Spend, leads and cost per lead
For any date range, with the change against the period before. Budget pacing shows what's been spent this week and where the week is heading.
Local Services Ads management
Be the first business they see. Pay only for leads.
Local Services Ads put you at the top of Google when someone nearby searches for what you do, with a Google Verified badge beside your name. You pay when a customer calls or messages, not when they click. We set it up, target it and manage it.
- Set up and verified for you
- Shown only where you work
- Pause or scale any time
- Top of the pageabove search ads, the map pack and organic results
- Pay per leadcalls, messages and bookings, not clicks
- Google Verifiedthe badge customers look for, earned through verification
- Managed for yousetup, targeting, budget and lead feedback
What Local Services Ads are
The top row of Google, reserved for verified local businesses.
Most people choose from the first things they see. Local Services Ads are the cards at the very top of a local search: your name, your rating, your badge and a button to call. The people who tap them have already decided they need the job done.
- Shown on Google Search and Google Maps
- Customers call, message or request a booking straight from the ad
- Google checks your license, insurance and background before you can run
- Your reviews and how quickly you respond affect how often you show
plumber near me
Local Services Ads
You are hereCompetitor★★★★★ 4.7Call
Your business★★★★★ 4.9Call
Competitor★★★★ 4.5Call
Search ads
Map pack
Organic results
| Local Services Ads | Search ads | Map pack and organic | |
|---|---|---|---|
| You pay for | Each lead: a call, message or booking | Each click, whether or not they contact you | Nothing per visit; earned over time |
| Where it shows | The top of local results, on Search and Maps | Below Local Services Ads | Below the ads |
| What customers see | Name, rating, Google Verified badge, call button | A headline and a link to your website | Your profile, reviews, posts and photos |
| How fast | As soon as verification is complete | As soon as the campaign is live | Weeks to months of steady work |
| How we help | This service | Tracked in MLAP alongside your other channels | Job site check-ins and GeoGrid |
What changed
Google rebuilt Local Services Ads. Most guides haven't caught up.
Three changes since late 2025 affect every advertiser. If your ads were set up before then, or you're reading older advice, this is what's different.
BeforeGoogle Guaranteed and Google Screened badges, with a money-back guarantee
Since October 2025One Google Verified badge for every verified business. The guarantee was retired.
BeforeYou disputed bad leads yourself and waited for a decision
NowGoogle credits invalid leads automatically. Your feedback on each lead is what steers quality.
BeforeA separate Local Services Ads dashboard, weekly budgets and a maximum price per lead
From August 2026, in phasesAccounts move into Google Ads as pay-per-lead campaigns, with daily average budgets and a target cost per lead.
Ads keep the same positions and you still pay only for valid leads. Sources: Google Ads Help, Search Engine Land.
How it works
From setup to a steady flow of leads.
We set up and verify
We take you through Google's onboarding and verification so your badge and your ads go live as quickly as possible.
We target your area
Ads are set to the zip codes, cities or counties you actually serve, and the job types you want.
We manage the budget
Spend is paced through the week and raised, lowered or paused to match your capacity.
We rate every lead
Each lead gets feedback sent to Google, so your budget keeps attracting better-fit customers.
Geo-targeting
Show up where you work. Nowhere else.
A lead two towns over is a lead you pay for and can't serve. We set your ads to the exact areas you cover, and keep them matched to where your crews are.
- Target by zip code, city or county, and exclude areas you don't want
- Choose the job types you want leads for, and leave out the ones you don't
- See your service areas and exclusions on a map in your dashboard
- Planning a new market? A launch plan scores nearby areas on demographics and competition before you spend
Leads and feedback
Every lead reviewed. Every outcome reported to Google.
Pay-per-lead only works if the leads are good. Google decides what to send you partly from what you tell it, so we tell it about every lead.
- One inbox for every leadCalls, messages and booking requests in one place, with call recordings you can play back and message threads you can reply to.
