888-296-7629If you've been searching for services and checking your rankings lately, you've probably seen that some businesses, perhaps your own competitors, appear with a Google Guaranteed badge, and they usually appear on top of the search
What Is Google Guarantee and How Do I Get Guaranteed?
Google Guarantee is a Google Service linked to Google Local Services advertising.
When a business has a Google Guaranteed badge, Google will cover damages caused by the company to any customer who hired the company via Google Local Services, up to a certain amount, which varies by industry, service, and location.
For a company to earn a badge, they will go through a screening process where Google will verify whether they meet a series of criteria to prove they are reputable.
The criteria are not exactly clear, but it may include things like:
- Good standing in the local community and Better Business Bureau.
- No unresolved complaints
- Years in business.
- Website domain age and authority
- A substantial amount of good reviews online, especially on Google My Business.
- A live, fully compliant Google My Business Listing
- Business licenses, insurance, and taxes in good standing.
Not every business qualifies for the Google Guarantee Badge. Companies that meet the initial criteria needed to apply for Google Guarantee, go through all the verification process (including submitting business-related documentation). The ones that do not qualify but are not in bad standing, get the Google Screened badge, which is probably the second best thing.
The big advantage of getting Google Certified is that Google Guaranteed Business usually ranks on top of non-guaranteed business in searches, particularly in organic and Maps searches, as well as on Google Local Services paid ads. In some instances, they may even rank above PPC ads.
How Do I Start the Process to Get Google Guaranteed?
As we mentioned before. Google Guarantee is part of the Google Local Services advertising program, which is, in short, Google's very own Pay-Per-Lead service. That means that to enroll on Google Guarantee, you will need to enroll on Google Local Services first.
You will first determine how many leads you would be willing to buy from Google every month, establish a monthly budget, enroll in Google Local Services through a Google Account that has access to yout Google My Business and Google Ads Account. Once enrolled and approved, you will use your Google Ads account to build and run lead ads through the platform.
Although Google Local Services ads run from the Google Ads platform, they are completely different from PPC ads in the sense that ranking is determined not by how much you bid on keywords, but on overall business standing – including the Google Guaranteed Badge—and your monthly pay-per-lead budget.
Who Can Help Me with the Google Local Services Setup?
If you think your business might qualify for the Google Guarantee and if you have considerable experience with Google Ads and its advertising formats (PPC, Display, YouTube), you can contact Google directly and get the process started.
If you are not comfortable with going solo, and you have an agency in charge of your online advertising, the best course of action is to ask them to set this up on your behalf. At Central Station Marketing we now provide full support for Google Local Services, so all you need is to contact your Account Manager and ask about it.
If your business is listed in Home Advisor, which is a Google Partner, you can start the process trough that platform as well.
Is It worth It?
We have had mixed reactions from clients and businesses in the home services industry. Some sing its praise, some are dissatisfied. Since the service is relatively new, there is no benchmark data to support one side or another. So, the bottom line is, if you have the budget to buy leads, why not experiment with Google Local Services? Besides getting the leads, if you manage to get a Google Guaranteed badge, you can also enjoy better rankings, search visibility, and clickability.
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