Search "plumber near me" or "immigration lawyer" in many cities and the first results are not normal ads or map listings. They are Local Services Ads: business name, rating, years in business, a verification badge and a call button. For businesses that qualify, they are often the highest-intent leads available.
How Local Services Ads work
- A customer searches for a service in their area.
- Google shows up to three or four verified providers at the top of the page, with more on a "more businesses" list.
- The customer calls, messages or books directly from the ad.
- You pay for that lead, not for the view or the click. The price depends on your trade and location.
- You can mark leads as booked or disputed. Leads that are outside your service, location or job type can be disputed for credit.
Google Guaranteed vs Google Screened
| Badge | Typically for | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Google Guaranteed | Home services: plumbers, electricians, cleaners, locksmiths, HVAC | Google may reimburse eligible customers if the work isn't satisfactory |
| Google Screened | Professional services: lawyers, financial planners, real estate agents, some health providers | The business and its staff have passed checks on licences and background |
Which badge you can get depends on your category and country.
How to get verified, step by step
- Check eligibility for your category and service area in the Local Services Ads sign-up.
- Create your profile: services, service areas, hours and budget.
- Link your Google Business Profile, which supplies reviews.
- Complete background checks for the owner and, in some categories, staff who meet customers.
- Upload licences and insurance where your trade requires them.
- Wait for approval. It can take a few days to several weeks depending on how fast documents are checked.
What decides the cost
You pay per lead, and the price per lead depends on:
- Your trade. Emergency and high-value services cost more per lead than routine ones.
- Your location. Dense, competitive cities cost more.
- The job type. Some categories let you choose which job types you accept, which changes cost and lead quality.
- Your budget settings. You set a weekly budget; Google will not charge beyond it on average.
The easiest way to keep cost per customer down is to answer quickly, book well and dispute invalid leads every week. For help with budgets for our own clients, see our contact page.
How Google ranks providers
- Proximity to the customer.
- Reviews: number, rating and recency.
- Responsiveness: answering calls and messages quickly.
- Business hours: being open when people search.
- Budget and bidding mode.
- Serious or repeated complaints can lower or suspend your ads.
How to dispute bad leads
- Review every lead weekly.
- Dispute leads outside your service area, for jobs you didn't list, spam and wrong numbers.
- Add short notes on why; clear disputes are approved more often.
- Keep job types and service areas tight so fewer bad leads arrive.
Local Services Ads alongside Google Ads and SEO
| Channel | Role |
|---|---|
| Local Services Ads | Top-of-page, verified leads at a per-lead price |
| Google Ads Search | Wider keyword coverage and control over messages and landing pages |
| Google Business Profile and local SEO | Free map pack visibility that compounds over time |
Together they let you appear in several places on the same results page.
How this works worldwide
Local Services Ads are fully available in the USA and Canada and in a range of categories in the UK and Australia. In many other markets, including the Gulf, Pakistan and much of Asia, they aren't available yet. There, a well-optimised Google Business Profile, Search campaigns with call assets and fast WhatsApp or phone responses do the same job.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Local Services Ads better than Google Ads?
They are different. Local Services Ads give you top placement and per-lead pricing with less control. Google Ads gives more control over keywords and messages. Many service businesses run both.
Can I choose which leads I get?
Partly. You choose services, job types, service areas and hours, and you can dispute leads that don't fit.
Do reviews from my Google Business Profile count?
Yes. Linking your profile brings in your reviews, which affect both ranking and click-through.
What if I fail the background check?
You can't run Local Services Ads in that category, but you can still use Google Ads and local SEO.
Sources & References
Written by Farzeen Rasheed
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