Locksmith working on a door lock
Advanced Verification

Locksmiths and garage door companies: your ads do not run until this clears.

Google restricts these two categories. Until Advanced Verification is granted, a perfect account with a healthy budget serves nothing. This page is what Google actually checks, the recorded interview nobody warns you about, the ad rules that get applications refused, and what we charge to get you through it.

$1,000 flat, nothing hidden $500 of it only when it passes Locksmith and garage door specialists Account stays in your name
$445Flat monthly Local Services Ads management. Not a percentage of your spend.
$695Google Ads management from, flat tiers by ad spend rather than a cut of it.
$0Custom landing pages built for your campaigns. No design fee.
30 daysMonth to month. No setup fee, no minimum term, and the account stays yours.

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Who it applies to

Two trades, three countries

Advanced Verification is not a general advertiser check. Google names exactly where it is required, and the list is short.

"Google Ads and Local Services: Garage door services: United States. Locksmith services: United States, Canada."

Google Ads policy, Advanced Verification policies, read 18 September 2026
Garage doorUnited States. Google's restricted business policy says ads for garage door repair services are restricted and that you must apply for advanced verification to advertise.
LocksmithUnited States and Canada, same requirement. Several European countries restrict locksmith ads entirely rather than gating them behind verification.

If you run either trade, this is the first item on the plan, not the last. Our locksmith and garage door pages cover what the campaigns look like once the gate is open.

The check itself

Four things Google looks at

Google describes the review as covering your Google Ads account where one exists, publicly available data such as state registrations and professional licences, and video interviews it conducts. Here is what that means in practice.

Your Google Ads account

Google reviews the account itself where one exists, so an account with a policy history behind it is part of what gets judged. This is the piece most owners forget when they hand over an old account that someone else once ran ads in.

Public records about the business

State registrations and professional licences, checked against what you have told Google. At company level Google looks at business registration validity and at evidence of unauthorised or misleading practices; at owner level it looks at professional licence validity where one applies.

A recorded video interview

Google conducts video interviews as part of the check, and you have to agree both to take part and to have the call recorded. It is not a formality: the answers have to match the documents and the site.

Whether your answers hold up

Decisions rest on full and accurate answers, honest and current disclosures about government documents, compliance with the policies, confirmation of licensing status, and no evidence of deceptive or harmful practices. One inconsistency is enough to stall the whole thing.

"You also must agree to participate in a video interview and to have that video recorded."

Google Ads policy, Advanced Verification policies, read 18 September 2026
Where applications fall over

Six rules that catch people out

These sit inside the same policy and they are the ones that turn a straightforward application into a refusal, or an approved account into a suspended one later. Most are about what your ads and your website say, which means they are fixable before you apply.

No service call fees or starting prices in text ads

Google states that service call fees and minimum or starting prices must not be included in any text ads. The "$49 service call" headline that works in other trades is a policy problem in these two.

No discounts or coupons on emergency ads

Discounts and coupons must not appear in text ads promoting emergency or repair services, which is most of what a locksmith or garage door company advertises.

Prices must be complete, and ranges must be real

Any price shown to customers has to include applicable fees, charges, surcharges and taxes, and where a service varies in price you have to show a typical range covering the minimum and maximum a customer should expect to pay.

Warranties need their terms one click away

If an ad or the website mentions a warranty or guarantee, the same page has to link to the terms, the conditions, the exclusions and how to file a claim. A badge graphic with nothing behind it fails this.

Leave reviews alone

You must not alter, interfere with or tamper with customer reviews, your own or a competitor's. This sits in the same policy, and it is worth knowing before anyone buys a reputation service.

The site has to agree with the paperwork

Name, address, licence numbers and the services you claim should match the registration and the answers given in the interview. Most of the fixable failures we see are inconsistencies, not deception.

It is not permanent

Passing once is not the end of it

"After your business has been verified, Google may ask you to comply with re-verification procedures once every 12 months." Google adds that you may also be asked to re-verify "if there are significant changes, such as moving locations or changing websites."

Google Ads policy, Advanced Verification policies, read 18 September 2026

Two practical consequences. First, a rebrand or a new domain can put your ads back in front of the same check, so time those changes deliberately rather than in your busy season. Second, keep the licence, the registration and the website in agreement permanently, not just for the week you apply.

What we do

The work, and its limits

We cannot approve you. Google does that, and any agency that says otherwise is selling a decision it does not control. What we can do is make sure nothing in your account, your ads or your website is giving them a reason to say no.

