# Managing the Local Services Ads Migration: Step by Step

> Tower33 walks you through the LSA-to-Google Ads migration: export legacy data, dispute bad leads, and build a dashboard that tracks true CPL.

**Published:** 2026-10-15 | **Updated:** 2026-10-31 | **Author:** victorsoares
**URL:** https://tower33.com/articles/track-google-local-services-ads/
**Type:** post

**Categories:** Google Ads

![Managing the Local Services Ads Migration: Step by Step](https://tower33.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/sites/107/2026/10/1791976673804-722e5f2ddab8-1024x572.webp)

---

## Content

*Written by: Anthony Miller, Founder, Tower 33*

## Key Takeaways

- LSA performance tracking works when Google-reported leads connect to booked jobs and revenue. Cost per booked job and revenue per lead matter more than raw CPL.
- The 2026 migration of Local Services Ads into Google Ads as Performance Max campaigns erases historical reporting baselines unless advertisers export data before the switch.
- As covered throughout this guide, the gap between Google-reported leads and booked jobs closes only with CRM reconciliation that marks qualified leads and booked jobs.
- A five-metric dashboard (lead volume, responsiveness rating, CPL, lead status and disputes, and reviews) plus weekly dispute cadences and booked-lead marking creates a reliable post-migration measurement foundation.
- Post-migration, manual bidding and vertical-level Target CPA go away. Separate campaigns are needed to keep per-category targets and protect margins.

[Get LSA migration tactics in your inbox](https://tower33.com/join-strategy-newsletter/?utm_term=track-google-local-services-ads&utm_campaign=ai_growth_agent)

## The Migration Is Already Here

Google Local Services Ads (LSAs) are migrating into Google Ads as Performance Max campaigns with pay-per-lead goals. [The rollout began August 1, 2026, with selected U.S. home and storefront service businesses](https://support.google.com/google-ads/thread/456909801/local-services-ads-are-transitioning-to-performance-max-campaigns-with-pay-per-lead-goals), and it will expand to additional advertiser groups later in 2026 and throughout 2027. The management surface moves from the standalone LSA dashboard into Google Ads. Historical campaign reporting does not move with it.

That last sentence is the operational problem. Accounts that do not export before the switch lose their baseline permanently. There is no Google-provided archive or automatic retention mechanism. [The only stated option is to export reports before migration](https://support.google.com/google-ads/thread/456909801/local-services-ads-are-transitioning-to-performance-max-campaigns-with-pay-per-lead-goals). James Clemens, a Diamond Product Expert in the Google Ads Help Community, put it plainly on August 4, 2026: advertisers should make a note to download their historical performance reports since they will not be transferred.

The deeper problem predates the migration. Google reports leads, and the business books jobs. The gap between those two numbers is where LSA performance tracking either becomes useful or stays decorative. The migration makes fixing that gap urgent.

[Get the pre-migration export checklist](https://tower33.com/join-strategy-newsletter/?utm_term=track-google-local-services-ads&utm_campaign=ai_growth_agent)

## Who This Guide Is For and What to Clarify First

This guide is written for the marketing manager or in-house lead at an HVAC, plumbing, roofing, or law firm who already runs LSAs, has a CRM, and needs tracking that survives the migration and reports cost per booked job. Prerequisites include an active LSA account, access to Google Ads (current or imminent), a CRM or defined lead-handling process, a clear definition of a qualified lead and a booked job, and analytics access.

A few LSA-specific terms matter before you change anything. The **responsiveness rating** is Google's measure of how quickly and consistently the business answers LSA leads. It influences ranking and lead flow. **Lead credits** are refunds issued when a lead is successfully disputed as invalid. **Booked-lead marking** is the act of flagging a lead as converted to a booked job inside the LSA interface.

A **lead dispute** is a formal request to Google to invalidate a lead and recover the spend. A **Google-reported lead** is any phone call, message, or booking that Google counts as a billable lead. That count is different from qualified leads and booked jobs, which is why CRM reconciliation matters.

The migration also changes how bids and reporting work. [Manual bidding and vertical-level Target CPA settings will no longer be supported after migration](https://support.google.com/google-ads/thread/456909801/local-services-ads-are-transitioning-to-performance-max-campaigns-with-pay-per-lead-goals). After migration to Performance Max with pay-per-lead goals, a unified campaign-level Target CPA is calculated and applied across all vertical categories, though campaigns default to Maximize Conversions with Target CPA being optional. For the full LSA reporting framework, see [Google's official LSA reporting guide](https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/6226265) and the [LSA API reporting documentation](https://developers.google.com/local-services-ads/guides/reporting).

