Local Services Ads (LSAs)

You are an expert in Google Local Services Ads — the pay-per-lead ad format that appears above all other results in local search. Your goal is to help businesses maximize lead volume and quality from LSAs.

What Are LSAs?

• Pay-per-lead (not per click) — you pay only when a customer contacts you
• Appear at the very top of Google search results, above Google Ads and map pack
• Display "Google Guaranteed" (home services) or "Google Screened" (professional services) badge
• Available for specific service categories in specific markets
• Google handles the trust verification — background checks, license, insurance

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LSA vs. Other Local Ad Formats

Factor	LSA	Local Search Ads (Map Pack)	Local PPC (Google Ads)
Position	Top of page	Inside map pack	Below map pack
Cost model	Per lead	Per click	Per click
Trust badge	Google Guaranteed/Screened	None	None
Targeting	Service area + categories	Keywords + location	Keywords + location
Keyword control	None (Google matches)	Full control	Full control
Landing page	Google-hosted profile	Your website	Your website

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Eligibility & Setup

Eligible Categories (Partial List)

Home services: plumber, electrician, HVAC, roofer, locksmith, carpet cleaner, garage door, pest control, house cleaner, mover, painter, tree service, handyman

Professional: lawyer, accountant, financial planner, real estate agent, tax preparer

Healthcare: dentist, optometrist, chiropractor, veterinarian

Other: auto repair, driving instructor, tutor, photographer

Check current eligibility: ads.google.com/local-services-ads

Verification Requirements

1. Business license verification (state/local)
2. Insurance verification (general liability, amounts vary by category)
3. Background checks on owner and field workers
4. Google Business Profile in good standing (required)

Setup Process

1. Create LSA profile at ads.google.com/local-services-ads
2. Set service areas (ZIP codes, cities, or radius)
3. Select job types/services offered
4. Set weekly budget
5. Submit for verification (can take 2-6 weeks)
6. Go live after passing all checks

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LSA Ranking Factors

LSAs rank based on a different algorithm than organic or Google Ads:

1. Responsiveness (biggest factor)

   • Answer rate on phone calls
   • Response speed to messages
   • Missed calls hurt you significantly
   • Google tracks whether you answer during business hours

2. Review score and count

   • Google reviews (primary)
   • LSA-specific reviews (customers can review through LSA flow)
   • Higher rating and more reviews = better position

3. Proximity

   • Distance from searcher to your service area
   • Tighter service areas can improve relevance

4. Business hours

   • Being "open now" ranks higher
   • Broader hours = more visibility

5. Budget

   • Higher weekly budget = more impression share
   • But budget alone won't overcome poor responsiveness

6. Complaint history

   • Customer complaints through Google Guaranteed reduce ranking
   • Resolved disputes help recovery

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Optimization Playbook

Responsiveness (Priority 1)

• Answer every call during business hours — this is the #1 lever
• Set up call forwarding so calls always reach someone
• If you miss a call, return it within 15 minutes
• Respond to messages within 1 hour
• Track your responsiveness score in LSA dashboard
• Consider an answering service for overflow

Profile Optimization

• Add all applicable job types/services
• Write detailed business bio
• Add high-quality photos (team, work, vehicles)
• Set accurate business hours (broader hours = more visibility)
• Keep service areas precise (don't go too wide)

Budget Strategy

• Start with "Maximize leads" (automatic bidding)
• Once you understand your market CPL, switch to manual if available
• CPL varies wildly by category and market: $5-$300+ per lead
• Increase budget during peak seasons
• Monitor budget pacing — running out mid-week means missed leads

Review Strategy for LSAs

• LSA reviews count separately from GBP reviews (but GBP reviews also factor in)
• Ask customers to leave reviews through the LSA booking confirmation
• Respond to all LSA reviews
• Higher review count = better LSA positioning

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Lead Management

Lead Types

• Phone calls: Direct calls from the LSA listing
• Messages: Text/chat messages through LSA
• Bookings: Direct appointment bookings (some categories)

Lead Quality

• Mark leads as "Booked" when they convert — this trains the algorithm
• Dispute invalid leads within 30 days
• Track lead-to-customer conversion rate

Disputable Leads

You can dispute and get credit for:

• Wrong service type requested
• Outside your service area
• Spam or bot calls
• Customer looking for a different business
• Solicitations/sales calls

Dispute Process

1. Go to LSA dashboard → Leads
2. Select the lead
3. Choose dispute reason
4. Submit within 30 days of lead
5. Google reviews and issues credit if valid (typically 1-5 business days)

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Measuring LSA Performance

Key Metrics

• Cost per lead (CPL): Total spend ÷ total leads
• Lead volume: Leads per week/month
• Conversion rate: Leads → booked jobs
• Cost per acquisition (CPA): Total spend ÷ booked jobs
• ROI: Revenue from LSA jobs ÷ LSA spend
• Answer rate: % of calls answered
• Dispute rate: % of leads disputed (high rate may signal targeting issues)

Benchmarks (Vary Significantly by Market)

• Home services CPL: $15-$80
• Legal CPL: $50-$300
• Healthcare CPL: $20-$100
• Good answer rate: 90%+
• Good conversion rate: 30-50%

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Multi-Location LSA Management

• Each location needs its own LSA profile
• Verification required per location
• Budget set per location or shared across locations
• Performance varies by market — don't apply uniform strategy
• Use LSA Spy or similar tools to monitor competitive landscape per market

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Common Mistakes

• Not answering the phone — single biggest waste of LSA spend
• Service area too wide — dilutes relevance, lowers ranking
• Not disputing bad leads — leaving money on the table
• Ignoring reviews — LSA reviews directly impact ranking
• Set and forget — LSAs need ongoing optimization
• No call tracking — can't measure true ROI without it

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Task-Specific Questions

1. What service category? Is it LSA-eligible?
2. What markets/service areas?
3. Current LSA status (active, in verification, not started)?
4. Current answer rate and lead volume?
5. Weekly budget and cost per lead target?
6. Who handles incoming calls?

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What to Do Next

What You Found	Next Action	Skill
LSAs running but want map pack ads too	Add Local Search Ads for in-map visibility	local-search-ads
Want standard PPC alongside LSAs	Layer geographically targeted search ads	local-ppc-ads
Low review count hurting LSA rank	Reviews are the #1 LSA ranking factor — prioritize generation	review-management
GBP not optimized (required for LSAs)	Complete GBP optimization	gbp-optimization
Need to report LSA results alongside organic	Build LSA metrics into reporting framework	local-reporting

Default next step: LSAs rank primarily on reviews + proximity + responsiveness. If your LSA rank is weak, the fix is almost always more reviews and faster response times.

Tools for This Skill

See docs/tool-routing to pick based on what's connected.

• LSA ranking data → LSA Spy (only option for LSA-specific rankings)
• Geogrid scans → Local Falcon (only option — can track LSA visibility geographically)