Is Google Local Services Ads Going Away?

What is actually changing with Google Local Services Ads?

Think of it as moving house. The business stays the same. The address changes. Google is putting all of its advertising into one place, called Google Ads, and your LSA campaign becomes a Performance Max campaign with pay-per-lead goals.

If you already run Search ads, this is mostly good news. You get one login, one bill and one place to see where your leads came from. If LSA is the only advertising you have ever run, it is a whole new screen to learn.

Here is the before and after, straight from what Google has published.

Will I lose my old LSA data?

Your leads will not be lost. Your past reports will. Google says past impressions, clicks, weekly spend and ad-level reports do not move into Google Ads. This is the one change you cannot undo, so do this part first.

Here is what comes with you and what stays behind.

• Comes with you: past customer leads with contact details and message history, and call recordings.
• Comes with you: your campaign setup, including locations, service types, categories, budget, ad schedule and photos.
• Stays behind: past impressions, clicks, weekly spend and ad-level performance reports.

Why does that matter? Without last year’s cost per lead, you cannot tell if the new campaign is better or worse. Picture an AC company in Round Rock judging its first August on the new system. It has nothing to compare to except memory.

Google’s own advice is to download your reports from the redirection page, or take screenshots, before your account moves.

Is Google Verified going away?

No. If you already passed Google’s screening, your status and your Google Verified badge move to Google Ads on their own.

The badge is fairly new. Google Verified took the place of the old Google Guaranteed and Google Screened badges. For the move, Google says it no longer asks you to check your insurance and license again. If more checks are ever needed, you will see a notice inside your Google Ads account.

So the badge is not the risk. What can trip you up is changing core business details, which we cover in the Business Profile section.

When will my LSA move to Google Ads?

It happens in three waves. Plumbing, HVAC, electrical, roofing and other home and storefront businesses went first, starting in August 2026. Service-area businesses without a storefront follow in late 2026. Everyone else, including accounts outside the U.S., moves in 2027.

You should not be surprised by your date, but only if the right person gets the emails. Google emails your account administrator 14 days before the move and again 7 days before. If an old office manager or a past agency set up your LSA, those emails may be going to someone who no longer works with you. Checking who your admin is takes two minutes.

Most of the first wave are the trades that lean hardest on LSA around Williamson and Travis County: plumbers who got buried in calls after a hard freeze, and the HVAC and roofing companies whose phones ring every summer and after every hailstorm.

Is my LSA ready for the move?

Answer a few quick questions. It takes about a minute, and it shows you the two things to fix first.

What happens to my LSA budget and bidding?

This is where you will feel the biggest day-to-day change. Your weekly budget becomes a daily one, and Google’s computer takes over the bidding. Three things to know:

• You can no longer set a top price per lead by hand. Google’s automatic bidding decides, inside the target you give it.
• One target now covers everything. Before, each type of service had its own. Now one campaign-level target cost per lead applies.
• Daily budgets act differently from weekly ones. A $700 weekly budget becomes $100 a day. Busy days can spend more and quiet days less, so watch the first two weeks.

Automatic bidding is not bad. When leads come in steadily, it often finds cheaper leads than a number you set by hand. But it needs a sensible target and clean tracking. Most owners have never had to think about that with LSA, and it is the part of Google Ads management we help with most.

How does my Google Business Profile connect to the new campaign?

Your Business Profile used to be only your map listing. Now it also feeds your paid ads. Your name, address and hours copy over to your campaign within 24 hours. Bigger changes need Google to check you again, and Google says that can pause your ads for 24 to 48 hours.

So picture a Pflugerville company that moves to a Round Rock office, or changes its main category, in the middle of a busy week. Its ads could go dark right when the phone should be ringing. Make big profile edits during a slow week, and keep your details the same everywhere. That is the same habit behind keeping your Google Business Profile right for the map, and now it protects your ad money too.

What should I do before my LSA moves?

Six small jobs, in this order. Most take a few minutes.

1. Export your history. Spend, leads and cost per lead for at least 12 months.
2. Confirm your account administrator, so the 14-day and 7-day emails reach someone who acts on them.
3. Write down your current numbers: weekly budget, top price or target cost per lead, and leads per week. You will want them in week one.
4. Hold off on big Business Profile changes until after the move.
5. Find out where leads will land. Messages and calls go to the lead manager inside Google Ads, so whoever answers leads needs access.
6. Watch the first two weeks every day: spend per day, lead volume and cost per lead, against your saved history.

Already moved, and the dashboard you knew is gone? Read what happened to your LSA dashboard and what to do next.

Do I need an agency to manage LSA in Google Ads?

Not always. If you already run Google Ads with confidence, you can do this yourself. If LSA was the only advertising you ever ran, a check before and after the move is cheap insurance.

We will be straight with you. Most owners will move over and be fine. The ones who get hurt did not save their history, did not know who got Google’s emails, or changed their profile at the wrong time.

Visible Owl is a team of specialists based in Round Rock. We look at your account, tell you in plain words what is right and what is not, and you decide if you want us to manage it. You can see the results we have published for local accounts, or just talk to us. Call (512) 553-9675.

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