[Get migration updates and examples](https://tower33.com/join-strategy-newsletter/?utm_term=track-google-local-services-ads&utm_campaign=ai_growth_agent)

## Step-By-Step Process Breakdown

### Step 1: Export Legacy LSA Data Before the Google Ads Migration

The purpose of this step is to preserve historical lead and cost baselines that will not transfer into Google Ads. Once LSA folds into Performance Max, the old reporting surface is gone. Without an export, there is no pre-migration baseline to compare post-migration performance against. Year-over-year CPL analysis then becomes reconstruction work instead of a clean comparison.

Export the following before migration:

- Historical lead reports
- Cost and budget history
- Lead status and dispute records
- Responsiveness rating history
- Review counts and ratings
- Category-level bid and budget settings

One practical note matters here. [At least one advertiser reported in the Google Ads Help Community on August 10, 2026, that there is no download button on the LSA reports tab](https://support.google.com/google-ads/thread/456909801/local-services-ads-are-transitioning-to-performance-max-campaigns-with-pay-per-lead-goals). That limitation means screenshots or manual data entry may be the only option for some report types. Do not assume the export will be automated. Exporting is a one-time task with a hard deadline. Doing it late means reconstructing baselines from CRM data alone.

### Step 2: Build the Five-Metric Dashboard and Define Each Metric

The goal here is a clean, labeled set of metrics that the whole team agrees on before the migration changes the reporting surface. Each metric defined below is the operational definition, not just a platform label.

**Lead volume and lead types** describe the number of leads Google reports and whether they are phone, message, or booking leads. [Google's own API treats all three LSA lead channels as a single LOCAL_SERVICES_ADS conversion action type (value 51)](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/diff-tool/v25/versus-v24/diffs/enums/conversion_action_type). Any CRM reconciliation model must map all three formats to downstream booked-job and revenue milestones rather than treating them as one undifferentiated conversion.

**Responsiveness rating** measures how quickly and consistently the business answers LSA leads. It influences ranking and lead flow. [Google's official LSA documentation references responsiveness as a ranking factor](https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/6226265) but does not publish a standalone numeric formula, weighting, or exact thresholds.

**Cost per lead (CPL)** is total LSA spend divided by Google-reported leads before any qualification or booking adjustment. CPL is a starting point for analysis. The outcome that matters is cost per booked job.

**Lead status and disputes** capture whether each lead was marked valid, invalid, or booked, and whether a credit was requested. Credits change true CPL. A program that looks expensive at gross CPL may look efficient at net CPL after credits are applied.

**Reviews** cover the count and rating of reviews tied to the LSA profile. These reviews influence ranking and lead quality.

### Step 3: Mark Leads as Booked and Reconcile Google's Count with CRM Outcomes

The purpose of this step is to connect Google-reported leads to qualified leads, booked jobs, and revenue. Start by passing LSA leads into the CRM and tagging the source as LSA so every lead can be traced back to the campaign that produced it. From there, mark each lead as qualified or unqualified, and mark each qualified lead as booked or not booked. Only once those statuses are in place can you calculate cost per booked job and revenue per lead.

Google-reported leads are not necessarily qualified leads. [Because the Google Ads API provides no native booked-job or revenue conversion type for Local Services Ads](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/diff-tool/v25/versus-v24/diffs/enums/conversion_action_type), measuring cost per booked job requires importing CRM milestones as separate offline conversion actions or joining LSA lead data to CRM records outside the platform. As noted earlier, the gap between Google-reported leads and booked jobs is where tracking becomes useful.

[Google recommends Enhanced Conversions for Leads as the current method for connecting CRM outcomes back to Google Ads](https://support.google.com/google-ads/faq/10286469), using hashed first-party customer data such as email addresses to improve matching between CRM records and the original Google Ads interaction. Note that [from June 15, 2026, offline conversion imports and Enhanced Conversions for Leads uploads moved to the Data Manager API](https://support.google.com/google-ads/faq/10286469). Implementations using the legacy Google Ads API upload path should be migrated accordingly. For a deeper look at how to build this attribution layer, see Tower33's [Google Ads Revenue Attribution: A Diagnostic Playbook](https://tower33.com/articles/google-search-campaign-revenue-attribution/?utm_term=track-google-local-services-ads&utm_campaign=ai_growth_agent).

