Local Services Ads Are Moving Into Google Ads: What Changes in 2026

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Summary: Since August 2026 Google has been moving Local Services Ads accounts out of their own dashboard and into Google Ads, in waves. When your account moves, your weekly budget becomes an average daily budget (your weekly amount divided by seven), manual bidding goes away, one campaign-level target replaces trade-level targets, and your leads live under Goals, then Conversions, then Leads. Your old Local Services Ads reports don't come with you, so save them first. Here is what changes, what to do before your account moves, and what to check after.

If you have run Local Services Ads for a while, you know the separate dashboard: the lead inbox, the weekly budget, the bidding settings. That dashboard is going. Accounts are being moved into Google Ads in batches through 2026. You don't pick your date, so the best thing you can do is be ready.

What changes when your account moves

What doesn't change is what wins in the box: answering fast, strong reviews, real photos and a service area you actually cover.

Before your account moves

1. Export your reports. Download or screenshot your lead history, spend, cost per lead and anything broken down by job type. Once the account moves, that history isn't carried into Google Ads.
2. Write down your current settings. Weekly budget, bidding mode, any target or maximum per lead, job types, service areas and business hours. You want a record to compare against.
3. Make sure you can get into Google Ads. Check who has access to the Google Ads account the ads will live in, and that you or your agency are an admin, not just a viewer.
4. Check your billing. A declined card stops ads in either system. Add a backup payment method.
5. Clear out old leads. Rate the junk calls you haven't rated yet with Rate this lead while you still know which ones were bad.

After your account moves

• Check the daily budget. Your weekly figure divided by seven should match what you meant to spend. Daily spend can vary; the monthly cap is the daily average times 30.4.
• Check the target. With manual bidding gone, the campaign-level target CPA matters more. If it's set too low, you may get fewer leads.
• Find your leads. Go to Goals, then Conversions, then Leads. Keep rating leads there, good ones high and bad ones low with a clear reason.
• Give it a couple of weeks before judging. Google's system needs time to settle after big changes. In the old dashboard Google said results take about two weeks to stabilize while its system learns, and the same patience applies here.
• Keep answering fast. Responsiveness still decides who shows at the top, and from October 1, 2026 some missed calls are charged as leads. See our missed-call charges explainer.

Why this matters for small budgets

On a $1,000 a month budget, a setting that's slightly wrong costs you a real share of your calls. The move is a good moment to check the three numbers that decide whether the ads pay: what a lead costs, how many leads book, and what a job is worth. Our free guide, How a local service business can spend $1,000 and make $60,000 in a month, has a worksheet for exactly that.

Common mistakes after the move

• Setting a daily budget equal to the old weekly budget. Divide by seven.
• Assuming leads disappeared. They moved: Goals, then Conversions, then Leads.
• Losing the history. If you didn't export reports, you're starting your comparisons from zero.
• Chasing the target every few days. Constant changes make it harder for Google's system to settle.

FAQ

When will my Local Services Ads account move into Google Ads?

Google has been moving accounts in waves since August 2026, and you don't choose the date. Prepare now so the move doesn't catch you out.

Will my weekly budget carry over?

It becomes an average daily budget, worked out as your weekly amount divided by seven, with monthly spend capped at the daily average times 30.4.

Can I still set a maximum price per lead?

No. Manual bidding is retired after the move, and one campaign-level target CPA applies.

Where do I find my leads in Google Ads?

Under Goals, then Conversions, then Leads. That's also where you rate leads.

Do my old reports move across?

No. Export or screenshot your Local Services Ads reports before your account moves.

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.