Local Services Ads Migration Checklist for Local Businesses

Key Takeaway

• Google named plumbing and HVAC among the first business types moving into Google Ads when Local Services Ads migrate starting in August 2026, giving these contractors the shortest window to prepare.

• You receive 14 days of advance notice before your migration date, but most of the work below takes less than an hour if you handle it before that email lands.

• The single most important step is exporting your historical performance reports, the only part of this checklist that cannot be undone or recovered after migration day.

• Sorting out your bidding setup, callouts, GBP accuracy, and budget pacing before migration prevents the most common post-migration headaches for HVAC and plumbing contractors.

Google named plumbing and HVAC in the first migration wave. Starting August 2026, your Local Services Ads account moves into Google Ads as a Performance Max pay-per-lead campaign, and the standalone LSA dashboard shuts off for good. You get 14 days of advance notice. Most of what is on this list takes about an hour to handle before that email lands, and considerably longer if you wait until after it does.

1. Export Your Performance Reports First

Lead history transfers to your new Lead Manager in Google Ads. Historical performance reports do not.

Every impression count, weekly spend figure, and ad-level report sitting in your current LSA dashboard is gone the day your account migrates. Google does not carry this data into Google Ads, and it cannot be restored after the fact.

Pull the last two or three years if you have them. That data matters for:

• Year-over-year comparisons, which is how you tell a genuinely slow month from a normal seasonal dip

• Shoulder season planning between your heating and cooling cycles

• Budget conversations with anyone who questions where your cost per lead has moved over time

Do this now, before anything else on this list. Every other item can be addressed after migration if you have to. This one cannot.

2. Sort Out Your Bidding Before Google Does It for You

Manual bidding goes away with migration. If you set a maximum cost per lead today, that control is gone after your account moves.

The change that stings more for many HVAC and plumbing contractors is the loss of vertical-level target CPA. If you run one campaign covering both services with a different CPA target on each, because a service call and a full system replacement are worth very different money, Google merges those into one campaign-level target and applies it across both.

The fix is splitting into separate campaigns per service type before migration. The tradeoff is thinner conversion data in each campaign, which can slow Google's optimization on lower-volume service lines.

Split them if the cost-per-lead gap between your services is wide enough to matter. Leave the setup alone if your services convert at similar values and a single blended target works.

3. Line Up Six Callouts to Replace BBB

Better Business Bureau callouts are no longer supported after migration. Google requires at least six other structured callouts to replace them.

Options that work for HVAC and plumbing accounts:

• Emergency service available

• Same-day appointments

• Financing available

• Years in business

• Licensed and insured

• Free estimates

• Accepted payment methods

• Flat rate pricing

Write these before migration day. Otherwise your ads run without the callout assets while you sort it out afterward, which means missing a visual element that builds trust at the moment someone is deciding whether to call.

4. Check Your Pacing if You Do Not Run Seven Days a Week

Google converts your weekly budget into a daily average by dividing the historical weekly total by 7. Monthly spend then caps at that daily figure multiplied by 30.4.

If your account runs Monday through Friday only, or only during business hours, that math changes how spend paces across your schedule. Review your daily budget setting right after migration and adjust if the daily figure is flattening spend during your busiest windows or front-loading it in ways that do not match your dispatch capacity.

5. Clean Up Your Google Business Profile Before Migration Day

After migration, your Google Business Profile becomes the primary source of truth for your campaign. Business name, address, and hours sync from GBP into Google Ads in one direction.

Make a significant change to your business name or address after migration, and Google triggers a verification review. That review typically takes 24 to 48 hours, and your campaign can pause while it runs. A paused HVAC campaign during a heat wave or a cold snap costs real money.

Get the profile accurate before your migration window opens, not after.

6. Learn Where Your Leads Live in Google Ads

Your LSA lead inbox becomes Lead Manager inside Google Ads. Find it under the Goals dropdown, then Conversions, then Leads.

The features you already use carry over: charged status, lead type, the dispute form for bad leads, and CSV export into your CRM. The metric labels shift though, and this catches most people off guard in the first week.