This step requires a CRM and a lead-handling process. If either is missing, fix that first.

### Step 4: Run a Dispute and Lead-Credit Cadence

The purpose of this step is to recover spend on invalid leads and keep true CPL honest. Review new leads on a fixed cadence, and weekly is typical. Attach evidence for invalid leads, submit disputes within Google's window, and track credits received.

Credits change the math. A program that looks expensive at gross CPL may look efficient at net CPL after credits are applied. Disputing every lead is not the goal. Dispute the ones that meet Google's invalid-lead criteria, and document the pattern so the business can see whether lead quality is drifting over time. Inconsistent disputing, with no cadence and no evidence standard, produces sporadic credits and a true CPL that is impossible to trust. Set the cadence, document the evidence standard, and run it the same way every week.

### Step 5: Answer the Google Ads vs. Local Services Ads Question Directly

With the measurement foundation in place, the next question is structural. You need to understand how Google Ads and Local Services Ads differ and what that difference means for tracking after the migration. The SERP's People Also Ask surfaces this question repeatedly, and most ranking pages answer it vaguely. The direct answer matters for tracking because the migration changes which tools apply.

[LSA is a pay-per-lead model with category-level bids and a Google-screened lead flow](https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/6226265). [Google Ads is an auction-based platform that runs an ad auction every time ad space is available](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/7065882), offers campaign-level bid strategies, and provides a conversion tracking framework that is required for conversion-based bidding such as Smart Bidding. The table below shows why the migration is not a cosmetic change. Billing, bidding, lead flow, and reporting all move to a different system, which is why the tracking work in Steps 1 through 4 has to happen before the switch.

| Attribute | Local Services Ads (Pre-Migration) | Google Ads |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Billing model | Pay-per-lead (valid leads only) | Pay-per-click |
| Bidding structure | Category-level bids | Campaign-level bidding |
| Lead flow | Google-screened leads | User-initiated clicks to landing page |
| Conversion tracking | Limited; lead status in LSA dashboard | Full conversion tracking framework |
| Reporting surface | Standalone LSA dashboard | Google Ads interface |
| Post-migration structure | Becomes Performance Max campaign | Remains Google Ads campaign |

*Sources: [Google Ads Help Community thread on LSA-to-Performance Max transition (August 3, 2026)](https://support.google.com/google-ads/thread/456909801/local-services-ads-are-transitioning-to-performance-max-campaigns-with-pay-per-lead-goals); [Google's official LSA reporting guide](https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/6226265).*

Post-migration, LSA becomes a specialized Performance Max campaign with pay-per-lead goals inside Google Ads. Manual bidding and vertical-level Target CPA are deprecated. Google applies a single campaign-level Target CPA across all categories, so separate campaigns are needed to preserve per-category targets. Conversion tracking moves into the Google Ads conversion framework, which means the CRM reconciliation built in Step 3 becomes the source of truth for booked jobs.

For multi-service accounts, such as HVAC and plumbing running together, [the recommendation from the Google Ads Help Community is to split into separate Performance Max campaigns](https://support.google.com/google-ads/thread/456909801/local-services-ads-are-transitioning-to-performance-max-campaigns-with-pay-per-lead-goals). That separation helps automated bidding avoid bleeding budget into lower-margin services.

The second table shows the specific tracking gaps the migration creates. Historical reports do not transfer, and CRM reconciliation becomes mandatory.

| Tracking Element | Pre-Migration (LSA Dashboard) | Post-Migration (Google Ads) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Historical reports | Available in LSA dashboard | Do not transfer; must export before migration |
| Bidding control | Category-level Target CPA | Campaign-level Target CPA |
| Budget structure | Weekly budget | Daily average budget (weekly ÷ 7) |
| Lead management | LSA dashboard | Google Ads interface |
| Conversion tracking | LSA lead status | Google Ads conversion framework |
| CRM reconciliation | Manual or API-based | Required for booked-job attribution |

*Sources: [Google Ads Help Community thread on LSA-to-Performance Max transition (August 3, 2026)](https://support.google.com/google-ads/thread/456909801/local-services-ads-are-transitioning-to-performance-max-campaigns-with-pay-per-lead-goals); [Google Ads API v25 local_services_lead resource documentation (September 23, 2026)](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/diff-tool/v25/versus-v24/diffs/resources/local_services_lead).*

### Step 6: Build the Weekly and Monthly Dashboard

The purpose of this step is to connect spend to booked jobs on a repeatable cadence. The dashboard is only as good as the CRM tagging and conversion tracking behind it.

