Google Guaranteed Ads Showing when Paused

With the screenshot above, just under the “Over 30 providers nearby” section, you’ll see companies participating in Google Guaranteed Local Ads. To be listed here, businesses must undergo Google’s background checks to qualify—though that’s a topic for another time.

One thing to notice is that not all listings display the Google Guaranteed badge and green check mark. After reaching out to Google Local Support, we learned that only businesses with active ads at the time will show the green check mark. If a listing appears without it, that means the business currently has its ads paused.

When ads are active, all calls are recorded and accessible in the Google Local Ads account. However, when ads are paused, calls are not recorded and instead go directly to the business’s main phone number. According to Google Support, this essentially means that these listings function as free ads whenever the business is not actively running paid ads.

That said, in larger, more competitive markets, this tactic may not always work as effectively. With a higher number of active advertisers, paused listings might not appear at all, as available ad slots are filled by businesses actively running campaigns.