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Google Local Services Ads (LSA) charges advertisers for valid customer leads, not for ad clicks. A lead can arrive as a phone call, a message, a voicemail, or, in some markets and categories, a booking request. Whether a contact is billed depends on how it arrived, how long it lasted, whether the same customer has contacted you recently, and whether Google later judges it to be low quality, duplicate, or invalid. Lead prices vary by location, job type, lead type, and bidding mode.
How does an LSA lead move from search to charge?
- A prospect searches for a service in an area you selected and sees your LSA.
- The prospect contacts you through the ad by call, message, or booking, where booking is supported.
- Google assesses the contact for validity at the moment it happens.
- Each valid lead counts toward your budget and is charged at the price that applies to that lead.
- For 30 days, Google keeps assessing lead quality and can reassess charged leads. It may automatically credit some that it later finds poor quality, duplicate, or invalid.
Once the customer reaches out, converting the lead into a customer is your responsibility. Google’s US onboarding guidance makes the stakes of responsiveness explicit: “If you regularly fail to answer calls or respond to messages, your ad ranking may be affected.” That statement is Google’s own guidance; it does not identify an individual author.
What counts as a valid lead?
Google’s guidance describes several contact paths. The table below separates them by how they are triggered and how they are priced. Where Google’s published material does not state a value, the cell says so.
| Contact type | What triggers a valid lead (per Google’s lead guidance) | Price relationship to a phone lead |
|---|---|---|
| Answered call | Assessed on the conversation itself, not on ring time | Phone lead price is the reference point |
| Missed call | Chargeable during business hours when the caller stays on the line for more than 20 seconds | Phone lead price is the reference point |
| Standard message lead | A customer text or email sent through the ad’s proxy number or email alias | Typically lower than the corresponding phone lead, though Google says this is not always the case |
| Request a Quote lead | A quote request submitted through the ad | Not stated as a separate figure in the guidance reviewed; treat as a message-type lead whose price depends on the same factors as other message leads |
| Voicemail | Listed by Google as an example of a lead; the exact trigger is not stated in the guidance reviewed | Not stated |
| Booking request | Only in supported markets and categories (see the booking section below) | Not stated |
Do I get charged for missed calls?
Sometimes. A missed call can become a chargeable lead if it happens during business hours and the caller stays on the line for more than 20 seconds. The 20-second threshold applies to missed calls only. An answered call is judged by what happens in the conversation rather than by ring duration. Google also notes that IVR keypresses and voicemail handling can change how the missed-call threshold is applied, so a call that routes through an automated menu may be evaluated differently from one that rings your line directly. If your phone system is configured in a way you have not tested, check a few calls against the Leads page before assuming how they will be billed.
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How are message leads priced and routed?
Messages can be standard message leads or Request a Quote leads. Google routes them through anonymized proxy numbers and email aliases, so the customer’s personal contact details are not exposed in the message thread. Google says pricing considers the lead type, the service requested, whether the customer contacted other local advertisers, and the customer’s previous engagement with ads. Because those factors differ from one contact to the next, two message leads from the same ad can carry different prices.
When are repeat contacts from the same customer charged again?
If the same customer follows up from the same phone number or email address within 15 days of an interaction, later calls or messages are not charged again. If 15 days pass with no activity, a new contact can count as a new lead, provided it meets the valid-lead criteria. The 15-day window is measured from the interaction, so a steady stream of contacts can keep a single charge in place for longer than 15 days in total.
Use a consistent contact detail when you can. A customer who writes from a different email address or calls from a new number may look like a new contact to the system, which can change whether a follow-up is charged.
How do budgets and monthly caps work?
You set an average weekly budget. Google says that the budget can be exceeded in a particular week, but the monthly maximum is calculated as the weekly budget multiplied by the average number of weeks in a month. Once the monthly maximum is reached, your ads stop for the rest of that month unless you change the budget. Plan the weekly figure with that calculation in mind rather than assuming the weekly number is a hard ceiling for each individual week.
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Can I get a credit for a bad lead?
Google reassesses charged leads and can apply automatic credits to some that it determines are poor quality, duplicate, or invalid. Several limits apply:
- Automatic credits are not available in EEA countries.
- Google’s guidance excludes certain verticals and regions from credits and from call recordings.
- You can give feedback on individual leads and dispute leads where that option is offered.
- Narrowing your service areas, categories, or service types can reduce unwanted leads, but it can also reduce lead volume. Treat that as a trade-off to measure rather than a fix that works without cost.
Where do I check whether a lead was charged?
In Google Ads, open the Leads page. Each lead carries one of four statuses:
- Charged: the lead has been billed.
- Not charged: the contact did not qualify for a charge.
- In review: Google is still assessing the contact.
- Credited: the charge has been reversed after reassessment.
A lead can move from Charged to Credited after the 30-day assessment window, so a status that looks final on day one may change.
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Yes, in a specific way. When a customer searches for your own business name, your LSA can become eligible through Google’s direct business search feature. In that result, Google’s guidance says your LSA is the only LSA shown, and only leads from new customers are charged. Callers and message users may be asked whether they are returning customers, and that answer affects billing. LSA cannot be used to target another company’s brand searches.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How do the three bidding modes differ?
Google documents three LSA bidding modes. The table compares them on the points Google’s bidding guidance addresses.
| Bidding mode | Level of automation | Control you set | Budget behaviour and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maximize leads | Automated | Average weekly budget; no per-lead price cap stated | Google’s help page recommends a minimum budget of 10 leads per week for best results. This is guidance, not a guaranteed outcome. |
| Target cost per lead | Automated, with an optional target | Optional target cost per lead | Budget behaviour beyond the weekly and monthly rules above: not stated in the guidance reviewed. |
| Max per lead | Manual | Maximum price you will pay per lead | Budget behaviour beyond the weekly and monthly rules above: not stated in the guidance reviewed. |
Google says its models may need about two weeks to adjust and produce accurate results. Avoid judging a new bidding setup, or a change to it, in its first two weeks.
Is direct booking available everywhere?
No. Google’s booking feature page states that booking is currently available only in the United States. Within that market, some verticals are available only in California and Florida, and the feature is unavailable for healthcare and tax specialists. You enable booking through a supported partner, and availability, rescheduling, and cancellation are managed in that partner’s account rather than in Google Ads.
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Google’s general lead article describes booking leads as available in the United States and Canada. The dedicated booking page is the more specific source, so treat Canada as unconfirmed for booking until your own account shows the feature. Eligibility is both market-specific and category-specific, so check your account before relying on it.
Can I pass LSA leads to another company?
No. Google prohibits selling or passing LSA leads to other businesses. Leads must be fulfilled by the advertiser or by vetted technicians who represent that company, and the business must describe accurately who will perform the work.
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