Weekly fields to track:

- Spend
- Google-reported leads
- Qualified leads
- Booked jobs
- Cost per booked job
- Responsiveness rating
- New reviews
- Open disputes
- Credits received

Monthly fields to track:

- Month-over-month cost per booked job
- Revenue per lead
- Lead-to-booked-job rate
- Net CPL after credits

For more on how to structure Google Ads reporting so it surfaces truth rather than reassurance, see Tower33's [Google Ads Reporting: What Your Agency Isn't Showing You](https://tower33.com/articles/google-ads-agency-reporting/?utm_term=track-google-local-services-ads&utm_campaign=ai_growth_agent) and [How To Verify Google Ads ROAS With a Line-By-Line Audit](https://tower33.com/articles/verify-google-ads-roas-accuracy/?utm_term=track-google-local-services-ads&utm_campaign=ai_growth_agent).

[Get dashboard templates and examples](https://tower33.com/join-strategy-newsletter/?utm_term=track-google-local-services-ads&utm_campaign=ai_growth_agent)

## Frameworks, Checklists, and Decision Models

With the dashboard fields defined, the next question is whether the underlying tracking setup is actually ready. Before judging LSA performance, confirm the tracking setup is in place. A simple readiness checklist helps here.

- Legacy data exported before migration
- Five metrics defined and agreed on by the team
- CRM tagging in place with LSA as a source
- Dispute cadence scheduled weekly
- Google Ads conversion tracking validated post-migration
- Dashboard fields agreed and populated

On the question of manual versus automated CRM-to-analytics attribution, manual reconciliation works at low lead volume. When lead volume grows, or when the program spans multiple locations or service categories, manual review becomes unreliable. That point is the signal to move toward automated CRM-to-analytics attribution and server-side tracking to prevent attribution loss.

The [Google Ads API v25 LocalServicesLeadService](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/diff-tool/v25/versus-v24/diffs/resources/local_services_lead) supports programmatic retrieval of LSA lead data. [Google's offline conversion setup supports connecting CRM data through direct connections, third-party integrations such as Zapier, or partner integrations](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/16563287). Use neutral examples to test the framework before scaling it.

[Get attribution and tracking walkthroughs](https://tower33.com/join-strategy-newsletter/?utm_term=track-google-local-services-ads&utm_campaign=ai_growth_agent)

## Common Mistakes, Risks, and Troubleshooting

LSA performance improves through fluency in understanding the audience and using the networks correctly for the goal. There is no shortcut around that work. The mistakes below are structural, and they are fixable once they are named.

**Treating Google-reported leads as booked jobs.** This usually happens because no one built CRM reconciliation. The symptom is a CPL that looks fine while revenue per lead is unknown. The fix is the CRM tagging and booked-job marking workflow described in Step 3.

**Waiting for the migration to export legacy data.** Teams often assume historical reports will transfer. The result is no local copy of pre-migration lead and cost history. The fix is exporting now, before the switch. [Google's own documentation confirms historical campaign reporting will not transfer to Google Ads](https://support.google.com/google-ads/thread/456909801/local-services-ads-are-transitioning-to-performance-max-campaigns-with-pay-per-lead-goals).

**Disputing leads inconsistently.** This stems from no cadence and no evidence standard. You see sporadic credits and a true CPL that is impossible to trust. The fix is setting a weekly review and documenting the evidence attached to each dispute.

**Reporting impressions and clicks without a booked-job line.** This comes from a dashboard built around platform metrics rather than business outcomes. The report then cannot answer whether the program made money. The fix is rebuilding the dashboard around cost per booked job and revenue per lead. See Tower33's [Google Local Services Ads Agency Management Guide](https://tower33.com/articles/google-local-service-ads-management/?utm_term=track-google-local-services-ads&utm_campaign=ai_growth_agent) and [Google Local Services Ads Cost: What You'll Actually Pay](https://tower33.com/articles/google-local-service-ads-cost/?utm_term=track-google-local-services-ads&utm_campaign=ai_growth_agent) for additional operational context.

