Google is making changes to its Local Services Ads (LSA) verification process in order to address spam issues and protect consumers from impersonators. The update requires certain professionals, such as lawyers, to undergo an identity check in addition to the license check to confirm their affiliation with a business. Business owners or senior partners must also pass an identity check to maintain the continuity of their Local Services Ads.
The purpose of these changes is to prevent fake attempts by unlicensed individuals posing as professionals and ensure the safety of consumers. The implementation of the new verification process will be gradual, starting with smaller states and gradually moving to larger states throughout the year.
Affected advertisers will receive an email from Google seven days before the initiation of the identity verification process for their business. If the business owner or a senior partner fails to pass the identity check within six days, their ad will no longer appear in search results. Similarly, featured professionals who do not complete identity checks within six days will no longer be featured in the ads.
The verification update emails were sent out shortly after a user on Twitter revealed that “big changes” were coming to LSAs. This user reported that several client profiles had no reviews due to a disconnect between the address on the Google Business Profile and the LSA profile address. The new verification process is expected to address this issue and combat spam.
The upgraded verification process is crucial for businesses as it protects them from impersonator scams. Without proper verification, campaigns may have limited reach, resulting in fewer leads and a lower return on investment.
Google has confirmed that this is just the first step in their efforts to protect consumers and advertisers from bad actors. More steps will be taken throughout the year to improve protection for both parties in Local Services Ads.
Overall, these updates by Google aim to enhance security and trust within the Local Services Ads program, ensuring that consumers can rely on the validity of the professionals they find through Google’s platform. By implementing stricter verification processes, Google is taking a proactive approach to combat spam and protect its users.
