Lonta AI blog
Local Services Ads
Local Services Ads are the pay-per-lead listings above the map. In 2026 Google is moving them into Google Ads, changing how missed calls are charged and how targets are set. These pieces read Google's own pages and say what each change does to a contractor's account.
9 posts
Google Local Services Ads, read from Google's own pages: an owner's manual for HVAC, plumbing and electrical shops
What you pay for, what caps the monthly bill, who shows first, what verification takes, what Google stopped refunding, and what the 2026 move to Google Ads changes, each point tied to the Google page that says it.
Sep 16, 2026 · 16 min readWhat a Google Local Services Ads lead costs by trade, and why the published numbers disagree
Pages that rank for this question put an HVAC lead at $42, $51, $70 or $80. They counted different months, different leads and different averages, and some copied each other. What each one measured, what Google says sets your price, and how to get your own number from your lead report.
Sep 9, 2026 · 15 min readFrom October 1, a missed Local Services Ads call can cost you twice
From October 1, as reported, some missed calls during business hours become paid leads, and Google's ranking page says missed calls may hurt your responsiveness. The fix is in your hours, your phone menu and your charged-lead list.
Sep 2, 2026 · 12 min readLocal Services Ads or Google Search ads? Run both, but give each a different job
One charges per lead and picks your searches from a list of job types. The other charges per click on words you choose and sends people to a page you wrote. That difference decides which of your jobs each one should chase.
Aug 26, 2026 · 14 min readYour Local Services Ads account is moving to Google Ads. Split your trades before it does.
One target cost per lead for every trade you sell, reports that don't come with you, and a 14-day warning email that may land in your agency's inbox instead of yours.
Aug 19, 2026 · 9 min readCustomers still ask if you're Google Guaranteed. The honest answer changed.
Google swapped every Local Services badge for one Google Verified badge and ended the refund that came with the old one. Google describes the same checks behind it. A customer unhappy with the work can no longer ask Google to pay, so that complaint now lands on your office, your reviews and Google's complaint form.
Nov 11, 2025 · 15 min readGoogle publishes what ranks a Local Services Ad. Proximity and business hours aren't on its list.
Google's page puts two things in the auction: your bid and how likely your ad is to produce a lead. Of the six ranking guides we read, five list proximity, five list business hours, and three leave out the bid.
May 13, 2025 · 13 min readThere is no dispute button for Local Services Ads anymore. Here is what Google still credits.
Google's old dispute page now redirects to its automatic-credits page. Calls for work you don't do or from towns you don't serve are no longer credited, and a lead rating only occasionally earns a bonus credit, which is capped.
Sep 10, 2024 · 13 min readNo leads from Local Services Ads? Check the settings that switch the ad off before the ones that push it down.
A quiet Local Services Ads account can be switched off or capped by a setting long before it is outbid. Google's help pages document each switch, and a few of them sit where owners don't look.
Jul 16, 2024 · 14 min read