Google Guaranteed Badge: Is it worth the $50?

But is that actually the case?

This green badge, which is displayed in Google My Company's organic search results, is currently being rolled out in the United States. But will this feature also come to the Netherlands? And do you really gain a competitive advantage and more sales from this? Read about it in my new blog.

What is Google Guaranteed Badge

The Google Guaranteed Badge has been around for some time. In 2017, Google first introduced the concept in America. By going through the Google Guaranteed verification process, you got the green badge marked ''Google Guaranteed.'' This looks like this:

The green badge has a certain meaning. Namely, Google protects the companies that are Google Guaranteed. If a customer is not satisfied with the work done, Google guarantees that they will refund the money up to an amount of $2,000. This requires prior arrangements with Google Home Services. By the way, Google Guaranteed has never been active in Europe.

The expansion of Google Guaranteed

Google Guaranteed was previously only possible with ads. But that has recently changed in the United States. Because now the Google Guaranteed Badge is also possible in organic search results. Of course, you can't just claim the green badge. You have to meet Google's requirements for advertising, which is not surprising since Google guarantees your quality.

The pros and cons of the Google Guaranteed Badge

Before I tell you whether the Google Guaranteed Badge is worth its money, I'll first explain the pros and cons.

Advantages

The green badge makes you exude authority in search results. The company comes across as more trustworthy. Google guarantees by giving visitors the opportunity to get their money back, lowering the threshold for action.

• The green badge makes you more noticeable
• Increasing reliability and authority provides a competitive advantage and increases conversions, ultimately generating more leads.

Cons

Larger companies can easily tap the $50 dollars per month in most cases. For small business owners and freelancers, this can be a significant amount of revenue. Google is thus creating a competitive advantage for larger companies over the small business owners and freelancers.

• Substantial amount for only one additional functionality
• Google creates a competitive advantage for large companies over small business owners and freelancers to purchase the badge. In contrast, it may create an easier competitive advantage for freelancers and small business owners since the green badge would be less obvious with this group.

Will Google Guaranteed come to the Netherlands?

Currently, Google Guaranteed operates only in North America. The question is whether Google Guaranteed will actually come to Europe. Unfortunately, Google does not answer that. It is possibly a test phase, which ultimately will not be implemented.

My take on the paid Google My Company variant, is it worth the $50?

Ethically, I don't think it's quite right. Google is making it easier for large businesses to attract more visitors from Google. At the same time, they are making it harder for small business owners.

No data is yet available on the badge's performance. So it is pure speculation about the effect of the badge. Personally, I think the badge is definitely going to have a positive impact. I expect the CTR to be higher and more visitors to be referred to the website. The badge will have a positive impact on reliability and authority.

Of course, the effect depends on the industry and the competition. Should many competitors use the green badge, your competitive advantage is largely gone. If no competitors are using the green badge, you can easily gain competitive advantage by purchasing it.

Should the Google Guaranteed Badge be rolled out in the Netherlands, take a close look at what impact it could have on your sales. Could this be a way to beat your competitors? And will the cost outweigh the extra revenue? Perhaps Google will make it cancelable monthly, so you can start testing it.

What do you think?

This is my opinion. I'm very curious what you think about this. Do you think it's a good development or do you think it's ridiculous that Google is making it harder for small business owners? Let me know in a comment below.