Prospect Genius

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Getting your business verified on Google Local Service Ads (LSAs) is something a lot of business owners want. That green (soon to be blue) checkmark next to your name? It tells customers you’re legit. It can help you show up higher in search, build trust, and bring in better leads.

But let’s be honest: getting there is not simple. If you’ve tried to get verified , or worse, had your listing pulled down , you already know how strict Google can be. From background checks to business licenses to physical addresses, the process can feel like a full-time job. And for small businesses just trying to keep the phones ringing, it can be a serious headache.

This guide breaks down what Google’s really asking for, why it matters, and what you can do to get through it without wasting time or money.

What Are Google Local Service Ads and Why Should You Care?

Google Local Service Ads are pay-per-lead ads that show up at the top of search results when someone looks for services in your area. Think “plumber near me” or “emergency electrician”, LSA ads show up even before Google Maps.

If you’re approved, your listing gets a green checkmark that says “Google Guaranteed,” depending on your setup. That badge helps people trust you faster, especially if they’ve never heard of your business before.

What Google Wants Before They Approve You

To get that checkmark, here’s what Google is going to ask for:

• A valid business license
• A real, physical address that matches your license
• Proof of insurance (for certain trades)
• Background checks , not just for the owner, but for any techs or crew going into homes

If any of that is missing, mismatched, or fails the checks, your application gets denied. No appeals, no second chances. Google treats this like a security process, and they don’t budge.

Action Tip: Before you apply, double check that your business license and physical address match exactly. And make sure your whole team is ready for background checks.

The Virtual Address Problem

Google Does Not Accept Virtual Addresses Anymore

If you’re using a PO box, UPS store, shared office, or mailbox rental, stop right there. Google is cracking down hard on virtual addresses. Even if that setup worked in the past, it’s likely to get flagged now. Businesses that were “grandfathered in” are already losing their listings.

What Happens If You Keep Using One?

• You won’t get verified for LSAs
• Your Google Business Profile could be suspended
• Your Maps pin might disappear

Action Tip: Use a physical address where your business is based. It can be your home, shop, or office , but it must match your paperwork and be a real location that Google can verify.

What Counts as a Valid Business Address?

Google wants to see that you’re a real business in a real place. That means:

• Your address matches your business license
• You have signage with your business name, even if it’s just on the mailbox
• You can pass a live video verification call with Google

And no, you can’t stage something last minute. If it looks fake or thrown together, they’ll reject it. They’ve seen every trick in the book.

Action Tip: Walk through your property like you’re showing it to Google. Make sure the signage is clear, the name matches your paperwork, and nothing looks off.

What If Your Listing Got Suspended?

If your Maps listing or LSA profile got taken down because of a virtual address or missing info, getting it back is possible , but it won’t be easy.

Here’s What to Do:

1. Get a valid physical address that matches your business license
2. Update your info everywhere, website, licenses, secretary of state filings, insurance, etc.
3. Submit an appeal to Google with all the supporting documents

Real Talk: Even if you do everything right, Google might still deny the appeal. They don’t explain themselves, and you might not get a straight answer. That’s just how it is.

Action Tip: Be consistent. Everything from your address to your business name needs to line up. One mismatch and you’re likely to get denied again.

Scams and “Shortcuts” to Avoid

Some folks out there will promise to get you verified on LSAs or recover your Maps listing fast , for a fee. Most of the time, it’s a scam. They’ll take your money and ghost you, or worse, use fake info that gets you permanently banned from Google.

Red Flags to Watch For:

• They ignore your virtual address or say it won’t be a problem
• They promise results without asking for your license, insurance, or background checks
• They say they have an “inside contact at Google”

Action Tip: Ask anyone you hire how they handle Google verification. If they can’t walk you through the legit process step by step, walk away.

Are You Ready to Apply? Use This Checklist

If you checked “No” to any of these, focus there first. You won’t get approved until everything lines up.

Do’s and Don’ts for Google LSA and Maps Verification

Final Thoughts: Is It Worth It?

Look, we won’t sugarcoat it. Getting verified for Google LSAs can be a pain. The rules are strict, the process is clunky, and support is limited. But if you can get through it, the payoff is real. You show up higher in search, earn more trust, and get more leads from people ready to book.

Just know this: Google plays by its own rules. You can’t fake it, shortcut it, or sweet-talk your way through. But you don’t have to figure it all out alone, either.

Need help? We’ve helped contractors, handymen, HVAC techs, and more get verified the right way. No fluff. No scams. Just real help so you can focus on doing the work , not chasing paperwork.

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Artificial intelligence has become a go-to tool for everything from writing blog posts to finding local businesses. It’s like internet duct tape…fast, easy, and feels like the kind of magic every small business owner could use more of.

But we’re seeing a growing trend that’s setting people up for disappointment: pasting your website’s URL into ChatGPT and asking it to “make it better.”