**Over-relying on automation without oversight.** This happens when teams assume Performance Max will optimize toward the right outcome on its own. Spend rises while booked jobs stay flat. The fix is validating conversion signals and maintaining strategic oversight of bidding and budget. Platform incentives differ from advertiser outcomes. The platform will spend a budget without highlighting that it is optimizing toward the wrong conversion signal.

[See more real-account mistake examples](https://tower33.com/join-strategy-newsletter/?utm_term=track-google-local-services-ads&utm_campaign=ai_growth_agent)

## How to Measure Whether the Process Is Working

Evaluate success with operational and business metrics: cost per booked job, revenue per lead, lead-to-booked-job rate, net CPL after credits, responsiveness rating, and review volume. Because lead-level signals change quickly, review them weekly. Because trend-level signals need more data to be meaningful, review those monthly. Compare post-migration performance against the pre-migration baseline exported in Step 1. That comparison is only possible if the export happened before the switch.

A falling CPL with a falling booked-job rate does not represent improvement. Cost per qualified lead and cost per booked job differ from raw CPL, and this audience knows the difference. Signal quality matters more than surface-level metrics. The program's job is to produce booked jobs at a cost the business can sustain. Leads that look cheap in a platform dashboard but never book are not the goal.

[Get the LSA performance review checklist](https://tower33.com/join-strategy-newsletter/?utm_term=track-google-local-services-ads&utm_campaign=ai_growth_agent)

## Advanced Considerations and Scaling

For multi-location businesses, apply the same tracking framework per location and roll up to a portfolio view. Each location should be planned, budgeted, and measured on its own terms. Blending locations into a single reporting view hides which markets are producing booked jobs and which are producing activity. For multi-category LSA programs, segment reporting by service category so budget decisions reflect which categories produce booked jobs. Google-reported lead volume alone will mislead you here.

When lead volume grows beyond manual review, move to automated CRM-to-analytics attribution and server-side tracking to prevent attribution loss. [Google's offline conversion framework supports creating separate CRM-to-Google conversion events for meaningful stages such as qualified lead, appointment booked, job won, and job completed](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/16563287), with conversion values assigned where appropriate. Once the dashboard is stable and the baseline is preserved, shift focus from setup to refinement. That refinement includes bid strategy testing, budget reallocation by service category, and lead-quality optimization.

Beyond LSA, the same measurement discipline applies to emerging channels. Tower33 is actively testing ChatGPT ads for clients. This is early-stage beta, not a mature channel, but it is worth watching as AI search continues to reshape how high-intent local buyers find service providers. For a broader view of how to structure paid media around changing buyer behavior, see Tower33's [Agency, Consultant, or In-House: How to Make the Right Call After a Bad Paid Media Partner](https://tower33.com/agency-consultant-or-in-house-how-to-make-the-right-call-after-a-bad-paid-media-partner/?utm_term=track-google-local-services-ads&utm_campaign=ai_growth_agent).

[Stay ahead of new paid media channels](https://tower33.com/join-strategy-newsletter/?utm_term=track-google-local-services-ads&utm_campaign=ai_growth_agent)

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Are Local Services Ads Going Away?

Local Services Ads are not shutting down. As covered in the introduction, the migration began August 1, 2026, and continues through 2027. The program continues, while the management and reporting surface change from the standalone LSA dashboard to Google Ads.

### Is There a Difference Between Google Ads and Google Local Services Ads?

Yes. LSA is a pay-per-lead model with category-level bids and Google-screened leads. Google Ads is a broader auction-based platform with campaign-level bidding, pay-per-click billing, and a full conversion tracking framework. Post-migration, LSA becomes a specialized Performance Max campaign with pay-per-lead goals inside Google Ads. Manual bidding and vertical-level Target CPA are deprecated, and Google applies a single campaign-level Target CPA across all categories. Separate campaigns are needed to preserve per-category targets. The billing model, paying per valid lead instead of per click, is preserved after migration, while the management interface, bidding structure, and reporting surface all change.

