Your LSA account is moving.
Here is the checklist.

The short version

• Google is moving Local Services Ads out of their own dashboard and into Google Ads, as a Performance Max campaign with pay-per-lead goals. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17213585

• You still pay only for valid leads such as calls and messages. Your ads still show only on Google Search and Maps, in the same positions, with no keywords. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17213585

• Google’s rollout table puts professional services in the late 2026 phase. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17326460

  Google’s own pages disagree

  Another Google page says professional services will become available for pay-per-lead goals in 2027. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17325249

  What we plan for: Plan for late 2026. Nobody outside Google knows your date until the 14-day email arrives.

• The account administrator listed on your LSA profile gets an email 14 days before migration, with warning banners in the dashboard. A reminder follows 7 days later, and a final email confirms the move. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17213585

• Past performance reports do not move to Google Ads: impressions, clicks, weekly spend and ad-level reports. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17213585

• From October 1, 2026, a missed call during your business hours is charged as a lead if the caller stays on the line more than 20 seconds. If your phone line asks callers to press a key, the 20 seconds start at the key press. Press reportSearch Engine Roundtable, Aug 25, 2026 https://www.seroundtable.com/google-lsa-missed-subsequent-calls-41940.html

What we know

• From October 1, 2026, a missed call during your business hours is charged as a lead if the caller stays on the line more than 20 seconds. If your phone line asks callers to press a key, the 20 seconds start at the key press. Press reportSearch Engine Roundtable, Aug 25, 2026 https://www.seroundtable.com/google-lsa-missed-subsequent-calls-41940.html

• Google defines business hours as the hours set in your Google Business Profile. If your ad schedule differs from them, an unanswered call is charged only when it falls inside both your ad schedule and those hours. Local Services Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/7195435

• A call that reaches voicemail or an automated greeting during business hours, with no key press, is treated as a connected call. It is charged if the caller stays on the line more than 20 seconds, whether or not they leave a message. Local Services Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/7195435

• Google’s email did not say whether law firms are included. Plan as if they are until Google says otherwise. Press reportPPC Land, Aug 25, 2026 https://ppc.land/google-charges-local-services-advertisers-for-missed-calls-over-20-seconds/

• Google’s Ads Liaison said a business is charged once for follow-up calls it makes within 15 days of the first contact. Press reportSearch Engine Roundtable, Aug 25, 2026 https://www.seroundtable.com/google-lsa-missed-subsequent-calls-41940.html

• LSA ranking weighs your responsiveness, and Google says missed calls can count against it. Local Services Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/7527305

• For the new campaigns, Google calls phone responsiveness a primary driver of ad performance and local ranking. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17326561

• Today, Google keeps call recordings and messages for legal accounts for 60 days, then deletes them. Local Services Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/7281751

• In today’s LSA lead inbox you can listen to phone lead recordings (US only). Local Services Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/6224859

• In the US and Canada, every call through a Google forwarding number is recorded, and callers hear a notice first. The only exceptions Google lists are healthcare and tax specialists. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17325352

The short version

• Google’s rollout runs in three phases: August 2026 for select home and storefront services, late 2026 for broader groups including professional services, and 2027 for accounts outside the US and every remaining category. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17326460

• Google lists lawyers under professional services. Local Services Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/12174778

• Google’s rollout table puts professional services in the late 2026 phase. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17326460

  Google’s own pages disagree

  Another Google page says professional services will become available for pay-per-lead goals in 2027. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17325249

  What we plan for: Plan for late 2026. Nobody outside Google knows your date until the 14-day email arrives.

