Google Guaranteed in Canada: What That Green Checkmark Really Costs Contractors (and Why It's Now Called Google Verified)

The short answer: Google Guaranteed is gone. In October 2025 Google folded the Google Guaranteed badge, Google Screened and License Verified by Google into one badge called Google Verified, and it ended the money back guarantee that came with the old green checkmark. The badge lives inside Local Services Ads, where Canadian contractors in eligible trades pay per lead instead of per click, and what a lead costs depends on what your local competitors bid. It can be a great source of calls, but only if you answer the phone and watch your lead report like a hawk.

Somebody at the Tim's drive thru told you about it. Maybe it was your brother in law, maybe the plumber two towns over who suddenly can't keep up with calls. "Get the Google Guaranteed thing," they said. "The green checkmark. Phone rings off the hook."

So you searched it. You're not alone: Canadian searches for "google guaranteed" went from about 10 a month to 590 in spring 2026, according to SE Ranking. Here's the funny part. The thing everyone is searching for doesn't technically exist anymore. Let's sort out what does, what it costs, and whether it beats a referral from your mother in law.

What happened to Google Guaranteed?

Quick answer: Google replaced it with a single Google Verified badge starting in October 2025, and stopped the money back guarantee for jobs booked on or after December 7, 2025.

In August 2025 Google announced that Google Verified would replace "Google Guaranteed, Google Screened, License Verified by Google and the Money Back Guarantee" (Google). Google's help page now says reimbursement requests only apply to services "booked through Local Services Ads before December 7, 2025" (Local Services Help).

So the pitch you may still hear, "Google backs your work, so homeowners trust you more," is out of date. The badge now says Google checked you out. It no longer says Google will refund the homeowner if you botch the job. That's actually fine for you. It was always your reputation on the line, not Google's.

Same badge idea, new name, and a lot of agencies are still selling it under the old one. Which tells you how closely they're paying attention.

What are Local Services Ads and how do they work in Canada?

Quick answer: Local Services Ads are the boxes at the very top of Google with a business name, rating and badge. You pay when a homeowner contacts you through the ad, not when they click.

Local Services first came to Canada in Vancouver and Toronto with locksmiths, plumbers and HVAC companies (Search Engine Land). Google's Canadian getting started page now lists trades like electricians, HVAC, plumbers, roofers, pest control, tree services, water damage, junk removal, movers and window repair (Local Services Help, Canada). Notice who isn't on that Canadian list right now: general contractors, painters, deck builders and most renovators. If that's you, no amount of wanting the badge gets you in. Use Google's eligibility checker for your area before anyone sells you on it.

The setup goes like this:

• You need a public, verified Google Business Profile, then you pass Google's screening. Google says the process takes "3 to 4 weeks" on average after you submit your documents (Local Services Help). Google's requirements page (written for the US) adds that urgent trades like HVAC and electrical get an extra level of screening that includes background checks.
• You set an average weekly budget. Your monthly max is that weekly budget times the average weeks in a month, and once you hit it, your ad stops showing for the rest of the month (Local Services Help).
• You pick a bidding mode: let Google maximize leads, set a target cost per lead, or set a max per lead yourself (Local Services Help).

How much does Google Guaranteed (now Google Verified) cost per lead?

Quick answer: There's no fixed price. Google says a lead costs what similar local businesses bid for it, and the price changes with your location, the job type and whether it's a call or a message.

Google puts it plainly: "When similar local businesses bid on the same lead, those bids determine how much the lead is worth" (Local Services Help). A burst pipe lead in Toronto in January will likely cost more than a window repair lead in Moncton in May. Nobody can quote you one real number for Canada, and anyone who does is guessing.

What we can show you is how hot this has gotten. SE Ranking data for Canadian searches as of November 2026:

• Google guaranteed: 390 searches a month, after peaking at 590 this spring. A year ago it was 10.
• Google local services ads: 80 searches a month, up from basically zero before August. Advertisers pay about $7.50 a click on that term alone.
• Google LSA: 20 searches a month, double what it was a year ago.

Translation: a lot more Canadian contractors are kicking the tires on Local Services Ads than a year ago. More contractors bidding in the same postal codes means pricier leads. Early birds get cheaper worms.

Here's how to think about the math, with made up but realistic numbers. Say a plumbing lead costs you $45 and you book one in three. That's $135 per booked job. If your average job is $600, you're doing fine. If you only book one in eight because you call back the next morning, that same lead turns into $360 a job and you start muttering about Google at the supper table.

What counts as a lead you have to pay for?

Quick answer: Answered calls, voicemails, texts, emails, booking requests, and, the one that stings, missed calls during your business hours where the caller waits more than 20 seconds.

Read that last part again. Google counts it as a valid lead if "you missed a phone call during your business hours and the customer stays on the line for more than 20 seconds" (Local Services Help). So if you set your hours to 7am to 7pm and then spend the afternoon in a crawl space with your phone in the truck, you're paying for leads you never talked to.

