{"id":23407173,"date":"2026-10-09T16:13:58","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T16:13:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vendasta.com\/blog\/?p=23407173"},"modified":"2026-10-09T16:19:04","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T16:19:04","slug":"google-local-services-ads-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vendasta.com\/blog\/google-local-services-ads-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Google Local Services Ads: The Complete Guide for Local Businesses"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Google Local Services Ads (LSAs) are pay-per-lead ads that typically appear at the top of Google Search results, above standard Search Ads, and you pay only when a prospect calls, messages, or books through the ad.<\/p>\n<p>Google screens advertisers in eligible categories before issuing its Google Verified badge, which is why the format suits plumbers, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) contractors, roofers, and other local service businesses that win work on trust and response speed. For many of them, LSAs have become the first line of their digital advertising mix, allowing them to <a href=\"\/get-customers\/\">get more customers<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>This guide explains what the ads are and how they look, who qualifies by industry and country, how the badges changed, what leads cost, what drives ranking, how to get bad leads credited, and when to run LSAs instead of or alongside Search Ads.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[et_pb_section global_module=\"112798 \"][\/et_pb_section]<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>TL;DR<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Local Services Ads charge per valid lead:<\/strong> You pay when a prospect contacts you through the ad, and Google caps monthly spend at your average weekly budget \u00d7 30.4 \u00f7 7.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Home-services leads cost about $63 each:<\/strong> SearchLight\u2019s September 2026 benchmark put cost per unique lead at $62.88 across its same-contractor cohort, and Google publishes no official cost-per-lead figure.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Vendasta\u2019s AI Receptionist keeps paid leads answered:<\/strong> It answers calls and messages 24\/7, qualifies the job, and books the appointment, which protects responsiveness, a ranking factor Google names directly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What Are Local Services Ads<\/h2>\n<p>Local Services Ads are a pay-per-lead ad format that Google shows prominently in search results when someone looks for a service you offer in an area you have chosen. <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/localservices\/answer\/6224841?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Google\u2019s getting-started guide<\/a> describes the leads as phone calls and messages sent through the ad, and customers can also schedule a booking directly from it.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Matching and ranking:<\/strong> Instead of bidding on keywords, you choose the job types and service areas you cover, and <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/localservices\/answer\/7419052?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">your ad becomes eligible<\/a> when people search for related services. Google then orders eligible providers in an auction that weighs bid and overall profile quality, and it places pre-badge listings below providers who have completed all onboarding requirements.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Screening and billing:<\/strong> Depending on category and location, Google checks background, license, insurance, and business registration before the badge appears. Google bills you per valid lead rather than per click, so a prospect who taps your ad and leaves without contacting you costs nothing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The ad layout brings those screening checks and contact options into one unit.<\/p>\n<h2>What a Local Services Ad Looks Like on the Page<\/h2>\n<p>Google displays the trust signals a homeowner checks before calling, with the call and message buttons beside them.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Google Verified badge:<\/strong> Google adds the badge once you pass screening, and the profile shows the checks the business completed. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.seroundtable.com\/google-local-service-ads-verified-section-40788.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Search Engine Roundtable reported in January 2026<\/a> that Google was testing lines such as \u201cPassed License Check,\u201d \u201cPassed Background Check,\u201d and \u201cHas Business Insurance\u201d in that section.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Business name and phone number:<\/strong> Google displays a tracking number that forwards calls to your business line.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Star rating and review count:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/localservices\/answer\/7549347?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Reviews come from your Google Business Profile<\/a>, and partner affiliate listings can add reviews supplied by the partner platform.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Business hours and service area:<\/strong> Google lists the hours you are open and the areas you serve.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Call, message, and booking buttons:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/localservices\/answer\/7435507?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Messaging is available in the US and Canada only<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/localservices\/answer\/12059717?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Booking is currently US only<\/a>, some verticals are limited to California and Florida, and it is not available for health care or tax specialists.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Google says the formatting of your ad may change from time to time, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.seroundtable.com\/google-local-service-ads-larger-image-highlight-box-42155.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Search Engine Roundtable spotted a test<\/a> with larger images and a highlight box in September 2026. Treat the list above as the current elements rather than a fixed layout.<\/p>\n<h2>Why Local Services Ads Matter for Local Businesses<\/h2>\n<p>LSAs put a verified business at the top of the page, and the slot is scarce. <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/google-local-services-ads-vs-search-ads-leads-464015\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Search Engine Land\u2019s comparison<\/a> notes that LSAs typically appear at the top of the page but fewer of them show than Search ads, so appearing there means a homeowner sees your rating, badge, and phone number before anything else.<\/p>\n<p>With pay-per-lead pricing, you take less risk. A click that never turns into a contact costs nothing, and Google credits leads it later judges invalid. A prospect can use the badge to assess trust because it shows which checks you passed without requiring a website visit.