• Google gives no month or day for any phase and describes no way to opt in early or to delay. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17213585

• The account administrator listed on your LSA profile gets an email 14 days before migration, with warning banners in the dashboard. A reminder follows 7 days later, and a final email confirms the move. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17213585

• On migration day, logging in to the LSA dashboard sends you to your campaign in Google Ads. The old dashboard is gone. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17213585

• Google runs a migration support line: +1-844-205-0011, Monday to Friday, 9am to 8pm Eastern. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17213585

What we know

• LSA access comes in five levels: email only, billing only, read only, standard and administrative. Administrative users are the ones who can manage users and access. Local Services Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/7652468

• Who can pay and receive invoices is controlled separately, in your Google payments profile. Local Services Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/7652468

• Manager account links for LSA are set up and changed inside Google Ads, not in the LSA dashboard. Local Services Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/7652468

• The new campaign takes your business name, address, hours and review ratings from your Google Business Profile, and they cannot be edited in Google Ads. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17325249

• Whoever completes LSA business checks must be an owner or manager of the Business Profile. Local Services Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/6226575

• Today a Google Ads account can hold only one Local Services campaign. Google Ads API, Sep 10, 2026 https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/docs/campaigns/local-service-campaigns

  Google’s own pages disagree

  Google’s migration page suggests running separate campaigns per category after the move, which implies more than one per account. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17213585

  What we plan for: Keep one LSA campaign per Google Ads account, as today, until Google says how offices and categories combine.

• If several of your locations serve the same area, Google shows only your highest-ranking ad for a search. Local Services Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/7527305

• Google’s LSA rules prohibit opening multiple or duplicate accounts to get more traffic. Google Advertising Policies Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/6245891

• Google’s migration page says nothing about accounts run from an agency’s manager account, or about firms with several LSA accounts or offices. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17213585

What we know

• Past performance reports do not move to Google Ads: impressions, clicks, weekly spend and ad-level reports. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17213585

• Google says a download of historical reports will be available soon on the redirect page, and to take screenshots now if you need your reports. On October 17, 2026 the download was still marked soon. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17213585

• LSA reports live in the lead inbox: open the menu at the top, choose Reports, set the date range. They show charged leads by category, calls against messages, total charges, spend by category and the lead credits you received. Local Services Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/6226265

• LSA report data is available from October 1, 2017 onward. Local Services Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/6226265

• Google says your past leads move over, including contact details, message history and older call recordings. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17213585

  Google’s own pages disagree

  Google’s help page for the new Leads page says call recordings and sensitive conversation history are stored for up to 30 days. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17325352

  What we plan for: Treat any recording older than about 30 days as at risk, and save the ones you need now.

• The Google Ads API returns lead-level charge and credit status, message text and links to call recordings, for a login with access to the Google Ads account that owns the campaign. Google Ads API, Sep 10, 2026 https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/docs/campaigns/local-service-campaigns

What we know

• Manual bidding (a maximum cost per lead) and per-category targets are retired. If you set different targets by category, Google calculates one campaign-level target and applies it to all of them. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17213585

• To keep separate bids by category, Google says to run separate campaigns. You cannot create new pay-per-lead campaigns inside Google Ads yet; new ones still start at g.co/localservices. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17213585

• Google suggests setting a Target CPA (its name for a target cost per lead) only once the campaign gets more than 15 leads a month and your cost per lead is higher than you want, and warns that a target may restrict delivery. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17326561

• LSA has a setting called Appear in general law searches. Turning it off stops your ads showing on searches such as “lawyer near me” that name no practice area. It sits under Profile & Budget, then Job Type. Local Services Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/12491364

• Google’s How leads work page no longer mentions general lawyer leads, so it no longer says how it treats a lead for a practice area you do not handle when that setting is on. Local Services Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/7195435

• Google’s migration page does not say how the general law searches setting carries over to the new campaigns. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17213585

• Credits stay automated and usually land within 30 days. Google no longer credits leads for a job type or an area you do not serve. Local Services Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/15100654

• Google’s How leads work page no longer lists examples of leads that are not credited. It says its automated systems filter out invalid activity such as spam and duplicate contacts, and automatically credit low-quality leads. Local Services Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/7195435

