Google Local Services Ads Are Moving to Performance Max

Google Local Services Ads Performance Max campaigns begin replacing the standalone LSA dashboard for select U.S. home service advertisers in August 2026. The ads will still charge per valid lead and appear only on Search and Maps, but historical performance reports will not transfer, manual bidding will end, and budget controls will change.

Google confirmed the transition in its official migration guide. The first wave includes plumbing, HVAC, electrical, appliance repair, house cleaning, lawn care, roofing, pest control, and moving companies. Google will email the account administrator 14 days before the scheduled move.

Do this first

Download the old LSA performance reports now. Google will move customer lead history, messages, contact details, and older call recordings into Lead Manager, but it will not move historical campaign reports into Google Ads.

What Changes When Local Services Ads Move to Performance Max?

The migration changes the management system, bidding controls, budget format, and reporting history. Google built a separate pay-per-lead version of Performance Max that keeps the original local placements and billing model.

Area	Before migration	After migration
Management	Standalone LSA dashboard	Google Ads and Lead Manager
Budget	Weekly budget	Daily average with a 30.4-day monthly cap
Manual bidding	Maximum cost per lead available	Manual bidding removed
Vertical targets	Different targets by service category	One campaign-level target CPA
Historical reports	Available in the LSA dashboard	Do not transfer to Google Ads

Historical reports will not transfer

Google says previous impressions, clicks, spend, lead totals, and ad-level performance reports will not appear in the new campaign. Once the account moves, the old dashboard redirects to Google Ads. Export the reports before that redirect becomes permanent.

Keep the export with your CRM or call-tracking baseline. Without it, you cannot make a clean before-and-after comparison when lead cost or quality changes. The customer lead record does transfer. The missing piece is campaign reporting, rather than every past customer conversation.

Manual bidding and category-level targets will end

Google will remove the manual maximum-cost-per-lead option. Accounts that used separate target CPA amounts for different services will also move to one campaign-level target. Google recommends separate campaigns when a contractor needs different bidding rules for separate verticals, such as plumbing and HVAC.

This loss of control is the main concern in current practitioner discussion. A thread in r/LocalServicesAds and PPC posts collected after the announcement focus less on the new interface and more on automated bidding, lead quality, and the data needed to judge the change. Google has not published evidence that performance will improve or decline after migration.

Google Business Profile data will sync into the campaign

Google Ads will sync hours, phone number, business details, and photos from the connected Google Business Profile. Minor changes should update within 24 hours. Major edits to the business name, storefront address, or primary category can trigger a review and a temporary pause that Google says typically lasts 24 to 48 hours.

What Stays the Same After the LSA Migration?

Local Services Ads will remain pay per valid lead, keywordless, and limited to Google Search and Maps. Targeting will still use service categories, service areas, and account settings. Existing verification and the Google Verified badge will transfer without routine license or insurance reverification.

Billing

Calls, messages, and bookings remain pay per valid lead.

Placements

Ads remain on Google Search and Google Maps only.

Targeting

Campaigns stay keywordless and use service and location data.

Verification

Completed checks and the Google Verified badge transfer.

Google Ads Product Liaison Ginny Marvin answered the first round of questions on July 20, 2026. Coverage from Search Engine Land and Search Engine Journal confirms the same boundary: these campaigns stay on Search and Maps.

Which Home Service Contractors Move First?

The first phase starts in August 2026 for select U.S. home and storefront service advertisers. Google will widen the rollout in late 2026 and continue into 2027. Your account notice determines your migration date.

August 2026Select U.S. plumbing, HVAC, electrical, appliance repair, house cleaning, lawn care, roofing, pest control, moving, and other storefront advertisers.
Late 2026Broader U.S. groups, including service-area businesses without storefronts and accounts with custom bidding or booking setups.
2027Non-U.S. accounts and remaining business categories.

The first wave directly affects the trades Obieo serves, including roofing companies and HVAC contractors. If the account administrator is an old employee, agency, or shared inbox nobody checks, fix that before the 14-day notice arrives.

What Should Contractors Do Before the LSA Migration?

Before the migration notice arrives

Confirm the account administrator

Verify who receives Google's email and who can access both the current LSA dashboard and the destination Google Ads account. Google sends the first notice 14 days before migration and a final reminder seven days later.

Export every historical performance report

Save the available campaign reports before migration. Record the date range, spend, valid leads, disputed leads, booked jobs, and any service-category splits you already use for decisions.

Write down the current lead economics

Pull cost per lead from Google and booked-job data from the CRM. Measure the baseline against booked work so you can judge the new campaign on revenue outcomes rather than Google's lead count alone.

Audit Google Business Profile

Check the name, primary category, services, service areas, hours, phone number, and photos. The new daily sync makes profile accuracy part of ad operations. Schedule high-risk profile changes before migration.

Document every bidding exception

List service categories that currently use different maximum bids or target CPAs. Plan separate campaigns where the economics differ enough to require separate controls.

Test lead routing and response ownership

Confirm who answers calls, messages, and bookings in the new Lead Manager. Test phone routing and notification paths. Our contractor lead generation guide explains why source quality and speed-to-lead must be measured together.

The business decision

Treat the migration as a measurement reset. Protect the old baseline, verify the settings that transfer, and compare booked-job cost before and after the move. Google says campaigns may need up to two weeks to stabilize, so use the full ramp period before judging normal cost movement.

What Should You Check After the Account Migrates?

Google automatically transfers locations, services, categories, budget limits, ad schedule, photos, verification, and lead history. Review the new campaign against the backup you made before migration.

Confirm the daily average budget equals the old weekly budget divided by seven.
Check service areas, service categories, hours, photos, and lead-routing settings.
Verify the campaign serves only on Search and Maps and remains pay per valid lead.
Compare the opening target CPA with your recent actual cost per qualified lead.
Test calls, messages, bookings, notifications, and dispute workflows.
Track valid leads, booked jobs, revenue, and cost per booked job for at least two weeks.

Google says many ads will start running immediately, but the migration and performance ramp can take up to two weeks. Investigate broken routing, missing categories, or incorrect budgets right away. Give automated bidding enough time to collect data before judging normal performance movement.

Google Local Services Ads Migration FAQ

Are Google Local Services Ads going away?

The ads will continue. Google is retiring the standalone Local Services Ads dashboard. Existing campaigns will move into Google Ads as a specialized Performance Max campaign with pay-per-lead goals.

Will Local Services Ads start showing on YouTube or Display?

Google says the migrated campaigns will continue to appear only on Google Search and Google Maps. YouTube, Gmail, Discover, and the Google Display Network remain outside this campaign type.

What Local Services Ads data should contractors export?

Export your historical campaign performance reports before migration. Google says those reports will not transfer. Past customer leads, messages, contact details, and older call recordings will move into the new Lead Manager.

Will the Google Verified badge transfer?

Yes. Google says completed business verification and the Google Verified badge will transfer automatically. Insurance and license reverification will not be required unless Google requests another business-level check.

Hunter Lapeyre

Hunter owns Obieo, a search and lead generation agency for home service companies, and Lapeyre Roofing. He reviews marketing changes through the same question contractors ask: what happens to lead quality, booked work, and margin?