<\/p>\n<p>When you respond quickly, you improve the chance that the lead you paid for becomes a job. <a href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2011\/03\/the-short-life-of-online-sales-leads\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Harvard Business Review\u2019s 2011 study<\/a> of 1.25 million leads at 42 US companies found firms that contacted a lead within an hour were nearly seven times as likely to qualify it as firms that tried even an hour later, and more than 60 times as likely as firms that waited 24 hours or longer.<\/p>\n<p>For a contractor on a roof at 2 p.m., the homeowner who reaches voicemail on a $60 LSA lead calls the next listing.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/ai-employees\/receptionist\/\">Vendasta\u2019s AI Receptionist<\/a> exists for that gap. Part of Vendasta Conversations AI, it answers calls and digital messages 24\/7, qualifies the job from your business knowledge, and books the appointment. Neighborly\u2019s franchise network found roughly 30% of its leads had previously gone uncontacted.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-23407183 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vendasta.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/10\/Capture-quality-leads.webp\" alt=\"Vendasta Business App interface showing an AI assistant responding to a customer inquiry, sharing a booking link, and recording meeting details in the CRM.\" width=\"848\" height=\"488\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.vendasta.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/10\/Capture-quality-leads.webp 848w, https:\/\/www.vendasta.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/10\/Capture-quality-leads-480x276.webp 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 848px, 100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<p>After deploying Vendasta\u2019s AI Workforce, it logged 35,700 conversations and 3,400 conversions, and leads converted to revenue rose 372% year over year.<\/p>\n<h2>How the Pay-per-Lead Model Works<\/h2>\n<p>Google charges when a prospect makes contact through the ad, not when they click it. You control how many of those contacts you buy through budget and bidding settings.<\/p>\n<h3>What Counts as a Chargeable Lead<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/localservices\/answer\/7195435?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Google\u2019s lead help page<\/a> lists five valid lead types:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>You answer a call or call the customer back and speak with them.<\/li>\n<li>You miss a call during business hours and the caller stays on the line more than 20 seconds.<\/li>\n<li>You receive a text or email.<\/li>\n<li>You receive a voicemail.<\/li>\n<li>You receive a booking request.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Answered calls have no minimum duration. If callers must press a key to reach you, the 20-second timer starts at the key press, and callers who hang up without pressing a key are not charged.<\/p>\n<p>Repeat contact from the same number or email is not charged again as long as there is interaction within 15 days. After 15 days of no activity, a new contact creates a new lead.<\/p>\n<p>The missed-call rule took effect on October 1, 2026. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.seroundtable.com\/google-lsa-missed-subsequent-calls-41940.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Search Engine Roundtable\u2019s report<\/a> explains that missed calls during business hours where the caller stays on the line past 20 seconds became chargeable from that date, as did follow-up calls that meet the valid-lead criteria when the first call was not a charged lead. Message leads are typically priced lower than phone leads.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.seroundtable.com\/google-local-service-ads-message-leads-value-based-pricing-40414.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Search Engine Roundtable reported in November 2025<\/a> that Google now discounts them based on the estimated value of each lead rather than a flat 50%.<\/p>\n<h3>Weekly Budget and Bidding<\/h3>\n<p>Your average weekly budget is a target spend, and <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/localservices\/answer\/7434558?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Google\u2019s budget help page<\/a> gives the monthly cap as average weekly budget \u00d7 30.4 \u00f7 7. Once you hit that cap, the ad stops showing for the rest of the month unless you adjust your budget, and Google states you will never be charged more than your monthly charging limit.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/localservices\/answer\/10125017?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Google\u2019s bidding help page<\/a> offers three modes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Automated bidding:<\/strong> Maximize leads lets Google set the bid and is the recommended default, with a suggested minimum budget of 10 leads per week. Target cost per lead (CPL) adds an optional target to that automation.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Manual bidding:<\/strong> Max per lead is a manual hard cap.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Expect about two weeks for the model to learn your account.<\/p>\n<p>Local Services Ads are moving into Google Ads as Performance Max pay-per-lead campaigns. <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/google-ads\/answer\/17213585?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Google\u2019s migration page<\/a> says the first phase began in August 2026 for select US home and storefront service advertisers, with non-US accounts and all remaining categories following in 2027.<\/p>\n<p>Migrated accounts lose manual bidding, and the historical average weekly budget is divided by 7 into a daily average budget.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/google-ads\/answer\/17326561?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Google\u2019s best-practices page<\/a> says Maximize Conversions is selected by default and advises adding a target cost per acquisition (CPA) only once you consistently get more than 15 leads per month and your cost per lead is higher than you want.<\/p>\n<h3>Ad Scheduling<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/localservices\/answer\/9251526?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Google sets the schedule to All day by default<\/a>, with options for Only during my business hours or Custom hours. Outside the schedule, Google may display a free version of your listing. Unanswered calls are charged only when they fall inside both the active ad schedule and your business hours, so matching the two prevents paying for calls you were never staffed to take.<\/p>\n<h2>Local Services Ads vs Google Search Ads<\/h2>\n<p>The two formats differ on targeting, pricing, and placement, and <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/google-local-services-ads-vs-search-ads-leads-464015\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Search Engine Land notes<\/a> that most advertisers use both and shift budget based on which delivers better long-term results. The table below sets them side by side:<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Dimension<\/th>\n<th>Local Services Ads<\/th>\n<th>Google Search Ads<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Targeting<\/td>\n<td>Job types and service areas; Google matches related searches, no keywords<\/td>\n<td>Keywords, location and audience targeting, bid adjustments, negative keywords, A\/B tests<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Pricing model<\/td>\n<td>Per valid lead (call, message, booking)<\/td>\n<td>Per click<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Bidding and budget<\/td>\n<td>Maximize leads, target cost per lead (CPL), Max per lead; weekly budget with a monthly cap<\/td>\n<td>Target cost per acquisition (CPA), Maximize conversions, manual cost per click (CPC)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Placement<\/td>\n<td>Top of the results page; fewer slots per page<\/td>\n<td>Standard Search ad positions<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Home-services cost per lead<\/td>\n<td>$62.88 per unique lead (SearchLight, September 2026)<\/td>\n<td>$90.92 for Home &amp; Home Improvement (WordStream, April 2025\u2013March 2026 data)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>LSAs are the cheaper test for a new advertiser. <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/google-local-services-ads-vs-search-ads-leads-464015\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Search Engine Land\u2019s comparison<\/a> advises that small businesses can prepay a few hundred dollars to test LSAs, while testing Search Ads with that little is not recommended.