Local Services Ads vs Regular Google Ads
Short answer. A Local Services campaign with a pay-per-lead goal charges for a valid lead and does not use keywords. A regular Google search ad can charge per click and send people to a page you control. These pages publish neither a click price nor a lead price.
What does each campaign charge for?
On the pay-per-lead campaign, you pay for a valid lead, not for a click. The leads page says a standard click on that ad is free. A lead is a direct contact. Phone calls are required. Messages and emails are optional. Bookings are optional starting in October 2026. Google filters spam and duplicates and can credit some low-quality leads. It does not promise every unwanted lead is refunded.
A regular search ad is the other model. You can pay when someone clicks and send them to a page you control. No page used here prints a cost per click or a cost per lead.
If the search ad needs a phone button, that is a call asset, explained in how to add your phone number to a Google ad. A click on that button costs the same as a headline click. The page still names no dollar amount.
Who chooses the keywords?
The pay-per-lead campaign is keywordless. Google matches from your services and service area, using Business Profile information and the settings you select. You can set locations, categories, service types, and an ad schedule. You do not hand over a keyword list.
A regular search campaign is where keywords belong. You choose the searches and where the click goes. The about page says the lead campaign can run alongside Search. It does not say one replaces the other. The lead product is in what Google Local Services Ads are.
Where do the ads show, and what do you control?
Pay-per-lead ads show on Google Search and Google Maps. They do not use the wider networks a standard Performance Max campaign can use, such as YouTube, Gmail, and the Display Network. Name, address, hours, and review ratings come from a verified Google Business Profile. You do not supply headlines, descriptions, videos, or sitelinks. The business must be in the United States and must have that verified profile.
A regular search ad is built from assets you write, and the click can open your site. You can add a call asset so someone can call or still go to the website. That choice is on the call-asset page. It is not how a pay-per-lead ad is set up. There, the phone is prefilled from the profile and can be edited in the campaign, and the charge is the valid lead.
Which businesses can use the lead campaign?
August 2026 phase 1, on the verticals page, is selected US home and storefront services, including plumbing, HVAC, electrical, appliance repair, house cleaning, lawn care, roofing, pest control, and moving. Dental is not in the phase 1 list. A med spa is not named there. Healthcare and advanced-verification categories such as locksmiths and garage door pros are described for 2027. A regular search campaign is not given that phase list on these pages. Do not treat a dental or med spa search ad as if it were the Local Services schedule, and do not assume it bills per lead. Read the campaign type before you compare costs. Migration for accounts that already run Local Services Ads is in the move into Google Ads.
How should you compare them without a price list?
Do not invent a winner from a click price you do not have. Compare the job each one does. The lead campaign is a direct contact from Search or Maps, matched without keywords, billed when the lead is valid. A missed call can be that lead if it meets the duration rules in whether a missed call is charged. The search campaign is a click you send to a page you control, with keywords you choose. A call from a call asset on that ad is still charged like a headline click, not like a Local Services lead.
Know what a booked job is worth, and whether a valid lead can cost less than that. There is no sample dollar figure on these pages. More on that limit is in why a lead has no single price.
What still has to be true on Google Maps?
Both paths assume people can find a real business. Google’s local ranking page says local results are mainly relevance, distance, and prominence, and that complete, accurate profile information makes a business more likely to show. There is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. A pay-per-lead campaign does not replace the profile. It requires a verified one. Keeping it current is the work in how to rank higher in Google Maps.
FAQ
Is a Local Services lead just a click with another name?
No. On this campaign the click is not the charge. A valid lead is. Standard clicks on the ad are free.
Can I send a pay-per-lead ad to my own landing page?
These pages do not describe that setup. The contact is a call, message, or booking from the ad. A regular search ad is the one you send to a page you control.
Do I pick keywords for the lead campaign?
No. It stays keywordless. Keywords belong on a regular search campaign.
Does the August 2026 list cover every Google Ad?
No. It describes the Local Services migration. Dental is not on that list. A regular search campaign is a different product.
