Google is moving Local Services Ads into Google Ads in phases. Google's help page says the first phase started in August 2026 for some U.S. home and storefront service businesses, service-area businesses without a storefront follow in late 2026, and the rest come in 2027.
We already covered what changes and which reports to save first. This post is the to-do list: what to tidy up before your email arrives and what to check in the first two weeks after.
Before the move
- Save your reports. Google says your LSA performance reports won't move to Google Ads. Download or screenshot impressions, leads and weekly spend now. The first post lists what to keep.
- Clean up your Google Business Profile. After the move, name, address and hours are edited only in the profile and sync into Google Ads. Google says a big name or address change triggers a review that usually takes 24 to 48 hours and can pause the campaign. Make those changes now, not in your busiest week.
- Work out your daily number. Weekly budgets become a daily average, the weekly amount divided by seven. Google says daily spend can go up and down, with the month capped at about 30.4 times the daily average. Know what that means for your month before it happens.
- Decide on bidding. Google says manual bidding, like a maximum cost per lead, is no longer supported, and separate targets per trade become one campaign-level target. If you run plumbing and HVAC with different goals, plan on separate campaigns.
- Replace BBB callouts. Google says Better Business Bureau callouts are no longer supported. Write at least six other callouts, such as hours, specialties or payment methods.
- Pick who gets lead emails. Everyone on the account starts opted in. Decide who should actually get them so leads don't sit in an inbox nobody reads.
- Write down how you handle bad leads. Google says manual lead disputes are no longer supported. Keep your own notes on which leads were junk so you can judge the campaign later.
The first two weeks after
- Give it time. Google says to allow up to two weeks for the migration to finish, though many ads start right away.
- Check the settings. Budget, bidding, locations and service types are under Campaigns, then Settings. Make sure they match what you had.
- Check the phone number. The number calls and messages route to can be edited in Google Ads. Call it yourself and make sure the right person answers.
- Find your leads. Calls, messages and recordings are under Goals, then Conversions, then Leads. Google says past lead history moves over.
- Answer messages. Message leads can be answered in Google Ads. Someone needs to own that, every day.
- Compare against your saved reports. Look at conversions, cost and cost per conversion against what you downloaded before.
The checklist
- LSA reports downloaded or screenshotted
- Business Profile name, address and hours correct
- Daily budget figured from the weekly budget
- Bidding and campaign split decided
- Six or more callouts written, BBB removed
- Lead email recipients chosen
- Settings checked after the move
- Lead phone number test-called
- Someone assigned to answer message leads
Where the website comes in
LSA leads come through Google, but people still look you up before they call. A website that matches your profile, shows your services and towns, and makes the phone number easy to tap backs up the ad. If yours needs work before busy season, tell us about it. Our lead checklist is a good place to start.
Questions
How will I know when my account moves?
Google says the account administrator gets an email 14 days before the migration, a reminder 7 days before and a confirmation afterwards, with banners in the dashboard too.
Do I still pay per lead?
Yes. Google says billing stays pay-per-lead for valid calls and messages, and the ads still show only on Google Search and Maps.
Where do I change my hours or address after the move?
In Google Business Profile. Google says name, address and hours sync one way from the profile into Google Ads.
Sources
Drafted with AI assistance and checked against Google's help page on November 13, 2026.