<\/p>\n<p>Search Ads give you keyword control that LSAs do not, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wordstream.com\/blog\/2026-google-ads-benchmarks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">WordStream\u2019s 2026 Google Ads benchmarks<\/a> show what that control costs per lead in home services.<\/p>\n<p>Running both means managing keywords, ad copy, and bids on top of the LSA profile. Vendasta Ads, available through agencies that partner with Vendasta, takes that work off your plate: Vendasta\u2019s certified specialists build, launch, and manage Google Search campaigns, and <a href=\"\/advertising\/advertising-intelligence\/\">Advertising Intelligence<\/a> consolidates ad performance across Google, Meta, Microsoft, and other networks in one dashboard.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-23407184 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vendasta.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/10\/AdIntell-Slider.webp\" alt=\"Vendasta Advertising Intelligence dashboard displaying campaign performance metrics, including impressions, clicks, click-through rates, conversions, client spending, and ROI across desktop and mobile devices.\" width=\"800\" height=\"548\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.vendasta.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/10\/AdIntell-Slider.webp 800w, https:\/\/www.vendasta.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/10\/AdIntell-Slider-480x329.webp 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 800px, 100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Splitting a fixed monthly budget is practitioner guidance, not Google policy. <a href=\"https:\/\/adleverage.com\/blog\/google-ads-vs-lsas-vs-performance-max-how-to-allocate-budget-without-guessing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ad Leverage\u2019s 2025 allocation guide<\/a> suggests 80% Search and 20% LSA when starting, then 55\u201365% Search, 20\u201325% LSA, and 15\u201320% Performance Max once established, and revisiting the split monthly based on cost per booked job rather than cost per lead.<\/p>\n<p>Law-firm data shows why booked work is the right measure. An <a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/building-law-firm-ppc-strategy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">agency analysis published by Attorney at Work<\/a> covering plaintiff-side firms it managed in 2025 found LSAs took 40% of budget and 24% of leads but produced 50.3% of signed cases, at $2,485 per signed case versus $2,971 for Google Ads. These are agency figures from a few accounts, so test the split against your own close rate.<\/p>\n<h2>Google Guaranteed vs Google Screened vs License Verified<\/h2>\n<p>A single Google Verified badge replaced all three legacy badges in October 2025. <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.google\/products\/ads-commerce\/google-verified-august-2025\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Google announced in August 2025<\/a> that, starting in October, it would unify all LSA badges, retiring Google Guaranteed, Google Screened, License Verified by Google, and the Money Back Guarantee. <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/localservices\/answer\/16498018?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Google\u2019s help documentation<\/a> adds that existing advertisers who had completed verification earned the new badge automatically and that rankings were not affected by the change.<\/p>\n<p>Under the old system, the badge signaled the vertical. Home-services providers such as plumbers and electricians earned Google Guaranteed, which also carried a money-back promise to the customer. Providers outside home services earned Google Screened or License Verified by Google, which carried no money-back guarantee.<\/p>\n<p>Google Verified now covers every eligible vertical, and the profile shows the specific checks completed. A homeowner comparing a plumber and a lawyer therefore sees the same badge with different check details behind it. The badge is currently unavailable for the auto, beauty, and dining categories, and pre-badge ads are not available for garage door services, health care, or locksmiths.<\/p>\n<p>The money-back guarantee is gone. <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/localservices\/answer\/7549288?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Google\u2019s guarantee page<\/a> states customers could request reimbursement only for services booked before December 7, 2025, within 30 days of the initial service completion date. <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/google-ads\/answer\/7549288?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The last published lifetime caps<\/a> were $2,000 USD in the US, $2,000 CAD in Canada, and \u00a31,500 in the UK, at Google\u2019s sole discretion and limited to the amount paid for the initial service. Those caps are historical and no longer apply to new jobs.<\/p>\n<h2>Who Is Eligible: Industries and Categories<\/h2>\n<p>Eligibility depends on your category and your country, and both lists change.<\/p>\n<h3>Categories in the United States<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/localservices\/answer\/12174778?hl=en&amp;co=GENIE.CountryCode%3DUS\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Google\u2019s requirements page<\/a> groups US verticals into Home Services, Professional Services, Health Care, Learning, People Care, Pet Care, Wellness, Auto Care, Beauty, Food &amp; Beverage, and Miscellaneous. The main groups for a local service business:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Home services:<\/strong> Appliance repair, electrician, HVAC, plumber, roofing, locksmith, garage door, pest control, moving, house cleaning, general contractor, handyman, solar contractor, tree service, and water damage.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Business, legal, and financial:<\/strong> Bankruptcy, business, criminal, DUI, estate, family, immigration, personal injury, real estate, and traffic lawyers, plus financial planning, real estate services, and tax services.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Health care:<\/strong> Chiropractor, dentist, dermatologist, optometrist, orthodontist, physical therapist, podiatrist, and primary care physician, among others.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Learning:<\/strong> Tutor, preschool, and dance, driving, and language instructors.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Care:<\/strong> Child care, funeral home, veterinarian, pet grooming, massage therapist, personal trainer, and yoga studio.