Google Is Bringing Local Services Ads Into Google Ads via @sejournal, @brookeosmundson

It’s official: Google is preparing to move Local Services Ads into the Google Ads interface.

The transition begins in August with a limited group of U.S. advertisers. Google will gradually move other accounts through 2027.

Local Services advertisers will gain a centralized place to manage campaigns and leads. However, the move also changes several bidding, reporting, and account management workflows.

Read on to understand more about the migration timeline, what’s changing and staying the same for Local Services companies, and how to prepare.

How The New Local Services Campaigns Will Work

Google is bringing Local Services Ads into Google Ads through Performance Max campaigns built for pay-per-lead goals.

Despite the Performance Max campaign name, these campaigns will keep the same reach as Local Services Ads. They will remain keywordless and appear exclusively on Search and Maps.

The billing model will also stay the same. Advertisers will continue paying for valid leads, including calls, messages, and bookings, rather than clicks.

Advertisers will now manage their Local Services campaigns and respond to leads within Google Ads. The separate Local Services Ads dashboard will no longer be available after migration.

Google will begin moving a small group of U.S. advertisers in August 2026. Other accounts will follow in phases through 2027.

How Campaign Management Will Change

The new interface comes with changes to bidding, budgets, reporting, and Business Profile management.

See below for some examples of how Local Services ads will work after the migration to Google Ads.

The Target CPA change could affect businesses that advertise several services within one campaign.

For example, a contractor may use different targets for plumbing and HVAC leads. Google will calculate one campaign-level target covering both categories after migration.

Advertisers can create separate campaigns if those services need different targets. Before splitting them, compare each category’s lead volume, acquisition cost, close rate, and customer value.

Separate campaigns provide more bidding control, but each campaign will have less conversion data. Lower-volume advertisers may find that a combined campaign gives Google stronger bidding signals.

What Advertisers Should Do Before And After Migration

As mentioned above, Google will begin moving a small group of U.S. advertisers in early August 2026.

The initial group of advertisers will include businesses across pet care, home services, wellness, and education. Google’s help documentation also lists several home and storefront categories scheduled for the first phase.

The rollout will expand to more U.S. advertisers later in 2026. Non-U.S. accounts and remaining business categories will follow in 2027.

Account administrators will receive notice 14 days before migration, followed by another reminder seven days later. Google will also confirm when the migration finishes.

Download Historical Reports

One of the most important notes is that historical reports will not transfer over to Google Ads. Lead histories will transfer, but historical performance reports will not.

Advertisers will lose access to the original Local Services Ads dashboard after migration. Be sure to download any reports needed for year-over-year comparisons, client reporting, or internal analysis before the account moves.

Agencies managing several accounts may want to begin those backups before Google sends the first migration notices.

Review Transferred Campaigns

Google will move campaign settings automatically, but advertisers should verify the following details afterward and that they align with your business goals:

Business names, physical addresses, and standard hours will sync from Google Business Profile. Significant name or address changes may trigger a 24-to-48-hour verification review and temporarily pause the campaign.

Google says some ads may begin running immediately. However, advertisers should allow up to two weeks for migration and performance to stabilize.

Looking Ahead

Google has explained how the migration will work, but some account-level effects will take time to understand.

We don’t yet know how a unified Target CPA will affect campaigns containing services with very different lead costs. The initial migrations should also show how often advertisers need separate campaigns and how quickly performance stabilizes.

Google plans to monitor the first group before moving more accounts. We’ll update as advertisers begin migrating and Google provides additional guidance.