How to Get Google Guaranteed & Unleash Your Local Business

For business owners who are just starting out or small businesses that haven’t quite hit their stride yet, a “Google Guarantee” may sound confusing or unnecessary. However, knowing how to get Google Guaranteed is a surefire way to help your business grow and flourish.

There’s more to a Google Guarantee than meets the eye, though. It signals to potential customers that your business is verified and reliable, but if you don’t rank high enough in the search engine results, your Google Guarantee won’t mean much in the long run.

At Orbit Local, we want to help you enter the Google Guaranteed program so you can boost your business sales through more customers, calls, and leads. We can help by assisting in the construction of your GBP page and other aspects that make business advertising successful.

Before we get into that, though, we need to understand what exactly a Google Guarantee is and how to get that green checkmark.

Google Guarantee Program 101 hide

What is Google Guarantee?

How to Become Google Guaranteed

How to Use Local Service Ads

Start Small with a Google Business Profile

Google Local Services Ads

Google Screened

Important Factors in Google Ads

So What’s The Big Picture Of The Google Guarantee Program

What is Google Guarantee?

To qualify for a Google Guarantee, you first have to pass Google’s screening procedure and meet their qualification guidelines through their Local Services Ads program. For customers who find your business through Google’s Local Services Ads, they are eligible for reimbursement if they’re unhappy with your work.

For example, suppose you are a service provider like a handyman or locksmith and have the Google Guarantee on your advertisement. In that case, customers can potentially complain to Google and ask for a refund after you’ve completed your service for them.

What Does Google Guarantee Cover?

While this may sound like a bad thing, it’s not. Google will only reimburse up to $2,000 in a “lifetime cap” per customer in the United States and Canada. Before it gets this far, though, Google will give you the opportunity to confer with your customer and try to make things right.

If your customer is not satisfied, Google will reimburse them.

Having a Google Guaranteed checkmark next to your business name on Local Services Ads gives potential customers a sense of security in case something goes awry. Plus, as we mentioned, Google will always reach out to you first to help you rectify the customer’s dissatisfaction.

How to Become Google Guaranteed

How to become Google Guaranteed can be fairly straightforward but requires utilizing a few different parts of Google’s business side. You’ll first need a GMB profile (more on that later), and once you’ve got that, you’ll be able to implement Local Service Ads as long as you meet the criteria.

To become eligible for the Google Guarantee, you’ll have to: pass a screening process to make sure you’re qualified for the title. You’ll have to upload your business license and pass a background check with Pinkerton. 

• Pass Google Screening Process: All qualifying and eligible businesses must pass a business level screening process which includes business license and insurance check. The business owner also undergoes a background check in order to qualify for Google screened badge.

• License, Insurance check and verification: For certain categories, not only will your business undergo a background check but each professional in the business must pass license check as well.

All business owners must pass the background check, plus all employees who will be entering customers’ homes. Once you’ve successfully proven to Google that your business can be trusted, you’ll pay a $50 fee each month to keep that green checkmark next to your business name.

If you’re a small business owner looking for the moment to break out amongst your competitors, the Google Guarantee program is a fantastic place to start. Using popular aspects like SEO and PPC will make sure you’re at the forefront of your niche and get you new, potentially recurring, customers.

How to Use Local Service Ads

Before we jump into the specifics of this service, it’s important to note that, at this time, it’s only available for certain small businesses. Specifically, it’s only available for service providers, as they’re going to be the businesses that customers need both locally and quickly.

Merchants eligible for this ad program include:

• Locksmiths
• Lawyers
• Plumbers
• HVAC (heating or air conditioning) repair
• Real estate services
• Lawn care experts
• Electricians
• Appliance repair
• Pest control
• Window cleaners
• Water damage services
• Junk removal
• Financial planners
• Carpet cleaners

Now that you know whether or not your business can utilize Google Ads, let’s take a closer look at what it really means to not only use Local Services Ads, but to stand out amongst other small businesses as well. We’ll go over the intricacies of what a Google Guarantee really means.