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Auto, beauty, and food-and-beverage categories exist, but the badge is unavailable for them, and food and beverage is a pilot in Atlanta, Boston, Indianapolis, Miami, and San Jose.<\/p>\n<p>Several categories, including architect, drain expert, home insulation, interior designer, tire shop, and insurance agency, run in California and Florida only, so check the requirements page for your trade.<\/p>\n<p>In late summer 2026, <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/google-expands-local-services-ads-categories-ahead-of-migration-485695\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Search Engine Land reported<\/a> that Google added more granular categories such as Brake Shop and Oil Change Service.<\/p>\n<h3>Availability by Country<\/h3>\n<p>Google lists Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States in its country selector.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Canada:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/localservices\/answer\/12174778?hl=en&amp;co=GENIE.CountryCode%3DCA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Home services only<\/a>, including HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, lawn care, junk removal, and window cleaning. You need a public, verified Google Business Profile plus business and owner licenses at the provincial or national level where local law requires them.<\/li>\n<li><strong>United Kingdom:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/localservices\/answer\/12174778?hl=en&amp;co=GENIE.CountryCode%3DGB\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Home services<\/a>, plus a professional-services pilot for lawyers and real estate agents in Greater London only. Home services need public liability insurance, the pilot needs professional indemnity insurance, and screening takes three to four weeks.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Continental Europe:<\/strong> Home services only, with no legal or professional categories.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Messaging is limited to the US and Canada, booking is currently US only, and lead credits are unavailable to advertisers in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). Non-US accounts migrate into Google Ads in 2027.<\/p>\n<h2>The Screening and Verification Process<\/h2>\n<p>Google verifies a business before it earns the badge, and the checks depend on category and location. <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/localservices\/answer\/6226575?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Google\u2019s screening page<\/a> covers four areas.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Background checks:<\/strong> Required for select categories in the US and Canada, covering the business owner and field workers who visit customers. Office staff are exempt. Checks cover identity and criminal history, including national sex offender, terrorist, and sanctions registries, and civil litigation history for the company. There is no credit check and no charge to you.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Licenses:<\/strong> Google verifies state, provincial, or national licenses where it can. You confirm county and city licenses and that every service professional is licensed. Multi-location businesses submit documents for each location, and <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/localservices\/answer\/6245891?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Google\u2019s policies<\/a> bar using the license of a person who does not work for the business.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Insurance:<\/strong> Required for select categories and locations. Google publishes no single minimum; the amount depends on category and location and appears in your dashboard. Documents must stay valid at least 14 days after submission, show a policy number, match your business name, and be non-editable. A signed Certificate of Insurance is the best document to provide.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Registration:<\/strong> Select US verticals use a Data Universal Numbering System (D-U-N-S) number, with Secretary of State registration, an Employer Identification Number (EIN), or Department of Revenue registration as alternatives. UK businesses supply a value-added tax (VAT) ID or Companies House number.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Trade-specific checks:<\/strong> US HVAC contractors, garage door companies, and locksmiths need business, owner, and service-professional checks. Electricians and plumbers need service-professional checks, with business and owner checks required for select advertisers. Garage door companies and locksmiths also need Advanced Verification.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Identity check and retries:<\/strong> Google\u2019s screening page names Evident as the provider for the identity check on the business representative. After a failed check, you must wait 30 days before reapplying and 180 days after a second denial.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Timing and images:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/localservices\/answer\/12174778?hl=en&amp;co=GENIE.CountryCode%3DUS\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Google\u2019s requirements page<\/a> says the process averages three to four weeks after you submit documents. Accelerated verification lets ads serve while you complete remaining steps within 14 days. Starting August 2, 2026, <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/localservices\/answer\/6245891?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Google\u2019s Local Services Ads policies<\/a> ban AI-edited or AI-generated images in the European Union and New York state, so plan on real job-site photos.<\/p>\n<h2>How to Set Up Your Account and Link Google Business Profile<\/h2>\n<p>Onboarding runs through your Google Business Profile, and most of the work is supplying what Google already asks for. The steps below cover account setup before the Business Profile data-sync rules.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Start from your Business Profile. Search your business on Google, open View profile, then select the Advertise icon.<\/li>\n<li>Confirm your services along with business hours and service area. For accounts created from a Business Profile, the business name and its address or location type can only be edited in the profile.<\/li>\n<li>Set service areas under Profile &amp; Budget by including or excluding cities or ZIP codes.<\/li>\n<li>Toggle every job type you perform. Adding a new industry may route you to upload verification documents.<\/li>\n<li>Choose a bidding mode and set the weekly budget.<\/li>\n<li>Complete billing, which is required before pre-badge ads can run.<\/li>\n<li>Submit the background, registration, insurance, and license items shown on your dashboard.<\/li>\n<li>Go live once Google issues the badge, or earlier with pre-badge ads if your category allows them.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3>How Business Profile Data Syncs<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/localservices\/answer\/15683105?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Google\u2019s Business Profile linking page<\/a> requires a public, verified Business Profile, and matching it is only one of the checks. <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/?p=447436\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Search Engine Land reports<\/a> that a name or address mismatch, or an unverified or suspended profile, pauses your ads.