Google Local Service Ads Business Verification Requirements
Google Local Service Ads Requires Specific Types Of Business Verification Documentation. Here's What You'll Need To Pass.
As part of your onboarding, we'll be guiding you through Google's verification process for Local Services Ads. Google has specific requirements that must be met before your ads can go live, and we'll walk you through each one.
This document outlines what we'll be asking for and why - so nothing comes as a surprise.
Document & Insurance Requirements
We'll ask you to provide current insurance documentation that meets Google's exact standards. Here's what that looks like:
- Your documents must be active and valid for at least 14 days from the date we submit them. We'll flag anything that's close to expiring before submitting.
- We'll need a Certificate of Insurance (COI) — not a Binder. A Binder is considered temporary proof of coverage and Google will not accept it.
- Home Inspectors only: Your COI must include both General Liability and Professional Liability (E&O) coverage. We'll need both on the same certificate — submitting only one will result in a rejection.
- The Authorized Representative signature box on your COI must be signed and filled out. We'll let you know if we receive a document that's missing this, so we can get a corrected version before submitting.
Name & Business Name Accuracy
Google cross-references the names on your account against your submitted documents, so precision here really matters.
- The account holder's name must match their legal name exactly. If there's a nickname or variation being used on the account, we'll work with you to get that corrected before verification is submitted.
- Your business name must match your documents character for character — including punctuation and legal suffixes like "LLC" or "Inc." We'll review this ahead of submission to catch any discrepancies early.
Employee & Background Checks
- All field employees listed on your account must have a completed background check before verification can be approved. We'll walk you through this process during onboarding and let you know exactly who needs to be included.
Advanced Verification
For certain business categories, Google requires an additional step called Advanced Verification. This is Google's process for confirming that only legitimate, properly registered businesses are advertising on the platform. If your category requires it, the process may include:
- A review of your Google Ads account history
- A check of publicly available business data
- A video interview conducted by Google
- A review of your business registration
If your account is flagged for Advanced Verification, we'll notify you right away and prepare you for what to expect. This process takes additional time, so early communication is key.
Our Goal
We're familiar with what Google requires at each step, and we'll be proactively collecting the right documents and flagging any issues before they cause delays. If you have questions about any of the items above, your advertising specialist is here to help.