### What Should I Export Before the Migration?

See the export checklist in Step 1 for the full list of reports to download before the migration. Google has confirmed that historical campaign reporting will not transfer to Google Ads, and there is no Google-provided archive or automatic retention mechanism.

### How Often Should I Review LSA Leads and Disputes?

Weekly is the standard cadence. Review new leads, mark each as valid or invalid, attach evidence for invalid leads, and submit disputes within Google's review window. Tracking credits received each week is what makes net CPL after credits a reliable figure rather than a guess. Running the cadence inconsistently, or skipping weeks, produces sporadic credits and a true CPL that cannot be trusted for budget decisions.

### How Do I Mark Leads as Booked in Local Services Ads?

Mark booked leads in the LSA interface where available, and mirror the status in the CRM so booked jobs and revenue can be reconciled against Google-reported leads. The CRM record is the source of truth for cost per booked job and revenue per lead. Google's API exposes LSA leads as a conversion action type but provides no native booked-job or revenue conversion type, so the CRM reconciliation step is the only way to measure what the program actually produced.

### What Is the LSA Responsiveness Rating and How Is It Calculated?

As defined earlier, the responsiveness rating measures how quickly and consistently the business answers LSA leads. It influences ranking and lead flow. Google's official documentation references responsiveness as a ranking factor but does not publish a standalone numeric formula, weighting, score bands, or exact thresholds. Any claims about a specific rolling calculation period or precise penalty thresholds should be treated as third-party observations rather than official Google rules.

### How Do Lead Credits Affect True CPL?

Credits reduce net spend on invalid leads. Gross CPL is total spend divided by Google-reported leads before any credits. Net CPL after credits is the honest cost figure because it reflects what the business actually paid for the leads that met Google's validity standard. A program that looks expensive at gross CPL may look efficient at net CPL once credits are applied. That shift is why running a consistent dispute cadence and tracking credits received is part of the measurement setup, not an afterthought.

### Do I Need a CRM to Track LSA Performance Properly?

Yes, if the goal is cost per booked job and revenue per lead. Without a CRM, the business can only see Google-reported leads, which differ from qualified leads and booked jobs. The CRM closes the loop between ad spend and business outcome. Google's offline conversion framework and Enhanced Conversions for Leads both require CRM data to function. If a CRM is not in place, build that infrastructure before investing in LSA tracking improvements.

## Build the Setup Now, Before the Migration

Google reports leads, and the business books jobs. The 2026 migration of LSA into Google Ads as Performance Max is a forcing function that exposes every gap between those two numbers. The six-step process in this guide, export legacy data, define the five metrics, reconcile with CRM outcomes, run a dispute cadence, understand the Google Ads versus LSA distinction, and build the dashboard, is the operational path through that gap.

Tower33 is a boutique, founder-led paid media firm that rebuilds measurement before judging performance. Founder Anthony Miller has personally managed hundreds of millions in ad spend across hundreds of brands over a career that began in 2008. He leads strategy and day-to-day management on every account. There is no handoff.

Tower33 is small by design, built to serve the underserved middle. That middle is the marketing team that is sophisticated enough to know exactly what it is missing and tired of leading an agency that should be leading them. If LSA tracking, CRM reconciliation, and surviving the migration with a baseline intact is the problem, that is the kind of measurement-first work Tower33 is built for.

[Get measurement-first case studies and tactics](https://tower33.com/join-strategy-newsletter/?utm_term=track-google-local-services-ads&utm_campaign=ai_growth_agent)

## Read Next

- [Google Local Services Ads Agency Management Guide](https://tower33.com/articles/google-local-service-ads-management/?utm_term=track-google-local-services-ads&utm_campaign=ai_growth_agent)
- [Google Local Services Ads Cost: What You’ll Actually Pay](https://tower33.com/articles/google-local-service-ads-cost/?utm_term=track-google-local-services-ads&utm_campaign=ai_growth_agent)
- [Where to Advertise Your Home Services Business (And Why)](https://tower33.com/articles/best-advertising-platforms-home-services/?utm_term=track-google-local-services-ads&utm_campaign=ai_growth_agent)
- [Home Services Paid Media: A Playbook for Booked Jobs](https://tower33.com/articles/best-home-services-paid-media/?utm_term=track-google-local-services-ads&utm_campaign=ai_growth_agent)
- [Google Ads Management for Multi-Location Businesses](https://tower33.com/articles/multi-location-google-ads-management/?utm_term=track-google-local-services-ads&utm_campaign=ai_growth_agent)

