Google Local Services Ads Are Changing: What Businesses Need to Know

Google Local Services Ads are changing, but they are not disappearing. Google is moving them from the separate Local Services Ads dashboard into Google Ads. Existing accounts will become a specialized Performance Max campaign that keeps the familiar pay-per-lead model.

Customers will continue to find these ads in local positions on Google Search and Google Maps, while businesses will still pay for valid leads instead of clicks. Most of the changes affect campaign management, budgeting, bidding, and reporting.

The biggest differences involve where campaigns are managed, how budgets and bidding work, and what information businesses need to save before the transition. Here is what the change means and how you can prepare.

The Transition From Local Services Ads to Google Ads

Google Local Services Ads are moving into Google Ads as part of a more unified advertising system. Google will automatically convert existing campaigns into a specialized Performance Max campaign that uses a pay-per-lead model.

The transition is happening in phases. Migration began in August 2026 for selected home and storefront service advertisers in the United States, including HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, pest control, appliance repair, house cleaning, lawn care, and moving companies.

Google plans to include more US advertisers later in 2026, including service-area businesses without storefronts and accounts with custom bidding or booking setups. Non-US advertisers and remaining business categories are expected to move in 2027. These dates come from Google’s official Local Services Ads transition timeline.

Businesses will not need to rebuild their campaigns. Google says service types, business categories, targeted locations, budgets, schedules, and photos will transfer automatically. The account administrator should receive an email 14 days before migration and another reminder seven days later. After the move, the old dashboard will redirect users to Google Ads.

Google Local Services Ads Are Not Going Away

Google Local Services Ads are changing where they are managed, but the advertising product will continue.

Google will classify each migrated account as a Performance Max campaign with pay-per-lead goals. This is different from a standard Performance Max campaign, which can place ads across Search, Maps, YouTube, Gmail, Discover, and the Google Display Network and generally charges for clicks.

The version replacing Google Local Services Ads will remain limited to Google Search and Google Maps. It will also keep the pay-per-lead model, so advertisers will continue to pay for valid calls, messages, and bookings rather than general website traffic.

Local service businesses will not suddenly need videos, display banners, keyword lists, or ads across every Google channel. The new name reflects how Google is organizing the campaign, not a complete change to how the ads work.

Key Features of Google Local Services Ads Will Stay the Same

Several of the features businesses value most will remain in place.

• The pay-per-lead model: Advertisers will be charged for valid leads, such as eligible calls, messages, and bookings, instead of every ad click. Inside Google Ads, the reporting language will be slightly different. “Conversions” will show the number of charged leads, while “Cost per conversion” will represent the average cost per lead.
• Ad placement: The migrated Performance Max campaign will continue to appear in local positions on Google Search and Google Maps. It will not automatically expand to the additional channels available to a standard campaign.
• Targeting: Google Local Services Ads will still use service categories, service areas, and business information rather than advertiser-managed keyword lists. Businesses should review these settings carefully to ensure they reflect the work and locations they want to target.
• Existing verification: Businesses that have completed Google’s screening process will keep their verified status and badge. Google says they will not need to repeat licence or insurance verification solely because of the migration.
• Past customer leads: Contact information, message history, and older call recordings will remain available in Google Ads. Businesses will also be able to reply to messages, provide feedback about leads, and download lead information for their customer relationship management system.

Google confirms these details in its official transition guide.

Businesses Will Need to Adjust to Several Administrative Changes

Although the customer experience will remain familiar, businesses will need to adjust to several administrative changes.

• Campaign management will move into Google Ads:  Budgets, targeting, leads, messages, and other settings will no longer be managed from a separate dashboard. This will place each local Performance Max campaign alongside the business’s Search and other Google Ads campaigns. Before migration, companies should confirm that the correct owner, employee, or agency has account access.
• Weekly budgets will become daily average budgets: Google will divide the current average weekly budget by seven to set a daily amount. Spending can vary from one day to another based on demand, but Google says monthly charges will not exceed the daily average budget multiplied by 30.4. Businesses should compare the new daily amount with their intended monthly spending after migration.
• Manual bidding will no longer be supported: Advertisers will lose the option to set a manual maximum cost per lead. Google is also removing separate target cost-per-acquisition amounts for different service categories within one campaign. A company that needs different bidding targets for divisions such as plumbing and HVAC may need a separate campaign for each category.
• Core business information will come from Google Business Profile:  The business name, address, and standard hours will sync from the connected profile into Google Ads. Any errors in those fields must be corrected on the profile. Major changes to a business name, storefront address, or primary category may trigger a review that typically takes 24 to 48 hours, during which the campaign may be paused. You can still adjust service areas, ad schedules, and advertising photos in Google Ads.
• Better Business Bureau callouts will be removed: Google recommends replacing them with at least six other structured callouts, such as opening hours, specialties, or accepted payment methods. Businesses should review these assets after migration so their ads continue to show useful selling points.

Save Historical Reports Before Migration

Historical reporting is the most time-sensitive part of the transition. Previous campaign reports will not appear in Google Ads after migration. This includes past impressions, clicks, weekly spending, and ad performance.

