On October 20, 2025, Google replaced Google Guaranteed, Google Screened and License Verified with one Google Verified badge and ended the money-back guarantee. For foundation repair, which Local Services calls "Foundations services", Google checks state licenses where they exist, general liability and professional liability insurance, and background checks for select businesses. Texas has no state foundation repair license.
What changed
Google announced the change in August 2025 and it took effect on October 20, 2025 (Google, Search Engine Roundtable). Three badges became one:
- Google Guaranteed, Google Screened and License Verified by Google were retired.
- Google Verified replaced them. Advertisers who were already verified moved over automatically.
- The money-back guarantee ended. Reimbursement claims were accepted only for services booked through Local Services before December 7, 2025 (Google). The old program capped refunds at $2,000 per customer.
Many pages still ranking for "Google Guaranteed" describe the $2,000 guarantee as if it still exists. If your website or sales material says Google backs your work with money, update it.
What Google Verified means
The badge shows that a business passed Local Services screening and verification, and it appears alongside the checks that were passed. For homeowners it does the same job the old badge did: it's a third-party check they can see without leaving the search results.
What a foundation repair company needs
Google's requirements for the US "Foundations services" category (Google):
- Business and owner background checks (for select businesses).
- State-level business and owner licenses, where they exist.
- General liability and professional liability insurance.
Where background checks apply, every business owner and every employee or subcontractor who does the work at a customer's home has to pass one (Google). Google's pages don't publish a minimum insurance amount for this category, so check what your policy covers before you apply.
Texas: no license to verify
Texas has no state license for foundation repair. Bills to create one failed in 2011 and 2013 (SB 1399, HB 613), so there's no state license for Google to check. Insurance and background checks still apply, and many cities require contractor registration and permits. For homeowners it means the badge and your reviews are some of the only credentials they can look up.
Does the badge change your ranking?
Google says the badge change itself doesn't affect ranking. Local Services ranking comes from your bid and how likely your ad is to produce a lead: how responsive you are (missed calls hurt), what the customer searched, and profile quality, including rating, review count, response time, photos and completed verification checks (Google).
How to get verified faster
- Get your insurance certificates ready before you apply, because they're the usual hold-up.
- Collect the names of everyone who does work at customers' homes, in case background checks apply to you.
- Make sure your Google Business Profile, business name and address match your insurance and registration documents exactly.
- Line up review requests, because profile quality affects where you rank once you're live.