Start Small with a Google Business Profile

For local businesses to be noticed and recommended in a Google search, it all starts with their Google Business Profile, or GBP, profile. Creating a GBP profile for your business is free and, unlike the Local Service Ads, is open to all merchants—not just service providers.

GBP lets you connect with potential customers directly via their ability to call or message you directly from your GBP profile. It also allows customers to leave online reviews directly on your Google profile, rather than relying on an external site like Yelp. Having timely responsiveness to potential customers and keeping your cancellations minimal will help keep your ratings positive.

Google Business Profile will also provide you with a clean, easy-to-use website builder that will allow you to showcase your business in all its glory with photos, specials, and other unique aspects of your business, but also create an easy-to-navigate mobile-friendly webpage.

Orbit Local will help you optimize all aspects of the GBP page, including making sure your ads are targeted to a localized audience (to help drive more revenue/leads) and getting reviews from former customers who were over the moon with the service you provided.

Google Local Services Ads

Once you’ve set up a GBP, you’re well on your way to earning that Google Guarantee badge. Unfortunately, Local Services Ads do cost money, but Google will only charge you for reputable leads related to your business. It’s easy to set your monthly budget and make sure it doesn’t exceed your set number.

You also have the power to pick and choose what leads you follow and which ones you don’t. Plus, Google will provide price estimates for different services, although these are only estimations and the true price will depend on your own service and personal cost.

Your Local Services Ad will give customers the information that’s crucial for them to choose your business: the services you offer, the area you service, your hours, and your business’s reviews. How your ad is displayed will depend on if you’ve been Google Screened or Google Guaranteed.

Google Screened

If you do not provide financial planning, real estate, or law services, you don’t need to worry about being Google Screened. In fact, you won’t even be eligible for Google Screening because you don’t provide these services.

However, law firms, real estate, or financial planning businesses need to be aware of the verification process for Google Screening. The screening process involves a background check and license check to ensure that the business is reputable and can be trusted by potential customers and Google.

Important Factors in Google Ads

Once you’ve determined your business’s eligibility for the Google Guaranteed badge, it’s crucial to know what factors will help boost your Google sales even more. To do this, you need to make sure your ads are search engine optimized, and you know what words are good for pay-per-click.

If that just sounded like gibberish to you, don’t worry—that’s why we’re here. SEO, or search engine optimization, helps make sure you rank higher in search engine results than your competitors. Being part of Google Guaranteed home services gives you a leg up on your competition.

PPC, also known as pay-per-click, is a great tool to help your ads stay relevant and among the first few to help you get new customers. It’s another strategy you can use for your local marketing efforts that helps you “buy” clicks to your website and drive traffic through inorganic means.

For a search to be inorganic, it means that instead of being one of the first few businesses advertised by Google by natural rank, your business shows up as an ad when specific keywords are put into the search engine. Choosing the correct PPC words will skyrocket your business and bring in a slew of new customers.

Orbit Local Will Send Your Business into Hyperdrive

At Orbit Local, we have a tried-and-true process that refines your business and catapults your success into outer space. We can help you find the perfect SEO and set up your PPC advertising that gives you a next-level edge compared to your competition. This means you get more business and we get to continue helping local businesses reach their full potential.

We’ll help you achieve Google Guaranteed status and help you redefine your small business social media campaigns to see real growth from them in terms of customers and top search results. Carefully selected AdWords and PPC will help you show up quickly in search engines, even if it’s someone shouting at their Google home to find a local pest control after an unfortunate rodent run-in.

If you’re in the Jacksonville, Florida area and need help when it comes to digital marketing for your business, look no further than Orbit Local. We have over 10 years of experience helping small businesses blossom into full-on supernovas after some carefully crafted digital marketing campaigns. We can always help with future projects, too.

So What’s The Big Picture Of The Google Guarantee Program

Our in-depth look at the different facets of what it means to be Google Guaranteed and how it affects the larger scope of your business should leave you feeling two things. First, excited at the possibilities that open up once you’ve secured that green checkmark. Second, a little nervous.

Nervousness is the first step to realizing that to have a successful small business, you need to reach out to the right people to help you grow. We are your stepping stone to astronomical success and can help you get the Google Guarantee and so much more.

Reach out to Orbit Local today!