Google plans to provide a dedicated way to download these reports. Businesses that need the information sooner should export available data or take screenshots before their migration date. These records may be important for year-over-year comparisons, budget planning, and agency reporting.

Customer lead history will transfer, but campaign performance reports will not. Once the old Google Local Services Ads dashboard becomes unavailable, recovering the same historical data may be difficult. Google provides more detail in its Local Services Ads migration FAQ.

How Businesses Should Prepare for the Transition

Google will handle the technical migration, but business owners should complete a few checks before and after the move:

• Confirm that the account administrator’s email address is active and monitored.
• Review user access in Local Services Ads and Google Ads.
• Check the business name, address, hours, phone number, and primary category on Google Business Profile.
• Save historical reports before the migration date.
• Record the current budget, targeting, schedule, bidding settings, and recent lead costs.
• Consider separate campaigns for services that need different budgets or bidding targets.
• Prepare new structured callouts if the campaign currently uses a BBB callout.
• After migration, review the daily budget, service areas, phone routing, lead settings, photos, and campaign status.

Google advises that migration may take up to two weeks to complete and for performance to stabilize. Businesses should avoid making several major adjustments at once unless a wrong setting is wasting money or sending leads to the wrong place. Recording results before the move will provide a useful benchmark for evaluating the new pay-per-lead model inside Google Ads.

How the New Performance Max Campaign Fits Into Your Strategy

Moving Google Local Services Ads into Google Ads will make it easier to view different campaign types in one account, but each campaign will still serve a different purpose.

The specialized Performance Max campaign can reach people actively searching for an eligible local provider. Its pay-per-lead model is designed around direct customer enquiries. Search campaigns can cover more specific services, commercial searches, branded terms, or locations that may not fit the Local Services Ads structure.

A standard Performance Max campaign may reach people across more Google channels, provided the business has suitable creative assets and reliable conversion tracking. The right mix depends on service margins, location, lead quality, available capacity, and budget.

Businesses should evaluate each Performance Max campaign by purpose rather than grouping all Performance Max campaigns together. Having them in the same interface will make comparison easier, but it will not make their settings, placements, or billing methods identical.

Prepare Your Google Ads Account for the Change

The shift is important from a management perspective, but it does not replace the core features of Google Local Services Ads. The pay-per-lead model, Search and Maps placements, keywordless targeting, verification status, and customer lead history will remain.

The immediate priorities are to save historical reports, verify Google Business Profile information, understand the new daily budget, and check the migrated Performance Max campaign carefully. Preparing early will help businesses protect lead flow and spot any problems more quickly.

At Manticore Marketing, we help service businesses manage Google Local Services Ads and other Google Ads campaigns as part of a coordinated lead-generation strategy. Our team can review your current setup, prepare your reports and account structure for migration, and monitor results after the transition.

Contact Manticore Marketing to discuss how the change may affect your advertising campaigns.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Google Local Services Ads Transition

Will my cost per lead go up after Local Services Ads move to Google Ads?

Google has not said that migration will automatically increase cost per lead. The pay-per-lead model will remain, although manual maximum cost-per-lead bidding will end and campaigns may take up to two weeks to stabilize.

Businesses should record their current cost per lead and compare it with results after the move before deciding whether performance has changed. Google recommends monitoring conversions, total cost, and cost per conversion from the new campaign dashboard.

Can I still dispute bad leads after migration?

Google says the new Leads page will show whether a lead was charged and will include a lead feedback form. This means businesses can still flag poor-quality or invalid leads for review.

Google Local Services Ads advertisers should review each lead promptly and provide accurate feedback. However, submitting feedback does not guarantee that Google will issue a credit. Google’s official migration guide has more information.

What happens to my Google Guaranteed badge?

Businesses that have already completed verification will keep their verified status after migration. Google specifically says the Google Verified badge will transfer to Google Ads automatically. Licence and insurance reverification will not be required solely because of the move.

Businesses familiar with the Google Guaranteed name should watch their account notices for the exact badge wording displayed after migration.

Do I need a separate Google Ads account, or does one get created for me?

Google is handling the migration automatically, so businesses do not need to create a separate Performance Max campaign or rebuild their Google Local Services Ads setup. The pay-per-lead model will transfer with the campaign.

On the migration date, the old dashboard will redirect the account administrator to the campaign overview in Google Ads. Businesses should confirm account access before that date so the correct people can manage the migrated campaign.

Will my LSA campaign compete against my own Search campaigns?

The campaigns may reach some of the same potential customers, but they serve different roles and use different billing and targeting systems.

The migrated Performance Max campaign will remain keywordless, appear in local Search and Maps positions, and use the pay-per-lead model. Search campaigns use keywords and usually charge for clicks. Google recommends using campaigns with pay-per-lead goals alongside Search campaigns when both support the advertiser’s goals.

Businesses should monitor total lead volume, lead quality, and combined spending rather than judging either campaign in isolation.

Can I opt out of the migration?

Google describes the transition as automatic and has not provided an opt-out process. After migration, businesses can pause or resume the Performance Max campaign from Google Ads.

A company that does not want the campaign to run should pause it and review the effect on lead volume before making a longer-term decision.

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