Google Migrates Local Services Ads to Google Ads Interface

Google has announced plans to integrate Local Services Ads (LSAs) directly into the Google Ads interface. This transition, which begins in August 2026 for a limited group of U.S. advertisers and continues through 2027, aims to provide businesses with a centralized platform for managing their local advertising efforts Source.

Local Services Ads Move to Performance Max Campaigns

Local Services Ads will now operate as a type of Performance Max campaign within Google Ads, specifically designed for pay-per-lead goals. Despite this change, the fundamental reach of LSAs will remain consistent: they will continue to be keywordless and appear exclusively on Google Search and Maps.

The billing model will also stay the same. Advertisers will still pay for qualified leads, including calls, messages, and bookings, rather than clicks. The current separate Local Services Ads dashboard will no longer be available post-migration for managing campaigns and leads.

Changes in Campaign Management

The migration introduces several changes to how businesses will manage their LSA campaigns, affecting bidding, budgets, and reporting.

Budget and Bidding Adjustments

Currently, Local Services advertisers manage an average weekly budget. After migration, this will shift to an average daily budget. Manual bidding, which allowed some advertisers to set a maximum cost per lead, will no longer be supported. Instead, Google Ads will calculate an overall campaign-level Target CPA (Cost Per Acquisition), removing the option to set different Target CPA amounts by service category within a single campaign.

This unified Target CPA could impact businesses offering multiple services with varying lead costs. For instance, a contractor advertising both plumbing and HVAC services might have different lead acquisition targets for each. Post-migration, if these are in one campaign, they will share a single Target CPA. Businesses can choose to create separate campaigns for services requiring distinct targets, but this may mean less conversion data for each individual campaign.

Reporting and Business Profile Integration

One significant change is that historical performance reports from the Local Services Ads dashboard will not transfer to Google Ads. Advertisers will lose access to the old dashboard after migration. However, lead histories will be migrated.

Business details such as names, physical addresses, and standard hours will now sync directly from Google Business Profile, streamlining updates. The existing Local Services Ads inbox will be replaced by a new Lead Manager feature within the Google Ads interface.

Preparing for the Migration

Google will begin migrating a small group of U.S. advertisers in August 2026, focusing on specific sectors like pet care, home services, wellness, and education. The rollout will expand to more U.S. advertisers later in 2026, with non-U.S. accounts and remaining business categories transitioning in 2027.

Account administrators will receive a 14-day advance notice, followed by a seven-day reminder, before their accounts are migrated. A final confirmation will be sent upon completion.

Actionable Steps for Businesses

• Download Historical Reports: Before migration, ensure all necessary historical reports from the Local Services Ads dashboard are downloaded for analysis and record-keeping, as they will not transfer.
• Review Migrated Campaigns: After migration, thoroughly check campaign settings, including daily budget, campaign-level Target CPA, service categories, locations, ad schedule, lead-routing phone number, photos, and callouts, to ensure they align with business objectives. Significant changes to business names or addresses syncing from Google Business Profile may cause a temporary pause for verification.

While Google has outlined the migration process, the full impact of a unified Target CPA on campaigns with diverse service offerings will become clearer as accounts begin to transition. Businesses should monitor their campaigns post-migration and be prepared to adjust strategies as needed. Google plans to monitor the initial group of migrations and will provide further guidance.