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Reviews:<\/strong> Reviews display from your Business Profile and are managed there, not in the LSA account.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Name, address, and location type:<\/strong> Changes made in the Business Profile flow to LSA automatically; changes made in LSA do not flow back.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Hours:<\/strong> In the classic LSA dashboard, hours and ad schedule are set inside LSA. After the Google Ads migration, standard hours sync from the Business Profile, and a major name or address change triggers a verification review that typically takes 24 to 48 hours.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Service areas:<\/strong> Set inside LSA, with no automatic sync from the profile.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Booking links:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/google-local-service-ads-now-uses-your-booking-links-from-business-profiles-452698\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Since February 2025<\/a>, booking links from your Business Profile show on the ad automatically, and you must turn them off in settings if you do not want them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Sync can take 24 to 72 hours. If linking fails, unlink and relink the profile.<\/p>\n<h2>What Determines Your Ranking in Local Services Ads<\/h2>\n<p>Google ranks LSAs in an auction on bid and profile quality, and it names the inputs. The subsections cover Google\u2019s stated factors, review evidence, and the effect of responsiveness on lead handling.<\/p>\n<h3>Google\u2019s Stated Factors<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/localservices\/answer\/7527305?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Google\u2019s ad rankings page<\/a> lists bid, how likely your ad is to result in a lead, responsiveness, what the customer is searching for, how relevant your business is to that search, whether message and booking leads are enabled, and profile quality, which includes rating, review count, average response time, use of high-quality images, and completed verification checks.<\/p>\n<p>Providers with equivalent quality and budget who use Maximize Leads typically get more leads, and higher-quality profiles may rank higher and pay less per lead. With multiple locations, only the highest-ranking ad shows.<\/p>\n<p>Proximity is no longer on the list. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.seroundtable.com\/google-local-service-ads-proximity-37366.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Search Engine Roundtable reported in May 2024<\/a> that Google removed it from the help document. Google\u2019s Ads Liaison, Ginny Marvin, said proximity \u201cis often not a key indicator of relevancy\u201d and called the removal a Help Center update only, not a sudden change to ranking considerations, so the relevance of your service areas still matters. <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/localservices\/answer\/12491365?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Business hours also matter<\/a>: outside your listed hours, the ad does not show with a badge.<\/p>\n<h3>Reviews and Review Velocity<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/localservices\/answer\/12492201?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Google recommends five or more reviews<\/a>, notes that some business types need five reviews to show, and lists rating and review count as ranking inputs. Multiple verified consumer complaints can also count as a policy violation, and a suspended account\u2019s ads stop running. No controlled test isolates review velocity in LSAs.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/contractormarketingpros.net\/blog\/lsa-lead-volume-google-reviews\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Contractor Marketing Pros\u2019 analysis<\/a> of 97 client accounts in 2025 found businesses with under 100 reviews averaged 4.9 LSA leads per month, 100\u2013299 averaged 11.6, and 300 or more averaged 56.2. That is a correlation across accounts, and the top tier includes only 10 accounts, but the direction is consistent with Google\u2019s own factor list.<\/p>\n<h3>Responsiveness and 24\/7 Answering<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/localservices\/answer\/6224859?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Google calculates message response time<\/a> as a weighted average over the last 90 days that gives more weight to recent leads, and if you set no hours, it counts leads received between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>Google also warns that if you regularly fail to answer calls or respond to messages, your ad ranking may be affected. The Harvard Business Review research above shows the same pattern on the customer side: the longer a callback waits, the lower the odds of qualifying the lead.<\/p>\n<p>Vendasta\u2019s AI Receptionist handles that delay by answering calls and digital messages around the clock. It qualifies the job, books into your calendar, and logs every action in Business App. Vendasta integrates with Jobber, Housecall Pro, ServiceTitan, and QuickBooks Online, and most AI Employees deploy in under 30 minutes.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/ai-employee-success-stories\/ai-receptionist-home-services-missed-calls-recovery\/\">A home services company working with Blackfeather Digital<\/a> was missing roughly 30% of inbound leads. Calls now ring the team first and roll to the AI Receptionist after three rings. The company now reports zero missed calls, and the AI Receptionist books more appointments than any person on the team.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-23407185 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vendasta.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/10\/marketing-agency-growth-strategy-brett-prieskorn-quote-2-vendasta.webp\" alt=\"Customer testimonial featuring a digital agency CEO praising Vendasta\u2019s AI Receptionist for answering calls, booking appointments, and automating follow-ups.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.vendasta.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/10\/marketing-agency-growth-strategy-brett-prieskorn-quote-2-vendasta.webp 1200w, https:\/\/www.vendasta.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/10\/marketing-agency-growth-strategy-brett-prieskorn-quote-2-vendasta-980x327.webp 980w, https:\/\/www.vendasta.