This is actually a symptom of a larger problem. There’s a massive difference between what people THINK ChatGPT can do, and what it actually CAN do. ChatGPT, like Gemini, Grok, and others, are LLMs (Large Language Models). The simplest way to describe what they do is that they guess the next most-probable word and use that to build responses to your questions. There’s no super-intelligent being behind it… it’s just word-guessing on steroids.

There are things that AI (specifically LLMs) is great at, but those tend to be very narrow use cases with specific parameters. And in those specific cases, it’s a very powerful tool. But if you venture even just a little outside of those narrowly defined cases, you’ll find frustration, disappointment, and very misleading information abound.

The Mistake We Keep Seeing

To continue with our example of the website, let’s be blunt: dropping your website into AI and asking it to “improve it” doesn’t work. Not because AI is bad, but because that’s not how it’s meant to be used, and therefore not what it’s been trained to do.

When you paste your site’s URL and ask a vague question like “How can this be better?” here’s what happens:

• You give the AI a vague instruction with no context.
• You ask a LLM (Large Language Model) to perform a task that it was never intended to perform.
• It looks at all the text it’s ever seen related to your topic and then decides the most probable words to spit back at you.
• You get back a mix of generic suggestions that don’t necessarily apply to your business and situation.

Worse, AI is programmed to always respond, and do so confidently, even when it doesn’t really understand what it’s looking at. So the advice might sound confident but be flat-out wrong or even contradict itself.

If you’ve done this and felt underwhelmed by the results, you’re not alone. But don’t give up on AI, just learn to use it the right way, and for the things that it’s good at.

Prompting Is an Art and a Science

The difference between a helpful AI experience and a frustrating one almost always comes down to how you prompt it.

People who get great results aren’t just lucky, they know how to write specific, detailed prompts. They treat AI like a smart but inexperienced assistant. It needs direction.

For example:

• Weak prompt: “Write a blog post.”
• Stronger prompt:<task>Write a blog post</task>
  <topic>Preventative drain maintenance</topic>
  <business>Residential plumber in Chicago</business>
  <audience>Middle-income homeowners living in Illinois, age 35-60</audience>
  <goal>Show how regular drain cleanings prevent costly repairs</goal>
  <tone>Friendly and professional at a 12th grade reading level</tone>
  <cta>Encourage scheduling a service appointment</cta>

This may seem like overkill, but giving AI this level of clarity is what turns vague results into something you can actually use.

It’s a Process, Not a One-and-Done

Another issue with the “make this better” mindset is that it treats AI like a vending machine: put in a request, get a polished result.

That’s not how it works.

AI is more like a writing partner, editor, or assistant. You go back and forth. You ask for changes. You tweak it until it’s right. When we use AI to draft blog posts, we might go through 10 or more iterations before we land on something usable.

If you expect to paste your site into AI and get a brilliant new version in one step, you’re going to be disappointed. But if you’re willing to collaborate with the tool, it can absolutely help you move faster and get better results.

Think of AI Like a Teenager (For Now)

One way to think about today’s AI is to compare it to human development.

Earlier AI tools were like toddlers, repeating things but not understanding them. Current tools like ChatGPT are closer to a smart high schooler: they can write essays, summarize information, and hold a decent conversation. But they lack real-world experience, nuance, and judgment.

So when you ask AI to “improve your website,” you’re effectively handing a 15-year-old your marketing and saying, “Go figure it out.” 15-year-olds can be effective at menial tasks, but absolutely no one is hiring them to be a director, strategist, or CEO.

If you give it guidance, it can help. But if you expect mature, strategic decisions? You’re going to run into trouble.

What AI Can (and Can’t) Do Well

AI is powerful, but not all-purpose. Here’s where it actually shines, and where it doesn’t.

What It’s Good At:

• Content creation: Drafting blog posts, ads, or emails, especially when you provide key points.
• Repetitive tasks: Writing meta descriptions, summarizing reviews, cleaning or reformatting data.
• Visual assets: Simple graphics or social images with tools like DALL·E or Midjourney.
• Spreadsheet help: Writing or fixing Excel formulas and explaining them clearly.
• Troubleshooting electronics: Wi-Fi issues, smart device setup, etc.

Where It Struggles:

• Original thinking: It remixes patterns, it doesn’t invent.
• Strategic judgment: It doesn’t know your goals, audience, or brand.
• Contextual consistency: It has a hard time staying on-brand or visually consistent.
• Factual accuracy: It often guesses when it doesn’t know, and sounds confident doing it.

Quick Reference: What to Use AI For (And What Not To)

Final Thoughts

We love AI. We use it every day. But we’ve also seen too many people get misled by the idea that AI is a silver bullet, especially when they’re dropping in a whole website and expecting miracle advice from a vague prompt.

If you want to get real value out of these tools, you need to treat them like what they are: powerful assistants, not instant experts. Guide them. Iterate. Get specific.

And whatever you do, don’t just paste in your homepage and ask ChatGPT to “make it better.” You deserve better than the advice it’ll give you.