Google is transitioning Local Services Ads into Google Ads starting August 2026. Here is your step-by-step guide to preparing your account and preserving your data.
If your company relies on Google Local Services Ads (LSAs), a major change is coming.
Google is moving LSAs into the Google Ads platform as Performance Max campaigns with a pay-per-lead goal. For U.S. businesses, the transition begins in August 2026.
The migration will be handled largely by Google, but there are a few things you should do before your account moves.
When Is Your LSA Account Moving?
Google is rolling out the migration in three phases:
- August 2026: U.S. home and storefront service categories
- Late 2026: U.S. service-area businesses without storefronts and accounts with custom bidding or booking setups
- 2027: Non-U.S. accounts and remaining categories
Google will notify you by email, and you’ll see a banner in your LSA account 14 days before your migration date.
What Businesses Should Do Now
1. Export Your LSA Data
Historical LSA reporting data will not transfer to Google Ads. Download your performance and spend data before your migration date if you want to preserve it for future comparisons.
Your historical lead customer information will transfer to the new Lead Manager.
2. Review Your Campaign Structure
If you run multiple service categories under LSAs, review how they’re structured. Google is eliminating separate vertical-level Target CPAs in favor of a campaign-level Target CPA.
If different services require different bidding strategies, you may need separate campaigns after migration.
3. Check Your Google Business Profile & Licenses
Make sure your business information, service areas, hours, licenses, insurance, and Google Guaranteed or Google Screened status are up to date. Google will continue pulling core business information from your GBP.
4. Review Billing
If your LSA and Google Ads accounts use different billing profiles, Google may create a separate Ads account for the migrated campaign. If you want everything under the same account, align your billing before migration.
What Stays the Same?
Despite the Performance Max name, LSAs will continue to operate much like they do today, at least initially.
- Pay per lead: You will continue paying for valid leads rather than clicks.
- Search and Google Maps: Ads will continue to run on Search and Google Maps only (they will not expand to YouTube, Display, or Gmail, despite the Performance Max naming, at least in the beginning).
- Badges: Google Guaranteed / Google Screened badges remain active, and existing lead history carries over into Google Ads.
- Core Business Information: Business name, address, and hours continue to sync automatically from Google Business Profile (GBP).
What Changes?
- Platform & Dashboard: The standalone LSA dashboard is going away. Campaign management and lead tracking will move into Google Ads under Goals > Conversions > Leads.
- Historical Data: Your aggregate historical LSA performance reports and trend data will not transfer to Google Ads. Be sure to export any data you want to keep before your migration date.
- Bidding & Budgets:
- Manual maximum cost-per-lead bidding is being replaced with Target CPA/pay-per-lead bidding.
- Separate Target CPAs for different service categories will no longer be supported within the same campaign. Multiple verticals will use a single campaign-level Target CPA.
- Your weekly budget will automatically convert to a daily budget, calculated by dividing your weekly budget by 7.
- Initial Performance: Google recommends expecting a temporary stabilization period of up to two weeks after migration. Performance may fluctuate during this time as the new campaign adjusts.
What This Means for Business Owners
If you’re already running both LSAs and Google Search Ads, this change gives you a reason to look at your Google strategy as a whole.
Instead of evaluating LSA and Search performance separately, look at:
- Total leads from Google Search and LSAs
- Cost per qualified lead
- Lead quality and close rates
- Which services generate the best customers
- How paid search compares with Local SEO
The goal is to generate qualified leads at a cost that makes sense for your business.
The Bottom Line
The LSA migration doesn’t need to be a cause for concern, but it does require some preparation.
Before your migration:
- Export your historical LSA data.
- Review your campaign and service structure.
- Make sure your GBP and verification information are current.
- Check your billing setup.
After the migration, give campaigns time to stabilize before making major changes based on short-term performance.
For Google’s full announcement and migration details, see the Local Services Ads update.
Need help navigating the change? Dagmar Marketing helps businesses generate more qualified leads through Google Ads, LSAs, SEO, and AI search.
Angie Batten
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