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/10\/marketing-agency-growth-strategy-brett-prieskorn-quote-2-vendasta-480x160.webp 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1200px, 100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>What Local Services Ads Actually Cost<\/h2>\n<p>Google publishes no cost-per-lead benchmarks, so every figure below comes from agency or tracker data with different samples, windows, and lead definitions. Treat each as a separate reference point rather than a market rate:<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Trade<\/th>\n<th>Cost per lead<\/th>\n<th>Source and date<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Plumbing<\/td>\n<td>$67.05<\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/thedatadriventrades.substack.com\/p\/google-lsa-benchmarks-september-2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">SearchLight\u2019s benchmark<\/a>, September 2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Plumbing<\/td>\n<td>$66.17 (down 5.6% from 2025)<\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/99calls.com\/blog\/lsa-cost-per-lead-by-industry\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">99 Calls\u2019 report<\/a>, April\u2013June 2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Plumbing<\/td>\n<td>$36\u2013$78 (25th\u201375th percentile)<\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/bluegridmedia.com\/lsa-cpl-tracker\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Blue Grid Media\u2019s tracker<\/a>, 2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>HVAC<\/td>\n<td>$60.66<\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/thedatadriventrades.substack.com\/p\/google-lsa-benchmarks-september-2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">SearchLight\u2019s benchmark<\/a>, September 2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>HVAC<\/td>\n<td>$42\u2013$75 (25th\u201375th percentile)<\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/bluegridmedia.com\/lsa-cpl-tracker\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Blue Grid Media\u2019s tracker<\/a>, 2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Electrical<\/td>\n<td>$43.15 (up 51.0% from 2025)<\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/99calls.com\/blog\/lsa-cost-per-lead-by-industry\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">99 Calls\u2019 report<\/a>, April\u2013June 2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Electrical<\/td>\n<td>$20\u2013$65 (10th\u201390th percentile), median $35<\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/bluegridmedia.com\/lsa-cpl-by-industry-2026-dataset\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Blue Grid Media\u2019s dataset<\/a>, April 2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Roofing<\/td>\n<td>$79 average, $72 median<\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/searchlightdigital.io\/roofing-google-lsa-cost-per-lead\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">SearchLight\u2019s roofing data<\/a>, Q1 2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Roofing<\/td>\n<td>$106.87 (up 45.2% from 2025)<\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/99calls.com\/blog\/lsa-cost-per-lead-by-industry\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">99 Calls\u2019 report<\/a>, April\u2013June 2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Legal<\/td>\n<td>Personal injury $315; criminal defense $186; bankruptcy $159; immigration $72<\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/pareto.legal\/state-of-law-firm-local-service-ads\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pareto Legal\u2019s 2026 report<\/a>, 2025 data<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Advertisers often pay substantially different prices by market size:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/searchlightdigital.io\/google-local-service-ads-cost-per-lead\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">SearchLight\u2019s February 2026 data<\/a>, published in March 2026, put the average home-services cost per lead at $53 and noted the figure can mask $30 leads in smaller markets and $90-plus leads in competitive metros.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/bluegridmedia.com\/plumbing-lsa-cost-per-lead\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Blue Grid Media\u2019s plumbing analysis<\/a> tiers plumbing at $25\u2013$45 rural, $40\u2013$70 suburban, $65\u2013$110 major metro, and $80\u2013$120 in the most competitive metros.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/bluegridmedia.com\/hvac-lsa-cost-per-lead\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Blue Grid Media\u2019s HVAC data<\/a> runs from $20\u2013$40 in rural markets to $65\u2013$120 in major metros.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Google\u2019s own guidance explains part of the spread: higher-quality profiles may rank higher and pay less per lead, and message leads are typically cheaper than calls.<\/p>\n<p>Track cost per booked job. As a hypothetical, a $67 plumbing lead that books 70% of the time costs about $96 per booked job; if only 35% of those leads book, the cost rises to about $191.<\/p>\n<h2>Managing Leads and Disputing Invalid Charges<\/h2>\n<p>Google now credits invalid leads automatically, and your job is to review the Leads page and rate the ones it misses. <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/localservices\/answer\/15100654?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Google\u2019s lead credits page<\/a> describes the workflow:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Sign in to your Local Services Ads account and open Leads.<\/li>\n<li>Check each lead\u2019s status: Not charged, Charged, In review, or Credited.<\/li>\n<li>Select Rate this lead at the top right of any lead and submit the Lead Feedback Survey.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Google assesses each lead when the customer first makes contact, does not charge those it judges invalid from the start, and reassesses charged leads over time. Google notes that some poor-quality leads may be processed through auto credits within the first 24 hours. Manual disputes are no longer the standard route, and after advertisers complained, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.seroundtable.com\/advanced-video-schema-key-moments-38884.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Google\u2019s Ads Liaison said<\/a> the automated system credits more leads overall than manual disputes did.<\/p>\n<p>Feedback is not a guaranteed credit, but a credited lead can come either from auto-crediting or as a bonus credit for leaving feedback. Google no longer credits \u201cjob type not serviced\u201d or \u201cgeo not serviced\u201d leads, so your job types and service areas need to be accurate.<\/p>\n<p>In most cases, credits post to your account balance within 30 days, and the original lead charge still appears on the invoice with the credit applied against the balance. Credits are not available for health care, tax specialists, or advertisers in EMEA.<\/p>\n<h2>Common Mistakes With Local Services Ads<\/h2>\n<p>The expensive errors are operational, and Google documents the mechanism behind each one.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Slow or missed responses:<\/strong> Google warns that regularly failing to answer calls or respond to messages can affect your ad ranking, and since October 1, 2026, it bills missed calls during business hours where the caller stays on the line more than 20 seconds. A missed call can cost you the lead charge and may also lower your placement. Missed-call text-back in Vendasta Conversations AI Pro, available in the US and Canada, automatically texts the caller when a call goes unanswered, so a missed LSA lead you may now be charged for still gets a response.<\/li>\n<li><strong>A thin review profile:<\/strong> Google recommends five or more reviews and ranks on rating and count. Contractor Marketing Pros found that accounts with fewer than 100 reviews received far fewer LSA leads than accounts with 300 or more.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Wrong or narrow categories:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/localservices\/answer\/12492201?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Google recommends<\/a> selecting all job types you perform and setting service areas broadly, such as a whole county rather than specific postal codes. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.seroundtable.com\/google-broad-search-local-services-ads-41551.