Local Services Ads Are Moving into Google Ads
Short answer. Local Services Ads are moving into Performance Max campaigns with pay-per-lead goals, managed in Google Ads, with no separate dashboard after migration. Performance reports do not transfer, so save them first. Existing leads, verification status, and the Google Verified badge, where you have it, do transfer.
What is actually moving?
Google’s transition page says existing campaigns are migrated automatically into a Performance Max campaign built for pay-per-lead goals. You still pay for a valid lead, not a click. Ads still show on Google Search and Google Maps, and the campaign stays keywordless. Budgets, targeting, and customer replies move into Google Ads.
The account administrator gets an email 14 days before the date, plus a banner in the current dashboard, and a reminder seven days later. Another email follows when the move finishes. On that day the old dashboard redirects to Google Ads. You cannot create a new pay-per-lead campaign inside Google Ads yet. New setups still start on the Local Services page.
If you need Google’s migration line, the pay-per-lead pages list +1-844-205-0011, Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 8:00 pm EST. That number is Google’s, not a Ghost Web number. The product you are moving is described in what Google Local Services Ads are.
What should you save before the date?
Save performance reports. They do not transfer. Past impressions, clicks, weekly spend, and ad-level reports will not be in Google Ads. Google says historical reports can be downloaded from its redirection page, and that if you need them now you should screenshot them before migrating.
Past leads do transfer. The page includes contact details, message history, and older call recordings, available on the Leads page. If you already passed verification, that status carries over, and the Google Verified badge transfers where the business has it. Insurance and license reverification are no longer required. A later business-level check, if Google requires one, shows as a notification in Google Ads. Locations, service types, categories, budget limits, the ad schedule, and business photos move with the setup.
Which businesses move in 2026, and which wait?
August 2026 is phase 1 for select US home and storefront services. The verticals page includes plumbing, HVAC, electrical, appliance repair, house cleaning, lawn care, roofing, pest control, and moving. Dental is not in the phase 1 list on that page. A med spa is not named there either. Later in 2026 the move reaches broader groups, including service-area businesses without a storefront and accounts with custom bidding or booking setups. Through 2027, non-U.S. accounts and the remaining categories move. Healthcare, and advanced-verification categories such as locksmiths and garage door pros, are described for 2027, not for the August home-services phase.
What changes in the budget and the bid?
Google Ads uses a daily average. The historical weekly budget is divided by seven. Monthly spend is capped at that daily average multiplied by 30.4. A busy day can spend more. The month is not supposed to pass the cap. Manual bidding, including a maximum cost per lead, is no longer supported. Separate targets for each trade inside one campaign are dropped. Google applies one campaign-level target. Separate campaigns are how you keep different bids, for example plumbing in one and HVAC in another. There is still no public price per lead. See why a lead has no single price.
What do you manage after the redirect?
On the first login, check settings. Conversions are the leads you are charged for. Cost is spend. Cost / conv. is average cost per lead. You can pause or enable the campaign in settings. Service areas, schedules, and categories can be edited in Google Ads without rewriting the organic profile. Name, address, and standard hours sync one way from the Google Business Profile. A significant change to the name, storefront address, or primary category can pause the campaign for a review the page says typically takes 24 to 48 hours. The phone number that receives call and message leads can be edited in Google Ads.
Leads and recordings sit under Leads in the Goals menu. Manual disputes are no longer supported. If message goals are on, you reply from that lead. Headlines, videos, and sitelinks used by other Performance Max campaigns do not apply here. Allow up to two weeks for the move to finish and for results to settle. Many ads can start sooner.
How is this different from other Google campaigns?
This campaign charges for valid leads and serves on Search and Maps only. The transition page says a standard Performance Max campaign charges per click and can run on YouTube, Gmail, and the Display Network. A regular search campaign, where you pay per click and use your own page, is a separate choice, covered in Local Services Ads vs regular Google Ads. Missed-call rules do not become a click fee because the dashboard closed. They stay in whether a missed call is charged.
FAQ
Does the ad leave Maps when the old dashboard closes?
No. Search and Maps placements stay. You lose the separate dashboard, not those placements.
Do old leads disappear?
No. Contact details, message history, and older call recordings transfer. Campaign performance reports do not.
Who is told before the account moves?
The account administrator gets an email 14 days ahead, then a reminder. A banner also shows in the current dashboard.
Does every category move in August 2026?
No. Phase 1 is selected US home and storefront services. Dental is not on that list. Healthcare and categories such as locksmiths and garage door pros are described for 2027.
