Google Is Moving Local Services Ads Into Google Ads. 5 Things to Do Before Your Account Moves

Google is shutting down the Local Services Ads dashboard and moving every account into Google Ads. Your ads become a special kind of Performance Max campaign, and you still pay per lead, not per click. Home service businesses like plumbing, HVAC and roofing started moving in August 2026. More accounts move in late 2026 and the rest in 2027.

Most of it happens on its own. But a few things don't move with you, and one of them is your history.

Here's what changes, what stays the same, and 5 things to do before your account moves.

What is changing with Google Local Services Ads?

Google's help page says it plainly: "Your Local Services Ads performance reports will not transition to Google Ads."

Here's what that means day to day:

• Where you log in. After your account moves, the old Local Services dashboard is gone. If you try to log in, Google sends you to Google Ads.
• How you bid. You can no longer set a maximum price per lead by hand. Google uses one target cost per lead for the whole campaign.
• How your budget works. Your weekly budget becomes a daily budget.
• Your business details. Your name, address and hours come from your Google Business Profile. You change them there, not in Google Ads. The phone number your leads ring can be changed in Google Ads.

And here's what Google says moves over on its own: your leads, your message history, your verification status, your Google Verified badge, your service areas, service types, budget, ad schedule and photos.

When does my account move?

Google is moving accounts in 3 waves:

Google emails the account admin before the move. Industry reports say that email comes about 14 days ahead, with a reminder a week later. If the admin email is an old inbox nobody checks, you won't see it coming.

5 things to do before your account moves

1. Download your reports now

This is the one you can't undo. Your past reports stay behind when you move. That's months or years of data on what your leads cost, which services brought calls, and which weeks were busy.

Download everything you can from your Local Services dashboard while you still have it. Google says you'll also be able to download history from the page that redirects you after the move, but don't count on that being complete. Save it today.

If you only save one thing, save cost per lead by job type. You'll need it for step 3.

2. Check who gets Google's emails

Log in and look at which email is listed as the account admin. Make sure it's an inbox a real person reads every day. If an agency set up your account years ago, the admin might be someone who doesn't work with you anymore.

3. Decide your target cost per lead

Right now you might pay more for a water heater lead than a clogged drain lead. After the move, manual bidding is gone. If your account covers more than one type of work, Google works out one target cost per lead for the whole campaign.

One blended target can send more of your budget to the jobs where leads come cheap, and those aren't always the jobs you want most. A post in Google's own Ads community suggests splitting a multi-service account (plumbing and HVAC, for example) into separate campaigns so each one gets its own target.

Use the numbers you saved in step 1. What can you afford to pay for a lead on each type of job? That's your answer.

4. Do the budget math

Google takes your average weekly budget and divides it by 7 to get a daily budget. Your monthly spend can reach up to your daily budget times 30.4.

So a $700 weekly budget becomes $100 a day, and you can spend up to $3,040 in a month. Some days will spend more than $100 and some less. Check that the monthly number is one you're okay with.

5. Fix your Google Business Profile first

Your name, address and hours now flow from your Google Business Profile into your ads. If something's wrong on the profile, it's wrong in your ads too.

Two details matter most:

• Hours. Since October 1, Google can charge you for missed calls during your business hours, and those hours come from your profile. If your profile says you're open until 8 p.m. but nobody answers after 5, you're paying for that gap. Here's how the missed call charges work.
• Name and address. Big changes to your name or address can trigger a new verification check, and your ads may pause while Google reviews it. Make those changes well before your move date, not the week of.

After the move: watch the first 2 weeks

Industry coverage says Google suggests giving the new campaign up to 2 weeks to settle. During that time, check 3 things every few days:

1. Are leads still coming in at about the same pace?
2. Is your daily budget spending the way you expected?
3. Is every lead getting answered fast?

That last one is the one that pays you. The move changes where you log in. It doesn't change who picks up the phone. A lead you paid for is only worth something if someone calls it back in minutes, not hours.

FAQ

Are Google Local Services Ads going away?

The Local Services Ads dashboard is going away, but the ads aren't. Google is moving them into Google Ads as a Performance Max campaign with pay-per-lead goals. They still show on Google Search and Maps, and you still pay per lead.

Will I lose my Google Verified badge when my account moves?

No. Google says your verification status and Google Verified badge move over on their own, along with your leads and message history.

Do I need to do anything for the migration?

The move itself is automatic. But Google says your old performance reports won't transfer, so download them before your date. It's also smart to check your admin email, your budget and your Google Business Profile.

Will I start paying per click instead of per lead?

No. Google says you still pay only for valid leads, such as calls and messages, not for clicks.

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