- An outcome for each oneBooked the job, real customer who didn't book, spam, duplicate, wrong service, outside your area. Each is sent to Google as feedback.
- AI that listens firstCalls can be transcribed and scored, with a suggested outcome for a person to approve or, once it has earned trust, to apply on its own.
- Credits trackedWhen Google credits a lead, you see it next to that lead.
Transparent reporting
You'll always know where the budget went.
Alerts before problems cost you
The dashboard flags the things that quietly drain a campaign, and tracks the documents your badge depends on.
- Leads or spend swinging sharply week over week
- Cost per lead climbing, or three days with no leads
- Most of the week's budget gone before Friday
- License, insurance and background checks, with expiry reminders by email
Run your own numbers
What would a budget buy you?
Cost per lead varies a lot by trade and market, so we won't guess yours. Put in what you see, or what a competitor told you, and the arithmetic is below.
Leads per month
48
$2,167 a month ÷ $45 a lead
19booked jobs a month
$112ad cost per booked job
$11,400revenue from those jobs
$2,167ad spend a month
Arithmetic on the numbers you enter, not a forecast. Actual lead costs and volumes are set by Google's auction in your market.
More than one location?
See which locations your ad spend is really working for.
Straight talk
What Local Services Ads can do, and what they can't.
What they do
- Put you in front of people who are ready to hire, at the moment they search
- Charge for contact, not for curiosity
- Give you a lead source you can turn up when you're slow and down when you're full
- Show a trust badge that most competitors haven't earned
What they don't
- Guarantee the first card in the row. Google ranks ads on reviews, responsiveness, proximity and budget
- Replace your Google Business Profile. Your reviews there feed your ads
- Close the job. An unanswered call is still a lead you paid for
- Build lasting visibility. When the budget stops, so do the ads; check-ins and rankings keep working
Questions
Local Services Ads, answered.
Let's talk about your local growth
- 602.217.0279
- support@localoptics.com
- 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. MST
What are Local Services Ads?
Local Services Ads are Google's pay-per-lead ads for local service businesses. They appear at the top of Google Search and in Google Maps as cards showing your business name, rating and a Google Verified badge. You pay when a customer contacts you through the ad by phone call, message or booking, not when someone clicks.
How are Local Services Ads different from regular Google Ads?
Regular search ads charge for each click and send people to your website. Local Services Ads charge for each lead, show above search ads, and connect the customer to you directly by call or message. They also require Google to verify your business first.
What happened to the Google Guaranteed badge?
In October 2025 Google replaced the Google Guaranteed, Google Screened and License Verified badges with a single Google Verified badge. Businesses that had already completed verification received the new badge automatically.
Can I still dispute bad leads?
Google now reviews leads itself and applies credits automatically for those it judges invalid. What you can still do, and what we do for you, is give Google feedback on every lead: booked, spam, wrong service, outside your area and so on. That feedback tells Google which leads are worth sending you.
How much do Local Services Ads cost?
You set a budget and pay per lead. The cost of a lead depends on your trade, your market and the type of job, so it varies widely. Your dashboard shows spend, leads and cost per lead for any date range, and you can pause or change the budget at any time.
Is Google moving Local Services Ads into Google Ads?
Yes. Since August 2026 Google has been moving Local Services Ads accounts into Google Ads as campaigns with pay-per-lead goals, in phases. Ads keep the same positions and you still pay per lead, but budgets and bidding are set differently. We manage that change for you.
Do I need a new phone number or website?
No. Customers contact you through the ad itself. Calls are connected to your existing number, and messages and booking requests arrive in your lead inbox.
Can I turn the ads off when we're fully booked?
Yes. The campaign can be paused and resumed whenever you like, and the budget raised or lowered to match your capacity.
Ready to show up first on Google?
No obligation, no pressure. Tell us about your business and we'll walk you through how Local Services Ads would work in your market.