Start by working out why your ads stopped. If you paused them yourself, switch the ad or campaign back on. If a billing, verification or policy problem is the cause, resolve that first. Read on for the cases below, in order, from the simplest fix to the hardest.
Before you change anything
Answer these questions first, so you do not fix the wrong thing:
- Who else has access to the account, and did a colleague pause the ads on purpose?
- Did anything change recently, such as a new payment card, a new phone number, a new address or a move of the account into Google Ads?
- Did you receive an email or an in-product message about billing, verification or policy?
- Are leads missing, or are ads simply not appearing when you search for your own service?
Write down your answers. They will tell you which of the sections below to start with.
Step one: identify what kind of pause you have
Check the ad toggle, the campaign status and the notifications before changing anything. Compare what you find against the cases below.
- Paused through the ad setting: Google’s ad scheduling help says you can set your ad to paused so that it stops showing regardless of schedule (Google Local Services Help: ad scheduling).
- Toggle in the profile editor: Semrush’s walkthrough of the Local Services Ads dashboard shows a switch labeled “Your ad is paused” under Edit profile (Semrush).
- Campaign status in Google Ads: One practitioner guide says that after migration you open the Settings tab on the Campaigns page, select the pay-per-lead campaign, and set its status to Enabled to serve ads (Narsil Creative).
If you paused a campaign by mistake, check its status and enable it again. Review every control in your advertising dashboard before you assume the problem lies elsewhere.
Step two: turn ads back on and check the settings that block delivery
Work through the checks below after you switch the ad on.
Two places to look
A practitioner troubleshooting article says some advertisers have controls split across the legacy Local Services dashboard and Google Ads, and that a pause in either one stops delivery (Barlo Digital).
Schedule and pause setting
Google’s ad scheduling help explains that you can choose the days and times your ad runs, and that you can also set the ad to paused so it stops showing regardless of schedule (Google Local Services Help: ad scheduling). Review the schedule after you unpause, and confirm it covers the hours you want leads.
Budget and business hours
- Open the budget reporting and ask whether the monthly limit has been reached.
- Check your business hours and confirm you are listed as open and accepting customers.
Targeting and approval
- Open your service area settings and ask whether they are too narrow.
- Confirm the ad shows as approved rather than under review.
Step three: clear billing or notification alerts
Check your payment method and billing details today so small problems do not grow. Review your recent account notices and list any that mention billing or policy. Decide who on your team will respond promptly if a notice arrives. Track the date each campaign paused so you can explain any gap in your records.
- Open the notification and read the stated reason.
- Settle outstanding balances or failed payments.
- If a verification request appears, check your payment details and complete the step promptly. Record the date you finished it in your files.
- Wait for confirmation before assuming ads will resume.
Step four: handle a suspension or appeal
A suspension is a different tier from a pause. Google’s documentation says that for repeat violations leading to suspension it sends a warning outlining the nature of the violation and any remedial action that can be taken (Google Ads Help: suspensions).
- Read the suspension reason exactly as written.
- Fix the underlying problem on your website, ads or billing before appealing.
- Record the date, the reason given and any reply.
Ask Google what happens next, record the answer, and do not plan around a fixed timeline.
Step five: if ads are reactivated but leads stay quiet
Treat a quiet account as a settings review rather than a second pause. Work through these checks one at a time:
- Compare your budget with how many leads you want.
- Review service areas and the job types you selected.
- Check that your phone is answered during scheduled hours.
- Confirm your profile details match across Google listings.
- Look at whether you changed your business name, address, category or phone number shortly before results dropped, and note the date.
Quick reference checklist
- Check the ad toggle, then the campaign status in Google Ads.
- Review the schedule and business hours.
- Check the budget reporting.
- If the account is suspended, fix the cause, then appeal.
- Monitor calls and messages after ads resume.
Caveats and when to get help
Treat the steps here as concepts rather than exact click paths, and open Google’s help pages for current navigation. Check Google’s current requirements for your service category and region before assuming your verification status is complete.