Why is my Local Service ad not showing?
First, searching your own name proves little. Google says your ad "won't appear every time you search for it" (Local Services Help). Check these five things instead, in order:
| Check | What to look for | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Is the ad on? | Toggled on, approved, not paused or "under review" | Campaign status |
| 2. Is it inside your hours? | Ad schedule covers today; business hours say open and taking customers | Ad schedule, business hours |
| 3. Any account or billing alert? | Ads stay off until it's fixed | Bell icon in Google Ads |
| 4. Budget left this month? | The month is capped; once reached, the ad stops until next month or a budget increase | Budget spent report |
| 5. Something changed? | Someone paused it or cut the budget | Change history |
Source for each row: Local Services Help: Why aren't my Local Services Ads running? and How leads work.
Just moved into Google Ads? Google says to allow up to two weeks after migration for performance to settle (Google Ads Help). Details: Local Services Ads moving to Google Ads.
Google local service ads not working: showing, but no leads
Then you're losing the auction. Google ranks ads by your bid and by how likely your ad is to bring a lead:
"The auction is the process Local Services Ads uses to order profiles for a given search, taking into account bid and overall profile quality." (Local Services Help: About ad rankings)
What moves your rank, per that page:
| Factor | What to do |
|---|---|
| Bid | Use Maximize Leads (old dashboard) or Maximize Conversions (Google Ads). A Target CPA set too low "may not serve" (Google Ads Help) |
| Responsiveness | "Missed calls may negatively affect your responsiveness." Answer, and reply to messages fast |
| Reviews and rating | Google recommends 5 or more; some business types need 5 to show at all (Improve performance) |
| Photos | Real photos of your team, work or equipment; higher-quality profiles "may also pay lower costs per lead" |
| Message and booking leads | More ways to reach you, especially nights and weekends |
| Service types and areas | Select every job type you do; set areas broadly, such as a whole county (Improve performance) |
One more rule: if you have several locations serving the same area, Google shows only your highest-ranking one (About ad rankings).
My reviews don't show on the ad
Reviews live in your Google Business Profile, not in Local Services Ads (Local Services Help: Reviews). If the profile has reviews and the ad shows none, check which profile the ad is linked to: with several verified profiles, you pick one when the campaign is set up (Google Ads Help: pay-per-lead goals). To get more reviews, Google suggests sending customers your own review link (Reviews); the rules for asking are in asking for reviews.
Local Services Ads cost per lead by trade
Google publishes no price list by trade. It says lead prices "may vary depending on your location, the job type, the type of lead, or your bidding mode" (Local Services Help: How leads work). Two things you control:
- Message leads usually cost less than phone leads (same page).
- Better profiles may rank higher and pay less per lead (About ad rankings).
Your real number is in your own reports: spend divided by charged leads, by month. In Google Ads it's the "Cost / conv." column (Google Ads Help).
Example
Ad gone every afternoon
An HVAC company lists hours to 6 pm but set the ad schedule to end at 2 pm. The ad vanishes each afternoon. Fixing the schedule brings it back.
Out of budget by the 20th
A plumber on $70 (USD) a day hits the monthly cap of about $2,130 by the 20th after a cold snap. No ad for 10 days. Raise the budget for winter, or accept the gap.
Showing, no calls
A cleaner has 2 reviews and a 4-hour average reply to messages. A competitor has 60 reviews and replies in minutes. Asking past clients for reviews and replying faster is the fix, not a bigger budget.
Different for you?
- Paying for leads you don't want: Local Services Ads lead disputes.
- Regular Search ads, not Local Services: Google Ads not getting calls.
- Business Profile itself missing on Maps: Google Business Profile not showing.
- Want the ad checked every week: Paid Ads.