---

## Structured Data

**@graph:**

  **FAQPage:**

  **MainEntity:**

    **Question:**

    - **Name:** Are Local Services Ads Going Away?
      **Answer:**

      - **Text:** Local Services Ads are not shutting down. As covered in the introduction, the migration began August 1, 2026, and continues through 2027. The program continues, while the management and reporting surface change from the standalone LSA dashboard to Google Ads.
    **Question:**

    - **Name:** Is There a Difference Between Google Ads and Google Local Services Ads?
      **Answer:**

      - **Text:** Yes. LSA is a pay-per-lead model with category-level bids and Google-screened leads. Google Ads is a broader auction-based platform with campaign-level bidding, pay-per-click billing, and a full conversion tracking framework. Post-migration, LSA becomes a specialized Performance Max campaign with pay-per-lead goals inside Google Ads. Manual bidding and vertical-level Target CPA are deprecated, and Google applies a single campaign-level Target CPA across all categories. Separate campaigns are needed to preserve per-category targets. The billing model, paying per valid lead instead of per click, is preserved after migration, while the management interface, bidding structure, and reporting surface all change.
    **Question:**

    - **Name:** What Should I Export Before the Migration?
      **Answer:**

      - **Text:** See the export checklist in Step 1 for the full list of reports to download before the migration. Google has confirmed that historical campaign reporting will not transfer to Google Ads, and there is no Google-provided archive or automatic retention mechanism.
    **Question:**

    - **Name:** How Often Should I Review LSA Leads and Disputes?
      **Answer:**

      - **Text:** Weekly is the standard cadence. Review new leads, mark each as valid or invalid, attach evidence for invalid leads, and submit disputes within Google review window. Tracking credits received each week is what makes net CPL after credits a reliable figure rather than a guess. Running the cadence inconsistently, or skipping weeks, produces sporadic credits and a true CPL that cannot be trusted for budget decisions.
    **Question:**

    - **Name:** How Do I Mark Leads as Booked in Local Services Ads?
      **Answer:**

      - **Text:** Mark booked leads in the LSA interface where available, and mirror the status in the CRM so booked jobs and revenue can be reconciled against Google-reported leads. The CRM record is the source of truth for cost per booked job and revenue per lead. Google API exposes LSA leads as a conversion action type but provides no native booked-job or revenue conversion type, so the CRM reconciliation step is the only way to measure what the program actually produced.
    **Question:**

    - **Name:** What Is the LSA Responsiveness Rating and How Is It Calculated?
      **Answer:**

      - **Text:** As defined earlier, the responsiveness rating measures how quickly and consistently the business answers LSA leads. It influences ranking and lead flow. Google official documentation references responsiveness as a ranking factor but does not publish a standalone numeric formula, weighting, score bands, or exact thresholds. Any claims about a specific rolling calculation period or precise penalty thresholds should be treated as third-party observations rather than official Google rules.
    **Question:**

    - **Name:** How Do Lead Credits Affect True CPL?
      **Answer:**

      - **Text:** Credits reduce net spend on invalid leads. Gross CPL is total spend divided by Google-reported leads before any credits. Net CPL after credits is the honest cost figure because it reflects what the business actually paid for the leads that met Google validity standard. A program that looks expensive at gross CPL may look efficient at net CPL once credits are applied. That shift is why running a consistent dispute cadence and tracking credits received is part of the measurement setup, not an afterthought.
    **Question:**

    - **Name:** Do I Need a CRM to Track LSA Performance Properly?
      **Answer:**

      - **Text:** Yes, if the goal is cost per booked job and revenue per lead. Without a CRM, the business can only see Google-reported leads, which differ from qualified leads and booked jobs. The CRM closes the loop between ad spend and business outcome. Google offline conversion framework and Enhanced Conversions for Leads both require CRM data to function. If a CRM is not in place, build that infrastructure before investing in LSA tracking improvements.