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Disabling broad search<\/a> stops your ad from showing for general category queries like \u201cplumber near me\u201d and may reduce leads, and Google no longer credits leads for job types or areas you left misconfigured.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ignoring lead feedback:<\/strong> Google assesses every lead automatically, but skipping Rate this lead means it never gets your input on the spam call or solicitation its model missed, and you forfeit the bonus credit Google can apply for feedback.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You often make these mistakes because you have little time between jobs. Vendasta\u2019s AI Employees take over the recurring pieces: the AI Receptionist answers and books, and the AI Reputation Specialist, part of Vendasta Reputation AI, responds to Google and Facebook reviews under your rules and sends review requests by email and SMS.<\/p>\n<p>Reputation AI integrates with Jobber and QuickBooks Online, so review requests go out when a job is completed, which steadily builds the review count Google ranks on. Every action is logged, so you can see what was answered and what was asked.<\/p>\n<h2>Getting Started With Local Services Ads<\/h2>\n<p>The first week is paperwork and configuration, and getting it right avoids a stalled review. In order:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Confirm eligibility on Google\u2019s requirements page for your country and category, and check whether your trade is limited to certain states.<\/li>\n<li>Gather documents: license numbers for the business and each field worker, a signed Certificate of Insurance that matches your business name, business registration, and owner identification for the background check.<\/li>\n<li>Verify your Google Business Profile and fix any name or address mismatch before you start, since a mismatch pauses ads.<\/li>\n<li>Set a weekly budget at 10 leads multiplied by the benchmark cost per lead for your trade and market, then let Maximize Leads run for two weeks before judging it.<\/li>\n<li>Turn on every job type you perform, keep broad search enabled, and enable message and booking leads for nights and weekends.<\/li>\n<li>Decide who answers before the first lead arrives.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Step six is where paid leads leak. Vendasta\u2019s AI Receptionist answers every LSA call and message, qualifies the job, and books the appointment, and the AI Reputation Specialist in Vendasta Reputation AI sends review requests. For more on response speed, see Vendasta\u2019s guide to <a href=\"\/blog\/ai-lead-generation-for-local-businesses\/\">AI lead generation for local businesses<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Making Local Services Ads Work for Your Business<\/h2>\n<p>Local Services Ads give a verified local service business the top of the page and charge when a prospect contacts the business through the ad. Results depend on two controls after setup: how quickly you answer and how many reviews you collect.<\/p>\n<p>Google names responsiveness and review count as ranking inputs, charges for some missed calls during business hours, and says higher-quality profiles may rank higher and pay less per lead.<\/p>\n<p>SearchLight benchmarks home-services leads at $62.88, and 99 Calls reports rising costs in roofing and electrical. An unanswered chargeable call can therefore waste a lead opportunity while still costing you. Submit clean documents and budget for 10 leads a week.<\/p>\n<p>Then make sure every lead reaches a person or Vendasta\u2019s AI Receptionist within minutes. It answers calls and messages, qualifies the job, and books the appointment while you are working. To see how Vendasta\u2019s AI Receptionist answers and books your LSA leads while you are on the job, <a href=\"\/watch-demo\/\">watch a Vendasta demo<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Google Local Services Ads FAQs<\/h2>\n<h3>1. Are Local Services Ads better than Google Ads?<\/h3>\n<p>Neither wins outright. Local Services Ads charge per valid lead, appear at the top of the page, and need no keywords, while Search Ads offer keyword control and more placements. Search Engine Land reports most advertisers use both and shift budget over time, and an agency analysis of plaintiff-side law firms published by Attorney at Work found LSAs produced cheaper signed cases.<\/p>\n<h3>2. How much does a Local Services Ads lead cost?<\/h3>\n<p>Google publishes no benchmark. SearchLight\u2019s September 2026 benchmark put home-services cost per unique lead at $62.88, with plumbing at $67.05 and HVAC at $60.66. Blue Grid Media\u2019s plumbing analysis shows plumbing ranging from $25\u2013$45 in rural markets to $80\u2013$120 in the most competitive metros. Legal leads run higher, with personal injury near $315 in Pareto Legal\u2019s 2025 data.<\/p>\n<h3>3. What industries are eligible for Local Services Ads?<\/h3>\n<p>In the US, Google lists home services, professional services including lawyers and financial planners, health care, learning, people care, pet care, wellness, and auto, beauty, and food categories without a badge. Canada and continental Europe offer home services only, and the UK adds a professional-services pilot limited to Greater London for lawyers and real estate agents.<\/p>\n<h3>4. What is the difference between Google Guaranteed and Google Screened?<\/h3>\n<p>Both are retired. Google Guaranteed was the home-services badge with a money-back promise, and Google Screened covered professional services such as law firms with background and license checks but no guarantee. Since October 2025, a single Google Verified badge replaces them, and the profile shows which checks the business passed.<\/p>\n<h3>5. Does Google do a background check for Local Services Ads?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes, for select categories in the US and Canada. Checks cover the business owner and field workers who visit customers, and include identity, criminal history, registry searches, and civil litigation history for the company. Office staff are exempt; there is no credit check, and Google does not charge you for it.<\/p>\n<h3>6. How do I set up a Local Services Ads account?<\/h3>\n<p>Start from a verified Google Business Profile by selecting the Advertise icon, confirm hours, service areas, and job types, choose a bidding mode and weekly budget, complete billing, and submit the background, license, insurance, and registration items on your dashboard. Google says screening averages three to four weeks after you submit documents.<\/p>\n<h3>7. What affects your ranking in Local Services Ads?<\/h3>\n<p>Google ranks on bid and profile quality, listing how likely your ad is to produce a lead, responsiveness, search context, relevance, enabled message and booking leads, star rating, review count, average response time, images, and completed verification checks. Google removed proximity from its documented factors, though its Ads Liaison called that a Help Center update rather than a ranking change. Regularly missing calls or messages can affect your ranking.<\/p>\n<h3>8. How do I dispute a bad lead on Local Services Ads?<\/h3>\n<p>Open the Leads page, find the lead, select Rate this lead, and submit the Lead Feedback Survey. Google assesses leads automatically and credits invalid ones, usually within 30 days, so the survey supplements that review and can earn a bonus credit. Google no longer credits leads for job types or areas you do not serve.<\/p>\n<h3>9. Does Google refund invalid Local Services Ads leads?