossed around in marketing seminars and conferences. But what exactly is a Google Guarantee and why should you put in the time and effort to obtain the certification?
In this blog, we’ll cover:
- What exactly is Google Guarantee?
- What are the pros and cons of pursuing Google Guarantee?
- What is the process for getting the Google Guaranteed badge?
Rather talk to digital marketing experts about whether Google Guarantee is worth it for your business? Get in touch with us online or call us at (800) 339‑7305. We have 18+ years of experience in providing PPC and SEO services to businesses nationwide.
What exactly is Google Guarantee?
A Google Guarantee badge means that Google has verified your business and decided it meets high standards for background, liability and insurance checks. The badge can show up for both paid and organic results.
Google trusts its screening process so much that it will actually refund customers if quality standards are not met.
The guarantee for paid ads reads: “If you’re backed by the Google Guarantee, and your customers (that came to your business through Local Services Ads) aren’t satisfied with the quality of your work, Google may, in its absolute and sole discretion, reimburse the customer up to the amount paid for the initial service, subject to a lifetime limit.” In the U.S., the lifetime limit can go up to $2,000.
If a customer files a claim for reimbursement, Google will reach out to you for information. You can then attempt to resolve the dispute with the customer or Google will decide on a resolution.
What are the pros and cons of pursuing Google Guarantee?
The pros can far outweigh the cons of pursuing a Google Guaranteed badge in terms of luring in new customers.
Pros of pursuing Google Guarantee:
- Your business is more visible. As you can see from the screencap above, your business can live directly underneath the search query and you’ll receive top-of-the-page results.
- Consumers trust it. The badge symbolizes consumer protection and insurance and that your business is legitimate.
- Your business becomes more competitive. If you have a Google Guaranteed badge and your competitors don’t, you have an edge due to the additional customer trust it provides.
- Businesses with a Local Services Ads (LSA) account with Google won’t have to pay for a badge and you’ll receive more qualified leads. A Local Services Ads account is meant for paid results. Customers have to book service through the ad in order for the Google Guarantee to apply, therefore you can dispute bad leads or fake spam calls.
Cons of pursuing Google Guarantee:
- It can take a while to become Google Guaranteed. Because Google is verifying the background, insurance and licensure of your business and employees, the process can take a while depending on the size of your business.
- It is not currently available for all Google Business Profile (GBP) account customers and you will have to pay a monthly fee. A GBP account is meant for organic results. While Google is currently rolling out the Google Guarantee badge to GBP members as an option through the GBP dashboard, it is not currently available for all GBP accounts. Unlike LSA accounts that are Google Guaranteed, GBP accounts will have to pay a monthly fee to retain their badge.
- Maintenance is required. Customers can file disputes and in order to stay Google Guaranteed, you must address them.
What is the process for getting the Google Guaranteed badge?
You will need either a Local Services Ads or Google Business Profile account to qualify.
If you do not currently have an LSA account, you can apply here. If you do not currently have a GBP account, you can apply here.
When you apply for an LSA account, Google also folds in verifying your business for a Google Guarantee badge during the process. If you meet the badge requirements, the badge is placed when your ad goes live.
On the other hand, once you have a GBP account, you’ll have to wait until the option to apply for the Google Guarantee badge pops up on your dashboard as Google is still rolling out the upgrade for GBP accounts.
Want help getting your business Google Guaranteed? Contact Rocket Media.
Whether you want the Google Guarantee badge on organic or paid results, we can help.
For paid results, Rocket Media is a Google Partner — which means we get our own badge for meeting high standards from Google. Not only does Google consider us the best when it comes to paid search performance, it also means we have direct access to Google representatives to help you with any of your Google Guarantee badge questions.
For organic results, our Google Business Profile experts can help you navigate optimizing your profile and listings.
