Local Services Ads (LSA) are one of the highest-intent placements in all of Google — a paid unit at the very top of local service searches, above the map pack and organic results, where advertisers pay per lead rather than per click. That prominence comes with a rulebook. The Google Local Services Ads advertiser policies are the conditions you agree to in exchange for that placement and the trust badge that comes with it. This overview groups those policies into the areas that matter most so you know what keeps you live and what puts you at risk.
One ground rule first: Google publishes the authoritative version of these policies in its official help center, and the details vary by country and by service category and change over time. Treat the live Google documentation as the source of truth, and treat this article as a map of the territory.
Eligibility and verification
Before an ad ever shows, Google verifies the business behind it. Depending on category and location this can include license checks, insurance verification, and background checks on the business and sometimes its workers — the screening that historically produced the trust badge. You are expected to keep the underlying documents valid; expired licenses or lapsed insurance can pause your ads until they are refreshed. Eligibility also depends on operating in a supported location and an eligible category, of which there are roughly seventy-plus home-service categories across the US, Canada, and parts of Europe.
Honest representation of your business
A large share of the Google Local Services Ads advertiser policies boil down to one idea: represent your business truthfully. That means your business name, categories, service areas, and hours must reflect what you actually do and where. Listing services you do not perform to capture more leads, or claiming service areas you cannot reach, runs against the policies and — practically — generates leads you cannot book. Because LSA now draws on your linked Google Business Profile, inconsistencies between the two can create both policy friction and ranking problems.
Category and service-area accuracy
Category selection is a compliance decision, not just a marketing one. Requirements — licensing, insurance, background checks — attach to specific categories, so choosing categories you are not qualified for is a policy problem waiting to surface at verification or re-verification. The same is true of service areas: they should describe where you genuinely serve customers.
| Policy area | What Google expects | Common failure |
|---|---|---|
| Verification | Valid license, insurance, background checks | Expired or missing documents |
| Representation | Accurate name, category, service area, hours | Claiming services you do not perform |
| Lead handling | Genuine responses; no misuse of customer data | Ignoring or misusing leads |
| Reviews | Honest, unincentivized reviews via GBP | Gating or fake reviews |
Lead and customer handling
Because advertisers pay per lead, how you treat leads is part of the deal. You are expected to respond to the customers the program sends you and to handle their information appropriately — not to harvest LSA contact data for unrelated purposes. Google also runs a lead-quality process: since manual disputes were retired around mid-2024, a machine-learning model auto-credits clearly invalid leads (typically assessed within about 72 hours and credited within roughly 30 days), alongside a "Rate this lead" survey. That survey both recovers spend and feeds Google signals about lead quality, so honest ratings serve you.
Review integrity
Since around mid-2025, LSA reviews are managed through Google Business Profile, and they must be genuine. Fake reviews, incentivized reviews, and review-gating (screening customers by satisfaction before asking) all cut against both Google's policies and the FTC's fake-review rule (16 CFR 465). The compliant pattern is to ask every customer the same way and let honest reviews stand.
What happens when you violate a policy
Consequences scale with severity. A lapsed document might simply pause your ads until corrected. Misrepresentation or review manipulation can escalate to suspension or removal from the badge program, which erases the placement advantage entirely. Because reinstatement can be slow and uncertain, the cheapest compliance strategy is preventative: keep documents current, keep your profile accurate, and keep your review program honest.
Policies change — build a habit of checking
One characteristic of these policies is worth internalizing: they are not static. Google adjusts LSA requirements, badge naming, lead-quality mechanics, and category rules over time — the retirement of the older Guaranteed and Screened badge names in October 2025 and the shift from manual lead disputes to machine-learning auto-credit around mid-2024 are two recent examples. That means a policy you learned two years ago may no longer be current, and advice copied from an old blog post can be actively wrong. The durable habit is not memorizing today's rules but building a routine of checking Google's official documentation before you onboard a new category, expand to a new market, or change how you run reviews or leads. Treat the live help center as the version of record and your own notes as a snapshot that expires.
The bottom line
The Google Local Services Ads advertiser policies are less a maze than a short list of expectations — be verified, be truthful, handle leads and customers responsibly, and keep reviews honest. Master those and the placement largely takes care of itself. For definitive requirements in your category and country, always read Google's current official documentation, and bring genuinely legal questions to a qualified attorney.
Frequently asked questions
What are Google's Local Services Ads advertiser policies?
They are the rules that govern who can run LSA and how. In broad strokes they cover eligibility and verification, honest representation of your business, category and service-area accuracy, lead and customer handling, and review integrity. Violations can lead to pauses, suspension, or removal.
Where do I find Google's official LSA policies?
Google publishes Local Services Ads policies in its official help center, and specific requirements vary by country and category. Because these pages update periodically, treat the live Google documentation as authoritative and check it before onboarding or expanding.
Do LSA policies differ by service category?
Yes. License, insurance, and background-check requirements vary by category and location, and some verticals such as healthcare and tax are handled differently. Confirm the requirements for your specific trade and market.