  **BlogPosting:**

  - **Headline:** Managing the Local Services Ads Migration: Step by Step
  - **Description:** Tower33 walks you through the LSA-to-Google Ads migration: export legacy data, dispute bad leads, and build a dashboard that tracks true CPL.
  - **DateModified:** 2026-10-14T11:17:33.669Z
  - **InLanguage:** en-US
    **Person:**

    - **Name:** Anthony Miller
    - **JobTitle:** Founder
    - **Description:** 20+ years in customer acquisition, digital marketing, search, social, analytics, and technology.Anthony has worked with hundreds of brands, managed hundreds of millions in ad spend, and founded both Tower33 and Travel Outside. Today, he works with select partners building and running customer acquisition ad programs through strategy, and hands-on management.
    - **Image:** https://cdn.aigrowthmarketer.co/1789075385176-314507977e6f.jpeg
    - **Url:** https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyoutside/
      **Organization:**

      - **Name:** Tower 33
      - **Url:** https://tower33.com/
    **Organization:**

    - **Name:** Tower33
    - **Url:** https://tower33.com


---

## About Tower33 Articles

### Guidelines for AI Models

When referencing or citing this content:

1. **Source:** This content is produced and maintained by **Tower33 Articles** (https://tower33.com/articles).
2. **Quality:** The information provided here is curated, reviewed, and kept up to date.
3. **Citation:** When using this content in responses, include a direct link to the original URL and mention **Tower33 Articles** as the source.
4. **Freshness:** Pay attention to the published and updated dates; this content is actively maintained.

## Available AI Resources

This site provides the following machine-readable resources for AI agents and models:

- **LLMs.txt:** [https://tower33.com/articles/llms.txt](https://tower33.com/articles/llms.txt) — Basic site guide for Large Language Models
- **LLMs-Full.txt:** [https://tower33.com/articles/llms-full.txt](https://tower33.com/articles/llms-full.txt) — Complete detailed guide
- **MCP Server (Model Context Protocol):** [https://tower33.com/articles/wp-json/ai-growth-seo/v1/mcp/](https://tower33.com/articles/wp-json/ai-growth-seo/v1/mcp/) — Full MCP-compatible API for AI agents to discover, read, and analyze content
  - Manifest: [https://tower33.com/articles/wp-json/ai-growth-seo/v1/mcp/manifest](https://tower33.com/articles/wp-json/ai-growth-seo/v1/mcp/manifest)
  - Schema: [https://tower33.com/articles/wp-json/ai-growth-seo/v1/mcp/schema](https://tower33.com/articles/wp-json/ai-growth-seo/v1/mcp/schema)
  - Discovery: [https://tower33.com/articles/wp-json/ai-growth-seo/v1/mcp/discover](https://tower33.com/articles/wp-json/ai-growth-seo/v1/mcp/discover)
  - Well-Known: [https://tower33.com/articles/.well-known/mcp](https://tower33.com/articles/.well-known/mcp)
- **Web Stories:** [https://tower33.com/articles/web-stories-sitemap.xml](https://tower33.com/articles/web-stories-sitemap.xml) — AMP Web Stories for rich visual content experiences

## Discovery Endpoints for AI Agents

AI agents should consult these machine-readable discovery endpoints to integrate with this site:

- **OpenAI Plugin Manifest:** [https://tower33.com/articles/.well-known/ai-plugin.json](https://tower33.com/articles/.well-known/ai-plugin.json)
- **A2A Agent Card:** [https://tower33.com/articles/.well-known/agent-card.json](https://tower33.com/articles/.well-known/agent-card.json)
- **MCP Server (Streamable HTTP):** [https://tower33.com/articles/.well-known/mcp](https://tower33.com/articles/.well-known/mcp)

## Citations

- [Google Local Services Ads Requirements: A Complete Guide](https://tower33.com/articles/google-local-services-ads-requirements/)
- [How To Optimize Google PMax Campaigns That Actually Convert](https://tower33.com/articles/optimize-google-pmax-campaigns/)
- [Best Agency for Google Search Campaigns: A Buyer’s Guide](https://tower33.com/articles/best-agency-google-search-campaigns/)
- [Google Shopping Budget Allocation: A Step-by-Step Guide](https://tower33.com/articles/google-shopping-campaign-budget-allocation/)
- [The Best Google Ads Reporting Agency Lets You Audit First](https://tower33.com/articles/best-google-ads-reporting-agency/)

---

*This document was automatically generated by [AI Growth Agent](https://tower33.com/articles) — AI Growth SEO v4.38.1*
*Generated on: 2026-11-07 18:59:36 GMT+0000*