We read the account and the site first

Before anything is submitted we go through the Google Ads account, the website and the ads for the things in the policy that get applications refused: prices in text ads, warranty claims with no terms behind them, a name or address that does not match the registration.

We prepare the application with you

The documents, the licence details, the business registration, and answers that match what is published. Google asks for honest and current disclosures, so the work is making sure everything you submit lines up rather than inventing a story.

We get the site compliant before the interview

Pricing presented with the full cost, ranges where a service varies, warranty terms linked from the same page, and the service list matching what you are licensed to do.

We prepare you for the recorded call

What Google asks, which documents to have open, and what the answers should be, given what was submitted. We cannot sit the interview for you, and we would not want to.

The fee

Flat, and half of it is earned

One price for the whole thing, published like everything else on this site.

$1,000 one time, for the full Advanced Verification process
$500Up front, when we start the account and site review.
$500Once the verification has passed. If it does not pass, it is not due.

That covers the review of your account, ads and website, preparing the application and documents, fixing the policy problems that would refuse it, and getting you ready for the recorded interview. Ad management is separate and priced on its own pages.

Campaign management for these trades is $445 a month for Local Services Ads, from $695 for Google Ads, or $995 for both. Nothing here is bundled to hide a number.

Straight answers

Advanced Verification, answered plainly

Who actually needs Google Ads Advanced Verification?

Google lists it for garage door services in the United States and locksmith services in the United States and Canada, across both Google Ads and Local Services. Its restricted-business policy says the same thing from the other direction: ads for locksmith and garage door repair services are restricted in the US, and to advertise you must apply for advanced verification.

What happens to my ads until it clears?

They do not run. That is the whole reason this page exists: a locksmith or garage door advertiser can have a perfect account, a good budget and a fast site, and still serve nothing until verification is granted. Build the campaigns by all means, but plan the launch date around the check.

What does Google actually look at?

A review of your Google Ads account where there is one, publicly available data such as state registrations and professional licences, and video interviews conducted by Google. At company level it checks business registration validity and evidence of unauthorised or misleading practices, and at owner level it checks professional licence validity where one applies.

Is there really a video interview?

Yes. Google says you must agree to participate in a video interview and to have that video recorded. Treat it as the main event rather than a formality, because the answers are checked against your documents and your website.

Does it expire?

Google may ask you to re-verify once every 12 months, and may ask sooner if something significant changes, such as moving locations or changing websites. Worth remembering before a rebrand or a new domain.

Can I advertise a price like a $29 service call?

Not in a text ad. Google states that service call fees and minimum or starting prices must not be included in any text ads, and that discounts and coupons must not appear in text ads promoting emergency or repair services. Prices shown anywhere have to include all applicable fees and taxes, and variable services need a genuine range.

What do you charge to help with it?

A flat $1,000, split $500 up front and $500 once the verification has passed. If it does not pass, the second $500 is not due. That covers the account and site review, preparing the application and the documents, fixing the policy problems on the site, and getting you ready for the recorded interview.

Can you guarantee I get verified?

No. Google decides, and anyone promising otherwise is selling something they do not control. What we can do is remove the reasons applications get refused, make sure your paperwork and your website agree with each other, and prepare you properly for the interview.

Websites and landing pages

The website Google reads during verification

Advanced Verification checks your site as well as your paperwork, so the pricing, the warranty terms and the service list on it are part of the application. A site built for the policy is also the one that converts the calls once the ads finally run.

Fast and mobile first

Most contractor searches happen on a phone, so the page is built to load fast there. Faster pages convert more of the clicks you have already paid for.

Call and form tracking wired in

Every call and form is connected to tracking from day one, so you can see which ads and which pages actually produce booked work rather than just traffic.

Local SEO and schema

On-page SEO and local schema markup so the site earns map and organic visibility over time instead of only working while the ads are switched on.

$497 one-timeWebsite on its own. Design, copy, mobile, forms and tracking. You own it and the domain.
$299 one-timeThe same build when we also run your Google Ads or Local Services Ads. One time, not monthly.
$10 /moHosting, updates and backups. That is the only recurring cost.
24hr to liveLive in 24 hours, no contract and no lock-in.
Landing pages stay free. Campaign landing pages are included with ad management at no design fee, the same as they always have been. The pricing above is for a full website build, which is a separate thing you may or may not need.

Stuck in verification, or about to apply?

Tell us where you are. If it is something you can fix yourself in an afternoon, we will say so on the call and you can keep the thousand dollars.

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