Leads now appear as Conversions. Cost per lead appears as Cost / conv. Your performance numbers are the same, just labeled differently. Knowing this ahead of time saves you from a confusing first look at a dashboard that appears to show no leads.

After Migration Day

Google recommends giving your account two full weeks before drawing conclusions from performance data. Early numbers will look noisy while the system stabilizes, and reacting too quickly to week-one results can send optimization in the wrong direction.

One more practical note: you cannot create new pay-per-lead campaigns directly inside Google Ads yet. If you need to add a campaign or open a new local account, that still runs through g.co/localservices until Google enables in-platform campaign creation.

The short version of this entire list: export your reports first. Do it before anything else. Every other item here is fixable after migration if you need to, but historical performance data disappears permanently on migration day.

If you want your Local Services Ads account reviewed and prepped before your migration window opens, the team at Leacon Digital manages Paid Advertising (Google and Meta Ads) for HVAC, plumbing, and other home service contractors across Western Pennsylvania. For more on how paid platforms compare for local service businesses, our breakdown of Google Ads vs Facebook Ads: Which Is Better for Small Business is worth a read alongside this checklist. If you want to understand what managed PPC Management Services include and what they typically cost, that post covers both.

People Also Ask

What is the deadline for exporting my LSA performance reports?

You need to export your reports before your specific migration date, not before August 2026 broadly. Your account administrator receives an email 14 days before your account migrates, followed by a reminder 7 days out. Export everything from the current LSA dashboard as soon as that first notice arrives, or sooner if you want to avoid doing it under pressure.

Will my HVAC or plumbing ads stop running during the migration?

Most accounts experience minimal disruption. Google migrates your campaign settings automatically and ads typically resume quickly after the account moves. Google recommends allowing up to two weeks after migration for performance to fully stabilize. Expect some variability in your numbers during that window.

What if I have multiple service types in one LSA campaign?

After migration, vertical-level target CPA is no longer supported. If you run separate CPA targets for different services inside one campaign, Google consolidates them into a single campaign-level target. If your services have meaningfully different cost-per-lead values, separating them into individual campaigns before migration gives you more control over bidding.

Where do I dispute a bad lead after migration?

Lead Manager inside Google Ads handles lead disputes after migration. Access it through Goals, then Conversions, then Leads. The dispute process and feedback form carry over from the current LSA dashboard, and the process works the same way.

FAQ

Do I need to rebuild my campaign after migration?

No. Google automatically migrates your campaign settings, including service areas, job types, budget, ad schedule, and business photos. Your Google Verified badge and verification status also carry over without requiring you to reverify your credentials.

Can I still set a maximum cost per lead after migration?

No. Manual bidding and the ability to set a maximum cost per lead are not supported after migration. Google moves all migrated accounts to campaign-level target CPA. If cost control by service type matters to you, splitting into separate campaigns before migration is the recommended approach.

How do I add a new Local Services Ads campaign after migration?

New pay-per-lead campaigns cannot yet be created directly inside Google Ads. New campaigns and new local accounts are still created through g.co/localservices. Google has indicated that in-platform campaign creation will become available at a later date.

How many reviews do I need on my Google Business Profile for LSA?

Your existing Google Business Profile and its reviews carry over during migration. There is no minimum review count required for migration itself, though your GBP star rating and review volume continue to influence how prominently your ads appear in search results after the move.

Ready for the LSA Migration? Leacon Digital Works With Home Service Contractors.

With more than 10 years of experience helping small businesses across Western Pennsylvania grow online, Leacon Digital handles the paid advertising strategy and setup so home service contractors can focus on the work, not the platform updates. If you are an HVAC or plumbing company in the Pittsburgh region and want your Local Services Ads account prepped before migration day, we are ready to help.

Visit Leacon Digital or call 724-953-7685 today. Our team will review your LSA setup, handle the preparation steps, and make sure your campaigns are positioned to perform through the transition and beyond. Contact us to get started.