CallRadius adds safeguards for Google’s Local Services Ads migration

Google will begin moving select U.S. Local Services Ads accounts into Performance Max in August 2026, shifting management from the LSA dashboard into Google Ads. CallRadius says its platform update is designed to protect reporting, budget control and optimization as advertisers prepare for the change.

Why it matters: - Google’s migration changes how Local Services Ads are managed, reported and budgeted for home and storefront service advertisers. - CallRadius says the update is meant to reduce the risk of lost reporting history, misread campaign data and premature budget changes during the transition. - The move affects advertisers that rely on pay-per-lead campaigns in Google Search and Google Maps, not just on the standalone LSA dashboard.

What happened: - CallRadius announced platform updates for Google’s phased migration of existing Local Services Ads campaigns into specialized Performance Max campaigns with pay-per-lead goals. - The first phase begins in August 2026 for select U.S. home and storefront service advertisers. - Google’s migration shifts campaign management from the standalone Local Services Ads dashboard into Google Ads.

The details: - Google says Local Services Ads will remain pay-per-lead, keywordless and limited to Google Search and Google Maps. - The former LSA dashboard will redirect to the Google Ads campaign overview after migration. - Historical campaign-level reports, including impressions, clicks, weekly spend and ad-level performance, will not carry over. - Past customer leads, contact details, message history and older call recordings will transfer to Lead Manager in Google Ads. - Google will convert historical average weekly budgets into daily average budgets by dividing the weekly amount by seven. - Manual maximum cost-per-lead bidding and vertical-level Target CPA settings will be retired. - Google will apply a unified campaign-level Target CPA instead. - Google Verified status will carry over, while Better Business Bureau callouts will no longer be supported. - CallRadius says its platform now detects both the original Local Services campaign type and the migrated Performance Max structure. - CallRadius preserves independently stored performance history using daily data rather than relying only on Google’s retiring interface. - The platform adds a stabilization hold that limits automated optimization while Google says performance may take up to two weeks to return to stable levels. - A verification gate blocks budget changes until the migrated campaign path is confirmed. - Google’s current API documentation supports identifying and updating certain existing Local Services Performance Max campaigns, but not creating new ones through the API. - API updates are limited to eligible campaigns created through the Google Ads interface. - CallRadius says it will reweight its LSA Score if an input becomes unavailable instead of treating missing data as zero. - Lead feedback remains available through Lead Manager, and CallRadius plans to validate credit-recovery behavior on live migrated accounts.

Between the lines: - The migration is less about ad placement and more about control over the systems advertisers use to measure and manage performance. - Campaign integrations that look only for the old Local Services Ads type may stop recognizing accounts after conversion. - The biggest operational risk is a gap between Google’s new campaign structure and the tools agencies use to monitor spend, leads and optimization. - CallRadius is positioning its update as a compatibility layer for both the pre-migration and post-migration account structure.

What’s next: - Google says account administrators will get an email 14 days before migration, another reminder seven days later and a completion notice after conversion. - The August 2026 phase covers select U.S. advertisers in plumbing, HVAC, electrical, appliance repair, house cleaning, lawn care, roofing, pest control and moving. - Broader advertiser groups are scheduled for later in 2026, followed by non-U.S. accounts and remaining categories in 2027. - Before migration, advertisers should export historical LSA reports, review the new daily budget, confirm Google Business Profile information and avoid unnecessary changes during stabilization. - Changes to a business name, storefront address or primary category may trigger a 24- to 48-hour verification review and pause the campaign.

The bottom line: - Google’s LSA migration will reshape campaign management for service advertisers, and CallRadius is betting that migration-aware controls will become essential as reporting and budget rules change.