How to Set Up Google Local Services Ads in 2026: Step by Step

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Summary: To set up Google Local Services Ads, confirm your category is offered in your area, get owner or manager access to a public, verified Google Business Profile, and sign up on Google's Local Services Ads site. As of September 2026, Google says new pay-per-lead campaigns can't be created directly in Google Ads yet. Then set your service areas, job types, hours and budget, and submit your documents, which Google says take 3–4 weeks on average to verify. Once live, allow about two weeks for results to settle and answer every lead fast.

Paperwork decides when you go live, and settings decide which calls you pay for. Here's the setup in order, based on Google's help pages as of September 2026.

Before you start

• A category and area Google covers. Google only offers Local Services Ads in certain service categories, and what's available varies by area, so run its business eligibility check first. US categories include Plumbers, Electricians, HVAC (heating or air conditioning), Roofers and Tree services.
• A public, verified Google Business Profile. Whoever completes Google's business checks must be an owner or manager of the profile, even if someone else verified it.
• License and insurance documents. Needs vary by trade and state. For insurance, Google names a signed certificate of insurance as the best US document to provide. If Google asks for a D-U-N-S number you can't get, it accepts Secretary of State registration, an IRS EIN or Department of Revenue registration.
• One business name. A name spelled one way on your license and another on your insurance or Business Profile can hold up verification, so make them identical.

The full document checklist is in our verification guide.

Step 1: Sign up

Existing Local Services Ads accounts have been shifting into Google Ads since August 2026, but sign-up hasn't moved with them. Google's transition help page says you can't create new campaigns with pay-per-lead goals directly within Google Ads at this time, points new campaigns and local accounts to g.co/localservices, and says campaign creation in Google Ads will come later.

Google's pages confirm these parts of sign-up:

• Check eligibility for your business and area.
• Create the account, yourself or with help from Google's sales team.
• Set up billing. Google asks for a billing account at sign-up and reuses your payment settings if you already have a Google Ads account.
• Start verification as soon as possible after creating the account, as Google recommends.

You may get leads before the badge. After you pass preliminary checks, Google offers pre-badge ads while you finish the rest. They need a license (or business registration if you don't have to submit one), confirmation you hold the right licenses, any reviews your category requires, and billing and a budget. Pre-badge listings sit below fully verified providers and aren't offered for garage door services, health care or locksmiths.

Step 2: Choose your settings

• Category. Choose the one that matches your trade.
• Service areas. Pick the cities, counties or ZIP codes you'll really drive to. Google no longer supports credits for "geo not serviced" leads.
• Job types. Switch on the work you want (our job types guide helps). Deselecting every job type won't stop category leads; to stop all leads, you pause the ad. Broad search is on by default, so your ad can show for searches like "plumber near me". Untick it and Google warns leads may drop.
• Hours and ad schedule. Choose All day (24/7, the default), Only during my business hours, or Custom hours. Missed calls in business hours become billable from October 1, 2026 if the caller stays on the line past 20 seconds (some exceptions apply), so only list hours someone will answer. In Google Ads, business hours sync from your Business Profile.
• Budget and bidding. Set an average weekly budget and pick Maximize leads (Google's recommendation), Target cost per lead or Max per lead. Google suggests budgeting for at least about 10 leads a week on Maximize leads.

Lead prices vary by trade and market; across the accounts Opus Group runs, leads have averaged $63 over the last twelve months. An example to swap for your own numbers: at $70 a lead, ten a week is $700. In Google Ads that becomes a $100 average daily budget (weekly ÷ 7), with monthly spend capped at $3,040 (daily × 30.4), no manual bidding, and one campaign-level target CPA instead of trade-level targets. See what Local Services Ads cost and what changes in Google Ads.

Step 3: Get verified and gather reviews

Depending on your trade and state, expect some mix of background, business registration, insurance and license checks, plus a review minimum in some categories. On timing, Google says: "On average, this process takes 3–4 weeks to complete after submitting your documents."

Start on reviews now. Google recommends at least 5, and some business types may need that many to show. Reviews live in your Business Profile, and Google says customers are more likely to leave one when the request comes from you directly, so text your review link after each job.

Step 4: Build a profile customers pick

Google's auction weighs your bid, the chance your ad results in a lead, and the quality of your profile.

• Photos. Google notes that better-quality profiles, including ones with images, may rank higher and may also pay less per lead. Show your team, work or equipment, and skip personally identifying photos.
• Business bio. Your services and business bio count toward relevance. Only pick highlights you live up to, such as 24/7 emergency service.
• Messages. Switch message leads on if someone can reply quickly. They're typically priced lower than calls, and your average response time may appear in your ad.
• Bookings. Once you're verified, Google can add a booking link to your ads automatically when an active one from any of its more than 500 Reserve with Google partners is already on your Business Profile. You pay for each booking request as a lead.

Google says message and booking leads can make a lead more likely, especially on nights and weekends. Other ranking factors are in how Google ranks Local Services Ads.

Step 5: Your first two weeks live

Google says accurate results take about two weeks while its system learns, so hold off on big changes and focus on leads.

• Spot the ad calls. They come through a Google forwarding number with a "Call from Google" message, which you may not hear if your line uses call forwarding or VoIP.
• Reply fast. Google recommends responding as soon as leads come in, and our free guide sets the bar at 60 seconds. Answer messages even when declining a job: Google says regularly failing to answer calls or messages may affect your ranking.
• Return missed calls. A returned missed call is a valid lead, and under the October 2026 rule some unanswered calls cost you regardless.
• Rate bad leads with "Rate this lead". Approved credits land in your account balance within 30 days, but valid leads outside your business hours and customers just researching prices aren't credited.
• Track what books. The free guide, How a local service business can spend $1,000 and make $60,000 in a month, lays out the math: $1,000 at $30 a call is 33 calls, three in five book for 20 jobs, and at $3,000 a job that's $60,000. That's worked math, not a promise.

Still quiet after launch? See why Local Services Ads aren't getting leads.

Mistakes that slow setup down

• Insurance near expiry. Google wants the certificate valid for at least 14 days after you submit it, with a policy number shown.
• A second Business Profile. Google advises against it if you already have one; request owner or manager access instead.
• A late D-U-N-S application. Google says it can take up to 30 days.
• Documents sent in pieces. Google's 3–4 week average starts once they're submitted.
• Ignoring follow-up requests. Some select US advertisers get the Google Verified badge fast through accelerated verification, then have 14 days to finish further steps to keep the ad serving.
• Extra industries added early. Each brings its own verification requirements.

FAQ

How long does it take to set up Local Services Ads?

The settings are quick, but verification takes 3–4 weeks on average once your documents are in, according to Google.

Can I sign up for Local Services Ads in Google Ads?

Not yet. As of September 2026, Google says new pay-per-lead campaigns can't be created directly in Google Ads, so sign-up runs through its Local Services Ads site.

Can I get leads before I'm verified?

Possibly, through pre-badge ads after Google's preliminary checks. They show below fully verified providers and aren't offered in every category.

How many reviews do I need?

At least 5 is Google's recommendation, and some business types may not show until they reach 5.

How much should I budget to start?

Enough for at least about 10 leads a week on Maximize leads, Google suggests. That's your expected lead price times 10.

Opus Group runs Google Ads, Local Services Ads and high-converting landing pages for local service businesses. See how it works.

Opus Group is a marketing agency for HVAC, plumbing, roofing, electrical, landscaping, tree service and pest control companies.

Theo Prada is the founder of Opus Group, which runs Google Local Services Ads and Google Ads for local service businesses.