Local Services Ads and Google Business Profile (GBP) used to feel like two separate worlds — one for paid leads, one for organic local presence. That's no longer the case. Since November 2024, linking a Google Business Profile to your LSA account has been mandatory, and since around July 2025, all LSA reviews are managed through GBP. If you run LSA, your Business Profile is now part of the machinery, not an optional companion.
What the linkage requirement actually is
To run Local Services Ads, your LSA account must be connected to a Google Business Profile that represents the same business. Google uses that link to tie together the identity that appears in the ad, the reviews that display on it, and the business record it has already verified. Without a valid, linked profile, you don't have a complete, eligible LSA presence.
This closes a gap that used to exist. Previously, LSA reviews lived in a somewhat separate ecosystem from the reviews a customer saw on your Business Profile in Maps and organic Search. Consolidating them means the star rating and review count a searcher sees are drawn from a single, unified source.
Reviews now flow through GBP
The most consequential part of the change is reviews. As of the mid-2025 update, LSA reviews are managed through Google Business Profile. In practice that means:
- Review requests you send to customers direct them to leave a review that lands on your Business Profile.
- The rating and review count shown on your LSA card reflect your GBP reviews.
- You respond to those reviews through the Business Profile interface.
This unification is a big deal for a channel where the card's star rating is one of the strongest conversion and ranking signals. It also means your review strategy is now singular: you're building one review reputation that serves both your paid LSA card and your organic local presence at the same time.
Why Google tied the two together
There are a few reasons this consolidation makes sense from Google's side:
- Consistency. One business, one verified identity, one review corpus — fewer places for the picture a customer sees to diverge.
- Trust integrity. Centralizing reviews on GBP applies the same review policies and spam controls across surfaces.
- Signal quality. A single, richer profile gives the ranking system more reliable inputs to decide who appears and in what order.
What this means for your setup and upkeep
The linkage requirement adds a dependency to both launch and maintenance. A few implications worth planning around:
| Area | Before linkage | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | Somewhat separate from GBP | Managed through GBP |
| Business identity | LSA account standalone | Must match linked GBP |
| Review responses | Handled in LSA | Handled via GBP |
| Setup dependency | Optional profile | Verified, linked profile required |
First, your Business Profile needs to be in good standing — verified, accurate, and consistent with the identity you verified for LSA. Discrepancies in name, address, or category between your GBP and your LSA account can create friction. Second, because reviews are now a shared asset, review velocity and responsiveness matter for both channels simultaneously. A single strong review-generation habit does double duty. Third, if your Business Profile is ever suspended or altered, it can ripple into your LSA presence, so profile health is now an LSA concern.
Turning the requirement into an advantage
Rather than treating GBP linkage as red tape, the businesses that do best treat it as leverage. One review-request workflow, sent to every customer, builds the rating that lifts both your LSA card and your map listing. One habit of replying promptly and professionally to reviews improves both surfaces. Because Google's fake-review rule (16 CFR 465, effective October 2024) makes it risky to solicit only your happy customers, the compliant approach — asking all customers for a review — also happens to be the approach that builds the most durable, unified reputation across both channels.
The bottom line: LSA no longer stands alone. Your Business Profile is the shared foundation underneath it, and keeping that foundation healthy is now part of running the ads.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a Google Business Profile to run Local Services Ads?
Yes. Since November 2024 an LSA account must be linked to a verified Google Business Profile that represents the same business; without a valid linked profile you do not have a complete, eligible LSA presence.
Where are LSA reviews managed now?
Since around July 2025 LSA reviews are managed through Google Business Profile, so the rating and review count on your LSA card reflect your GBP reviews and you respond to them through the Business Profile.
Does the name and address on my LSA account need to match my Business Profile?
Yes. Google expects a consistent identity between the two surfaces, so discrepancies in name, address, or category between your GBP and your LSA account can create friction.