• Since April 2026, Google has used the website in your LSA account to generate business and service descriptions, special offers and pricing. The opt-out today is removing the website under Account, then Profile & Budget, then Website. Press reportSearch Engine Roundtable, Apr 17, 2026 https://www.seroundtable.com/google-local-service-ads-rich-content-urls-41174.html

• In the new campaigns, a setting called Asset optimization scans your website to create assets such as callouts. You can turn it off in campaign settings or remove the website. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17325249

• Hours, phone and small name edits on your Business Profile sync to Google Ads within 24 hours. Big changes to your name, storefront address or primary category trigger a review that usually takes 24 to 48 hours, and the campaign may pause meanwhile. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17213585

• On September 1, 2026, Google’s Ads Liaison confirmed a bug that unlinked some LSA accounts from their Business Profiles, and said it was unrelated to the migration. Press reportSearch Engine Roundtable, Sep 1, 2026 https://www.seroundtable.com/google-local-service-ads-bug-41999.html

• One advertiser reported LSA ads suspended after a short site outage while a firewall rule blocked Google’s crawler. The appeal was approved once the block was removed. Single reportLocal Search Forum, Sep 2, 2026 https://localsearchforum.com/threads/lsa-ads-suspended-after-website-downtime.63372/

• BBB callouts are no longer supported. Google asks you to pick at least 6 other structured callouts, up to 6 per category. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17213585

• From August 2, 2026, LSA does not allow AI-edited or AI-generated images in New York state or the EU. Google Advertising Policies Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/6245891

What we know

• Google says many ads start right away, but to allow up to two weeks for the migration to finish and performance to settle. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17213585

• Your average weekly budget is divided by 7 to set a daily average budget. Monthly spend is capped at that daily budget times 30.4. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17213585

• The campaign’s bid strategy defaults to Maximize conversions, which bids for as many leads as your daily budget allows. In these campaigns a conversion is a charged lead, so billing stays pay per lead. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17325051

• In Google Ads you can change the number your call and message leads ring through to, in real time. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17213585

• For message leads, Google replaces the person’s phone number with a Google forwarding number plus a unique extension per lead. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17325352

• Leads move to Goals, then Conversions, then Leads in Google Ads, with charge status, lead type, the feedback form and a lead download. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17213585

• After the move, you manage lead email notifications for calls and messages under Notifications, in the Admin menu of Google Ads. Google says this replaces the old message lead notification setting. Every account user and direct manager starts opted in, whatever they set in the LSA dashboard. Individual users can opt out, but at least one user must stay opted in. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17213585

• You can mark each lead Booked or Completed, which Google says helps its automated systems. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17325352

• Google advises keeping service areas within a two-hour drive of your business. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17326561

• Your Google Verified badge carries over automatically, and insurance and license reverification are no longer required. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17213585

What we know

• In the new campaign, Conversions means charged leads, and Cost per conversion is your average cost per lead. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17213585

• Pay-per-lead campaigns use Google’s fixed lead goals. You cannot add a custom conversion such as a signed case. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17325352

• Since June 15, 2026, offline conversion imports go through Google’s Data Manager rather than the Google Ads API. Google has not said that imported conversions steer pay-per-lead bidding. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/2998031

• Google’s API stopped returning the person’s email on LSA leads in version 25 (July 22, 2026) and added a phone extension field. Google Ads API, Jul 22, 2026 https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/docs/release-notes

• In Pareto Legal’s 2025 study of nine plaintiff firms, tracking gaps hid roughly 27% more signed cases than the firms could attribute. Pareto Legal, Aug 7, 2026 https://pareto.legal/state-of-law-firm-local-service-ads/

What we know

• As of October 17, 2026, nobody has published before-and-after numbers for accounts that have already moved. A migration cost-per-lead change quoted today is a guess. Firmatics researchFirmatics research for this page, Oct 17, 2026 https://firmatics.com/guides/lsa-migration#how-we-checked

What we know

• Booking leads are optional and available starting October 2026. Google has not said whether law firms can use them. Google Ads Help, undated page, checked Oct 17, 2026 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17325249