What changes, in one table
You keep paying per lead, and your ads stay in the same spots on Search and Maps. What changes is where you manage them, how you bid, and what history you keep (Google Ads Help).
"Your Local Services Ads performance reports won't transition to Google Ads." (Google Ads Help: Local Services Ads transition)
| Before | After the move | |
|---|---|---|
| Where you manage it | Local Services Ads dashboard | Google Ads; the old dashboard redirects there |
| What you pay for | Valid leads | Valid leads (calls, messages, bookings) |
| Where ads show | Search and Maps | Search and Maps, same positions |
| Budget | Weekly | Daily average = old weekly ÷ 7; month capped at daily × 30.4 |
| Bidding | Max per lead or target per vertical | Maximize Conversions or one campaign-level Target CPA |
| Lead disputes | Feedback survey | No manual disputes; automatic credits, and "Rate this lead" starts an automated review |
| Past leads and call recordings | In the dashboard | Move over to the Leads page |
| Performance reports | In the dashboard | Do not move over |
Sources for each row: transition guide, lead quality and budgets.
When does my Local Services Ads account move?
Google is moving accounts in three phases (Google Ads Help: supported verticals):
| When | Who |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | Select US home and storefront trades: plumbing, HVAC, electrical, appliance repair, house cleaning, lawn care, roofing, pest control, moving |
| Late 2026 | Service-area businesses without a storefront, professional services, accounts with custom bidding or booking setups |
| 2027 | Non-US accounts and the remaining categories, including healthcare, locksmiths and garage door pros |
Your account administrator gets an email 14 days before your date, a reminder 7 days later, and a confirmation after (Google Ads Help). Lawyers are in Google's professional services group (Local Services Help: screening and verification), which Google lists for late 2026 (supported verticals, pay-per-lead goals). The main transition guide doesn't name the group, so go by your email.
Canada: Canadian accounts are "non-US" and move in 2027 (Google Ads Help). Until then, pay-per-lead campaigns in Google Ads are US-only, and you keep using the Local Services Ads dashboard (pay-per-lead goals).
What happens to the Local Services Ads dashboard?
It closes for you on migration day. Logging in sends you to your campaign in Google Ads (Google Ads Help). Where things live now:
| You want | Go to |
|---|---|
| Leads, messages, call recordings | Goals → Conversions → Leads |
| Budget, bidding, service areas, service types | Campaigns → Settings |
| Photos and callouts | Campaigns → Assets |
| Business name, address, hours | Your Google Business Profile (it syncs one way into Google Ads) |
| Lead email alerts | Admin → Notifications |
What carries over by itself: locations, service types, categories, budget, ad schedule, photos, and your Google Verified badge. Insurance and license reverification are no longer required (Google Ads Help). BBB callouts are dropped; Google suggests choosing at least 6 other callouts instead (same page).
Google says to allow up to two weeks for performance to settle after the move (same page).
Does Google Local Services Ads cost change?
The price model doesn't: you pay per valid lead, not per click (Google Ads Help). Three things around it change:
- Budget: your average weekly budget becomes a daily average. Daily spend can run high on busy days, but the month won't exceed daily × 30.4 (Google Ads Help).
- No hard price cap: manual bidding, such as a maximum cost per lead, is gone. You choose Maximize Conversions (the default) or a Target CPA. Google warns that a target set too low "may not serve" (Google Ads Help: lead quality and budgets).
- One target per campaign: if you set different targets for, say, plumbing and HVAC, Google merges them into one. To keep them apart, run a campaign per trade (Google Ads Help).
In Google Ads, "Conversions" is the number of leads you were charged for and "Cost / conv." is your average cost per lead (same page).
What to do before your migration date
- Save your reports. Screenshot or download spend, leads and cost per lead by month. Google says a download page is coming, but don't wait for it (Google Ads Help).
- Write down your bids per trade. You'll need them to set a Target CPA or split campaigns.
- Fix your Google Business Profile. Name, address and hours come from it. A big change to name, address or primary category triggers a review of 24 to 48 hours, and the campaign may pause (same page).
- Check who gets the emails. Every account user is opted in to lead alerts by default; at least one must stay on (same page).
- Know the phone line. Google runs a migration support line: +1-844-205-0011, Monday to Friday, 9 am to 8 pm Eastern (same page).
You can't create a new pay-per-lead campaign inside Google Ads yet; new ones still start on the Local Services page (same page).
Example
A plumber on a weekly budget
Old weekly budget: $700 (USD). After the move: $100 a day on average, so up to $3,040 in a month. A Tuesday after a freeze might spend $180; the month still stops at $3,040.
A roofer with two trades
Roofing bid around $90 a lead, gutters around $40. After the move one Target CPA covers both, maybe around $70. Gutter leads may now cost more and roofing may lose auctions. Splitting into two campaigns keeps two targets.
An Ontario electrician
Nothing moves in 2026. The 2027 email will give the date. Save reports monthly from now on.
Different for you?
- Leads you think you shouldn't pay for: Local Services Ads lead disputes.
- Ad stopped showing after the move: Local Services Ads not showing.
- Also running regular Search ads: Google Ads not getting calls.
- Law firm on Local Services Ads: Google Ads for lawyers.
- Want someone to watch cost per lead weekly: Paid Ads.