The fix is boring and it works: set your ad hours to when someone actually answers. If that's 8 to 4, that's 8 to 4. A lead that hits voicemail at 4:30 isn't a lead. It's a donation.

Can you dispute bad Local Services leads?

Quick answer: Not the old way. Google now credits invalid leads automatically, usually within 30 days, and it no longer credits leads for job types or areas you don't serve.

Back in the day you could dispute junk leads one by one. Google switched to automated lead credits and said invalid leads would be credited "without manual disputes" (Search Engine Land). Google's own help page adds two details contractors hate: "Google no longer supports credits for 'job type not serviced' and 'geo not serviced' leads," and the original charge still shows on your invoice even after a credit (Local Services Help).

That means the dispute game is now mostly a setup game:

• Trim your job types. If you don't do sewer line replacements, turn that job type off. Google won't refund you for the call.
• Tighten your service area. Same rule. If you won't drive to that town, don't list it.
• Rate every lead. Google says it "may also occasionally credit leads you report as poor quality" through the feedback survey (Local Services Help). Occasionally is better than never.
• Check the lead report weekly. Telemarketers, wrong numbers and people looking for a job all show up. Know what you're paying for.

Are Local Services Ads leads shared with other contractors?

Quick answer: A call through your ad rings your phone, not three other companies. But the homeowner sees several businesses in that box and can call all of them.

This is a real step up from lead sites that hand the same homeowner to multiple contractors at once (we covered how that works in Is HomeStars Worth It? and Angi in Canada). With Local Services Ads, the homeowner chose to contact you.

That said, Google is upfront that message lead prices factor in "whether the customer contacted other advertisers" (Local Services Help). People shop around. Your reviews, your rating and how fast you answer decide whether you win. Which is exactly why speed matters more than the badge.

Should you run Local Services Ads, regular Google Ads, or both?

Quick answer: If your trade is eligible and you answer your phone, run Local Services Ads for urgent jobs and regular Google Ads for everything else. They cover different ground.

Local Services Ads sit at the very top and work beautifully for panic jobs: no heat, burst pipes, mice in the walls. Regular search ads give you control over keywords, ad text and the page people land on, which matters for planned, higher ticket work. We broke down real Canadian click prices by trade in Google Ads Cost in Canada, and how plumbers own the winter panic search in Plumbing Marketing for Frozen Pipe Season.

And yes, a referral from your mother in law is still the cheapest lead on earth. It just doesn't scale past her bridge club.

How does Leads4Trades handle Local Services Ads?

Quick answer: We set up your profile and screening, keep your job types and hours tight so you stop paying for junk, and run it alongside your Google Ads, all on simple terms.

A lot of agencies treat Local Services Ads as a set it and forget it add on. They flip it on, take a percentage of whatever you spend, lock you into a year and never look at the lead report. Meanwhile you're paying for missed calls from 4:45 on Fridays.

• Exclusive leads. They come from your own campaigns and your own Google profile, so every call goes to you, not to a list of five contractors.
• No long term commitment. Cancel anytime. If the leads aren't paying for themselves, you shouldn't be stuck.
• A fixed management fee. Not a percentage of your ad spend, so when you raise your weekly budget for a cold snap, that money buys leads, not a bigger cut for us.

See all our marketing services for trades, or check out what we do for plumbers.

FAQ: Google Guaranteed in Canada

Does Google Guaranteed still exist?

No. Starting in October 2025, Google replaced Google Guaranteed, Google Screened and License Verified by Google with a single Google Verified badge. The money back guarantee only covers services booked before December 7, 2025.

Is Google Verified available in Canada?

Yes, through Local Services Ads, for eligible trades. Google's Canadian page lists categories like plumbers, electricians, HVAC, roofers, pest control and tree services, so check eligibility for your trade and area first.

How much does a Local Services Ads lead cost in Canada?

There's no set price. Google says lead prices depend on what similar local businesses bid, plus your location, the job type and the type of lead. Busy trades in big cities during peak season pay the most.

Do I pay for missed calls on Local Services Ads?

Sometimes. Google counts a missed call during your business hours as a valid lead if the caller stays on the line for more than 20 seconds. Set your ad hours to the times someone actually answers.

Can I dispute a bad Local Services lead?

Google now credits invalid leads automatically, usually within 30 days, instead of using manual disputes. It no longer credits leads for job types or areas you don't serve, so keep both settings tight and rate your leads in the feedback survey.

How long does it take to get the Google Verified badge?

Google says screening and verification take 3 to 4 weeks on average after you submit your documents. You also need a public, verified Google Business Profile before you can advertise.

Want Local Services Ads set up properly, without paying for junk leads? Book a free consultation or call us at 1-833-454-4400.

Last updated: November 2026.