<\/h3>\n<p>Google credits rather than refunds. Leads judged invalid at first contact are not charged, and charged leads can be credited automatically, in most cases within 30 days. The original charge stays on the invoice with the credit applied to your balance. Credits are unavailable for health care, tax specialists, and advertisers in EMEA.<\/p>\n<h3>10. Are Local Services Ads available outside the US?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes. Google\u2019s country selector lists Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Outside the US and Canada, messaging is unavailable, booking is currently US-only, and lead credits are unavailable in EMEA. Non-US accounts move into Google Ads during 2027 as part of the Performance Max migration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn how Google Local Services Ads work, eligibility requirements, screening badges, cost-per-lead benchmarks, ranking factors, and lead dispute processes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":183,"featured_media":23407181,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_clps_guid":"","_clps_audio_url":"","_clps_episode_url":"","_clps_duration":"","_clps_episode_number":0,"_clps_season":0,"_clps_summary":"","_clps_transcript_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1859,3043],"tags":[],"silo":[3036],"class_list":["post-23407173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-digital-advertising","category-local-business-insights"],"acf":{"faq_schema":"{\r\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\r\n  \"@type\": \"FAQPage\",\r\n  \"mainEntity\": [\r\n    {\r\n      \"@type\": \"Question\",\r\n      \"name\": \"Are Local Services Ads better than Google Ads?\",\r\n      \"acceptedAnswer\": {\r\n        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\r\n        \"text\": \"Neither wins outright. Local Services Ads charge per valid lead, appear at the top of the page, and need no keywords, while Search Ads offer keyword control and more placements. Search Engine Land reports most advertisers use both and shift budget over time, and an agency analysis of plaintiff-side law firms published by Attorney at Work found LSAs produced cheaper signed cases.\"\r\n      }\r\n    },\r\n    {\r\n      \"@type\": \"Question\",\r\n      \"name\": \"How much does a Local Services Ads lead cost?\",\r\n      \"acceptedAnswer\": {\r\n        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\r\n        \"text\": \"Google publishes no benchmark. SearchLight\u2019s September 2026 benchmark put home-services cost per unique lead at $62.88, with plumbing at $67.05 and HVAC at $60.66. Blue Grid Media\u2019s plumbing analysis shows plumbing ranging from $25\u2013$45 in rural markets to $80\u2013$120 in the most competitive metros. Legal leads run higher, with personal injury near $315 in Pareto Legal\u2019s 2025 data.\"\r\n      }\r\n    },\r\n    {\r\n      \"@type\": \"Question\",\r\n      \"name\": \"What industries are eligible for Local Services Ads?\",\r\n      \"acceptedAnswer\": {\r\n        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\r\n        \"text\": \"In the US, Google lists home services, professional services including lawyers and financial planners, health care, learning, people care, pet care, wellness, and auto, beauty, and food categories without a badge. Canada and continental Europe offer home services only, and the UK adds a professional-services pilot limited to Greater London for lawyers and real estate agents.\"\r\n      }\r\n    },\r\n    {\r\n      \"@type\": \"Question\",\r\n      \"name\": \"What is the difference between Google Guaranteed and Google Screened?\",\r\n      \"acceptedAnswer\": {\r\n        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\r\n        \"text\": \"Both are retired. Google Guaranteed was the home-services badge with a money-back promise, and Google Screened covered professional services such as law firms with background and license checks but no guarantee. Since October 2025, a single Google Verified badge replaces them, and the profile shows which checks the business passed.\"\r\n      }\r\n    },\r\n    {\r\n      \"@type\": \"Question\",\r\n      \"name\": \"Does Google do a background check for Local Services Ads?\",\r\n      \"acceptedAnswer\": {\r\n        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\r\n        \"text\": \"Yes, for select categories in the US and Canada. Checks cover the business owner and field workers who visit customers, and include identity, criminal history, registry searches, and civil litigation history for the company. Office staff are exempt; there is no credit check, and Google does not charge you for it.\"\r\n      }\r\n    },\r\n    {\r\n      \"@type\": \"Question\",\r\n      \"name\": \"How do I set up a Local Services Ads account?\",\r\n      \"acceptedAnswer\": {\r\n        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\r\n        \"text\": \"Start from a verified Google Business Profile by selecting the Advertise icon, confirm hours, service areas, and job types, choose a bidding mode and weekly budget, complete billing, and submit the background, license, insurance, and registration items on your dashboard. Google says screening averages three to four weeks after you submit documents.\"\r\n      }\r\n    },\r\n    {\r\n      \"@type\": \"Question\",\r\n      \"name\": \"What affects your ranking in Local Services Ads?\",\r\n      \"acceptedAnswer\": {\r\n        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\r\n        \"text\": \"Google ranks on bid and profile quality, listing how likely your ad is to produce a lead, responsiveness, search context, relevance, enabled message and booking leads, star rating, review count, average response time, images, and completed verification checks. Google removed proximity from its documented factors, though its Ads Liaison called that a Help Center update rather than a ranking change. Regularly missing calls or messages can affect your ranking.\"\r\n      }\r\n    },\r\n    {\r\n      \"@type\": \"Question\",\r\n      \"name\": \"How do I dispute a bad lead on Local Services Ads?\",\r\n      \"acceptedAnswer\": {\r\n        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\r\n        \"text\": \"Open the Leads page, find the lead, select Rate this lead, and submit the Lead Feedback Survey. Google assesses leads automatically and credits invalid ones, usually within 30 days, so the survey supplements that review and can earn a bonus credit. Google no longer credits leads for job types or areas you do not serve.\"\r\n      }\r\n    },\r\n    {\r\n      \"@type\": \"Question\",\r\n      \"name\": \"Does Google refund invalid Local Services Ads leads?\",\r\n      \"acceptedAnswer\": {\r\n        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\r\n        \"text\": \"Google credits rather than refunds. Leads judged invalid at first contact are not charged, and charged leads can be credited automatically, in most cases within 30 days. The original charge stays on the invoice with the credit applied to your balance. Credits are unavailable for health care, tax specialists, and advertisers in EMEA.\"\r\n      }\r\n    },\r\n    {\r\n      \"@type\": \"Question\",\r\n      \"name\": \"Are Local Services Ads available outside the US?\",\r\n      \"acceptedAnswer\": {\r\n        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\r\n        \"text\": \"Yes. Google\u2019s country selector lists Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Outside the US and Canada, messaging is unavailable, booking is currently US-only, and lead credits are unavailable in EMEA. 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