We've Seen Google's New Pay-Per-Lead Performance Max for Local Services Ads
We've been waiting to see Local Services Ads land inside Google Ads as a pay-per-lead Performance Max campaign. This month, OmniLocal finally saw it live in ads.google.com for some of our roofing and construction clients. Here's what the move looks like from inside the new campaign, and what local service businesses should do next.
What Google is rolling out
Google is migrating Local Services Ads into Google Ads as a specialized Performance Max campaign with pay-per-lead goals. Google's help page says the switch is automated, ads still show only on Google Search and Google Maps, and you still pay for valid leads such as phone calls and messages, not for clicks. Search Engine Roundtable covered the same rollout timeline: Phase 1 started in August 2026 for select U.S. home and storefront services, including roofing, plumbing, HVAC, electrical, appliance repair, house cleaning, lawn care, pest control and moving.
That matches what we've seen. The accounts that moved were in roofing, construction and similar categories. We haven't seen every vertical in the new interface yet.
What we saw after the switch
- The migration was automatic. After it ran, the old Local Services Ads dashboard at ads.google.com/localservices was no longer available for that account. Logging in redirects into Google Ads, and your lead inbox moves to the new Leads page under Goals > Conversions > Leads.
- Budgets are now daily, not weekly. Google divides your old weekly average by 7 to set a daily average budget. Your monthly spend is still capped around that daily average times 30.4.
- Conversion goals are campaign-specific and focus bid optimization and reporting. In the accounts we've opened, the options are "Phone call leads" and "Leads from messages." Phone calls are required; messages are optional. That lines up with Google's conversion setup for these campaigns.
- You can add negative keywords. In the new Google Ads view, that control is available, which is a change from classic LSA targeting.
- Google has cracked down on spam leads. We're seeing cleaner traffic, and Google documents automated spam monitoring that filters invalid leads so you aren't charged for them.
- After about 20 seconds on a call, you're automatically charged, so answer your calls. Missed or delayed pickups still burn budget once that window passes.
- Lead rating moved into each lead's Lead Details panel, alongside status updates and credit requests. Open a lead to rate its quality from there.
Where your leads live now: the Leads page in Google Ads
When an account runs Performance Max with pay-per-lead goals, a dedicated Leads page inside Google Ads replaces the standalone Local Services Ads inbox. Here's the real page from a roofing account that has already moved.
To find your leads:
- In the left navigation menu, select Goals.
- Select Leads.
You'll land on a Pay-per-lead leads tab. The header says you can reply to a lead, update its status, and rate its quality from lead details. Google also posts a privacy notice on the page: leads are stored for no more than 60 days, and sensitive data for no more than 30 days. If you need longer records, use the Download button to export leads, or sync them into your CRM.
In the accounts we've opened, the table columns include first contact date, lead status, charge status (Charged, Not charged, or Credited), lead type, service type, search intent (Category vs Direct business), business category, and campaign name.
During the transition, older Local Services leads still show up here. In the same view we saw campaign names like LocalServicesCamp… next to the new Pay-per-lead-PMax campaign name, so past LSA leads carry over into this page as the account moves.
Open a lead and you'll get a Lead Details panel. Here's what that looks like in the same account:
Lead Summary covers lead status (editable), billing status (this one was Credited), campaign, customer name, email and phone (editable), and additional details or notes (also editable). On the right, a conversation panel holds the incoming call recording so you can play it back. This example ran 0:56.
Below that is a Rate this lead section. After you rate, Google shows "Thank you for your feedback" and says that feedback helps improve lead generation for pay-per-lead campaigns, with links to help docs on goals, targeting and best practices. Ratings now live in Lead Details with statuses and credit requests, instead of the old standalone LSA inbox flow.
From that page you can:
- Review customer info: contact date, lead type (phone call, message, or booking), contact details, and the requested job type.
- Listen to call recordings.
- Reply to texts and messages directly from the communication panel.
- Check billing status and credits: whether a lead was billed, is pending review, or was credited, and submit credit requests for invalid leads.
- Update workflow statuses: mark leads Booked or Completed to keep your pipeline organized and send feedback signals to bidding.
- Rate lead quality from Lead Details.
What this means for roofers and contractors
If your category is in the first wave, treat the new campaign like LSA with a Google Ads skin, not like a regular Performance Max campaign. Per Google, these pay-per-lead campaigns still serve only on Search and Maps, stay keywordless for targeting, and still charge for valid leads. The day-to-day work is answering calls, watching the new Leads page, and adjusting budget and goals.
Practical tips
- Answer calls fast. With a roughly 20-second charge window, a phone that rings in an empty office still costs you. Route LSA and Google Ads call leads to someone who can pick up, and set up after-hours handling so voicemails don't pile up as charged leads.
- Check the Leads page daily. Reply to message leads from the communication panel, open Lead Details to rate quality, mark statuses Booked or Completed when jobs move forward, and request credits on invalid leads so bidding gets a clear signal.
- Export or download leads if you need them longer than Google keeps them. The page says leads are stored for no more than 60 days and sensitive data for no more than 30 days, so pull them into your CRM or download them while they're still there.
- Set up negative keywords. Use them to cut off DIY, jobs, wholesale, wrong-service and other junk queries that don't turn into booked jobs.
- Choose your conversion goals carefully. Keep phone call leads on, and turn on leads from messages only if your team actually replies to texts. Those goals drive optimization and reporting.
- Think in daily budget, not weekly. A busy Monday can spend more than a quiet Sunday. Check pacing a few times a week so a hot day doesn't surprise you, remembering Google still caps monthly spend around daily average times 30.4.
- Use the feedback tools in Lead Details. Rate the lead, update Booked or Completed, check charge status, and request a credit when a lead is spam, out of area, or otherwise invalid.
- Save old LSA reports before or right after migration. Google says historical performance reports don't carry over to Google Ads, even though past leads do.
Bottom line
Pay-per-lead Local Services Ads now live inside Google Ads as a Performance Max campaign for categories Google has migrated. The ads still show on Search and Maps, and you still pay for leads. The new controls that matter most for roofers and contractors are daily budgets, conversion goals, negative keywords, the Leads page (including Lead Details ratings), and answering the phone before the charge clock runs out. If you want help checking whether your account has moved, setting goals and negatives, or cleaning up lead handling, OmniLocal can walk through it with you.