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Day: August 25, 2026

Is Google Getting Rid of Local Service Ads? The Real Cost

Google Local Services Ads are moving to Performance Max: what it actually costs contractors. FIRST-PARTY DATA (PushLeads-managed Google Local Services Ads account, Bear Restoration, Asheville NC general-contractor category, 5 months Apr 23 - Aug 26 2026, pulled from Google Ads API v24 customer 7092252142): total LSA spend ,043.25; 22,999 impressions; 132 total leads (76 phone calls, 56 messages); 83 charged leads; 49 leads NOT charged (37% dispute/credit rate). Cost per charged lead .86. Cost per lead all-in .36. By month - Apr: 7.25 spend / 16 leads / 9 charged. May: ,101.44 / 35 / 25. Jun: ,093.57 / 25 / 15. Jul: ,124.92 / 38 / 25. Aug (partial): ,246.07 / 18 / 9. Top service mix by lead volume: hvac_maintenance 16, clean_ducts_vents 7, home_remodel_renovation 6, home_building 4. CONTEXT FOR COMPARISON: the widely-cited SearchLight industry benchmark puts home-services LSA cost per lead at ~ - our all-in figure matches it almost exactly at .36, but the cost per ACTUALLY CHARGED lead is 60% higher at .86, which is the number contractors should budget against. MIGRATION FACTS: Google announced July 2026 that the standalone LSA dashboard is retiring and pay-per-lead LSA campaigns migrate into Google Ads as a pay-per-lead Performance Max campaign type, phased from August 2026 for US home/storefront categories. Pay-per-lead billing, top-of-Search/Maps placement and the Google Verified badge all stay. Ads do NOT expand to YouTube/Gmail/Display despite the Performance Max name. Historical LSA performance reports DO NOT transfer and Google gives only 14 days notice - export first. The Google Guaranteed badge was replaced by Google Verified on Oct 20 2025 and the ,000 money-back guarantee was discontinued Nov 7 2025. - hero illustration

What is the latest Google Local Services Ads news for 2025 and 2026? Google confirmed on July 20, 2026 that Local Services Ads are becoming a specialized Performance Max campaign type inside the main Google Ads interface. Phase one began August 2026 for U.S. home service trades including plumbers, HVAC techs, electricians, roofers, lawn care, […]

How Do You Optimize a Website for AI Search and ChatGPT?

How Do You Optimize a Website for AI Search and ChatGPT?

Key Takeaways Data tracked across 41 local businesses and 166 citation records shows that a contractor’s own website remains the dominant AI citation source, appearing in 38 of 39 cases. YouTube citations appeared in 23 of 39 businesses, accounting for roughly 15.5% of all citations. Yelp appeared in only 2 of 39. The practical implication […]