Google is moving every Local Services Ads (LSA) account into Google Ads as a Performance Max campaign with a pay-per-lead goal. Google emails you 14 days before your account moves and reminds you at 7 days. This lesson walks you through exactly what to do, in order, so nothing is lost and nothing surprises you afterward.
- Google started in August 2026 with nine US home and storefront trades; service-area businesses follow in late 2026; everything else by 2027 (Google).
- Still the same: pay per lead, Search and Maps placement, keywordless targeting, the Google Verified badge, your lead history.
- Changing: you manage it in Google Ads, manual bids end, per-service targets merge into one, weekly budgets become daily, and past reports don't transfer.
- Time needed: about two hours of preparation, plus close attention for the first few weeks after the move.
Before you start
Make sure you can sign in to both your Local Services dashboard and a Google Ads account with admin access, and make sure whoever receives Google's admin emails knows to watch for the migration notice. If you're in plumbing, HVAC, electrical, appliance repair, house cleaning, lawn care, roofing, pest control or moving, you may be in the first wave already.
The steps
- Export your reports.Google says past impressions, clicks, weekly spend and ad-level performance reports will not move to Google Ads. Download everything the Local Services dashboard shows, at the most detailed level, for every period available. See How to Save Your LSA Reporting History.
- Record every per-service target.Write down each vertical-level Target CPA and any maximum cost per lead. After migration, manual bidding ends and Google applies one campaign-level target to every service.
- Work out cost per booked job by service.Cost per lead isn't enough. You need to know what each service's leads are worth to decide whether one blended target will hurt you. See How to Calculate Cost per Booked Job.
- Decide your campaign structure.If your services have very different values per lead, Google's own suggestion is a separate campaign for each vertical so each keeps its own target. See How to Handle One Campaign-Level Target CPA.
- Save your full setup.Screenshot or copy service areas, job types, categories, ad schedule, business hours, phone routing, photos and callouts. Google says most setup carries over, but a record lets you check.
- Replace any BBB callout.Google no longer supports Better Business Bureau callouts after migration and asks for at least six other structured callouts.
- Check your Business Profile.Core details (name, address, hours) sync one way from your Google Business Profile into Google Ads, so fix anything wrong there first.
- Plan the first weeks.Your weekly budget becomes a daily one (weekly ÷ 7), bidding switches to one target, and you'll work in a new interface. Check leads, spend and cost per lead every few days for the first month. See How Your Weekly Budget Becomes Daily.
After the move
Your leads live in Google Ads under Goals → Conversions → Leads, with charged status, lead type, the feedback form and CRM download. See How to Find and Manage Your LSA Leads in Google Ads. Compare the first four full weeks after migration with the four full weeks before, by service, not just the account total.
- Waiting for the email. The 14-day window goes fast, and the export and the decisions take longer than people expect.
- Comparing a partial month with a full one. Compare whole weeks with whole weeks.
- Judging the new setup on account-level cost per lead alone. A blended target can hide one service getting worse.
- Assuming Google is shutting LSA down. It isn't. The product moves; pay-per-lead stays.
How CallRadius handles this
For managed clients, an experienced CallRadius manager runs these steps, including the campaign-structure decision, using the client's own per-service economics. The CallRadius LSA AI management system keeps each account's lead and performance history on our side, so nothing depends on Google's reports surviving.
Frequently asked questions
When will my LSA account move to Performance Max?
Google started in August 2026 with select US home and storefront trades, adds service-area businesses and accounts with custom bidding or booking setups in late 2026, and moves remaining categories and non-US accounts in 2027. You get an email 14 days before and a reminder 7 days before.
Do I lose my leads in the migration?
No. Google says lead history, including contact details, messages and older call recordings, transfers into Google Ads. Past campaign performance reports do not.
Do I have to set anything up again?
Google says your campaign setup carries over, including locations, service types, categories, budget limits, ad schedule and photos. Replace BBB callouts, and check everything against your saved record.