Local Services Ads: Partner Updates [February 2021]

Welcome to the latest edition of Local Services Ads Partner Updates, delivered by LocalView! In this issue, we bring you the most relevant professional service, verification, & onboarding updates in the world of Local Services Ads. Here’s what’s been happening:

Verifications & Onboarding Updates

1. Pinkerton & Evident Background Checks - Process Restart

Google is introducing a new process to assist providers in restarting their background checks (from the beginning) in the following situations, for both Evident and Pinkerton:

If it’s been 90+ days, and the provider’s background check has dropped off.
In cases of address change.
When error messages are preventing you from starting or completing your background check.

This new process is designed to unblock providers who were encountering difficulties during background checks and allows them to restart the process after they have been dropped off. If your provider qualifies for any of these scenarios, please reach out to Google’s support team to request a Background check refresh.

2. License Extensions due to COVID-19

Due to the challenges presented by COVID-19, the following license extensions have been implemented:

Michigan: Pest Control & Lawn Care Licenses extended to 12/31/2022 by the Governor of Michigan.
California: Real Estate Licenses extended to 6/30/2021 by the Governor of California.

These extensions provide relief to providers affected by the pandemic and offer more time to meet licensing requirements.

3. Providers Can Remove Field Workers From Evident Roster At Any Point Before Adjudication

Following the completion of the Evident Business Entity application, providers now have the ability to remove Field Workers from their roster at any point before adjudication. It’s important to note that after completing the Business Owner background check, providers will not be able to access the Evident flow from their Local Services Ads dashboard. Therefore, it’s crucial to reach out to Google’s support to receive a custom link that allows re-entry into the Evident portal for the purpose of removing applicable field workers.

A reminder that Business Owners cannot be removed from Evident rosters.
Additionally, it’s currently not possible to add additional Field workers to Evident rosters at this time.

Professional Services Updates

1. Max of 10 Featured Professionals Allowed

Local Services Ads has updated the maximum number of Featured Professionals allowed to be displayed on the provider’s profile page. The system will now only show a maximum of 10 “Featured Professionals.”

There is no cap on the number of professionals listed (only those featured).
The number of professionals listed as attached to the account during the onboarding draft mode must match the number of agents listed, along with the applicable required license details.

Have Questions?

If you have any questions or need further assistance, be sure to check the Local Services Ads on Google Help Page, or get in touch with our Local View team for comprehensive guidance.