2026 Benchmarks · Google's Own Rules · Named Sources Only
How Much Do Google Local Services Ads Cost Per Lead?
Google Local Services Ads cost about $53 per lead on average (SearchLight, 888 contractors, Feb 2026); you pay only for valid calls, messages, or bookings.
Google publishes no price list; its help center says only that “lead prices may vary depending on your location, the job type, the type of lead, or your bidding mode.” The real numbers come from agencies that publish client data. Every figure here was read from its source on August 21, 2026, and is named next to the number.
Local Services Ads cost per lead by trade
| Trade | SearchLight (Feb 2026, 888 contractors) | The Media Captain (Aug 2025, 100+ clients) |
|---|---|---|
| All trades (average) | $53 | — |
| Electrician | $39 | — |
| HVAC | $51 | $80 |
| Plumber | $57 | $69 |
| Drain / sewer | $59 | — |
| Roofer | — | $162 |
| Painter | — | $40 |
| Landscaper | — | $39 |
| Personal injury lawyer | — | $249 |
Sources: SearchLight Digital’s LSA benchmark ($6.72 million in spend, 888 contractors, 126,650 leads, February 2026) and The Media Captain’s LSA statistics (Jason Parks, August 26, 2025, 100+ client accounts). WordStream(updated August 3, 2026) puts the overall LSA average at about $60, against $66.69 for a regular Google search-ad lead. The two agency columns disagree because they cover different clients in different markets — Google’s point exactly. Plan on the range, not one number.
How Google actually prices a lead
Google’s “How leads work” page says: “You’re charged for each valid lead you receive through your Local Services ad.” A valid lead is a text or email from the customer, a phone call you answer and speak on, or a booking request. Clicks and views are free. Google also says it “may occasionally credit leads you report as poor quality” through its feedback survey; The Media Captain’s clients get 6-7% of spend back that way.
| Bidding mode (Google's help center) | What it does | Who it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Maximize leads | Google sets the bid to get the most leads for your budget | Most new accounts |
| Target cost per lead | You or Google set a target; leads land around that average | Owners who know their numbers |
| Max per lead | A hard ceiling — Google never bids above it for one lead | Tight budgets (ends with the 2026 move, see below) |
Source: Google, “How bidding works for Local Services Ads”. One more Google rule that changed the cost picture: since October 20, 2025 every LSA advertiser shows a single Google Verified badge — the Google Guaranteed and Google Screened badges, and the money-back guarantee that came with them, were discontinued on that date.
Are Google Local Services Ads worth it?
Usually, for a trade that answers the phone. The three facts that decide it, with their sources:
| Fact | Number | Source |
|---|---|---|
| You pay per valid lead, not per click | $0 for views and clicks | Google, How leads work |
| Most leads are phone calls | More than 90% | The Media Captain, Aug 2025 |
| Poor-quality leads get credited | 6-7% of spend back | The Media Captain, Aug 2025 |
| LSA lead vs. search-ad lead | About $60 vs. $66.69 | WordStream, Aug 2026 |
| Leads after the budget stops | None | Pay-per-lead by definition |
A call that rings out is still a billed lead, so the business that picks up wins and the one that doesn’t pays for nothing. The honest downside is that the leads stop the day the budget does. Compare it with what a lead costs on other channels before deciding how much of your spend belongs here.
How much do Local Services Ads cost per lead for roofers?
More than almost any other trade. Three published numbers for roofing in the United States:
| Roofing lead | Cost per lead | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Local Services Ads (client data) | $162 | The Media Captain, Aug 26, 2025 |
| Local Services Ads (2025 range) | $45-$120, higher in storm season | ResultCalls, Mar 4, 2026 |
| Regular Google search ads, roofing & gutters | $228.15 | LocaliQ, 3,211 campaigns, updated Jul 15, 2026 |
Sources: ResultCalls and LocaliQ’s home-services search benchmarks. On those published numbers, an LSA lead is the cheaper paid lead for a roofer — as long as the phone gets answered.
What changed in Local Services Ads in 2026
You may have seen headlines saying Google “killed” Local Services Ads. It did not. What Google announced, in its own words on its Google Ads help page, is that Local Services Ads are moving out of their separate dashboard and into the regular Google Ads platform as Performance Max campaigns with pay-per-lead goals. The first phase began in August 2026 for select home and storefront service advertisers in the United States.
| What Google says | Stays the same or changes |
|---|---|
| “You still only pay for valid leads (such as phone calls and messages)” | Same |
| Ads “continue to show exclusively on Google Search and Google Maps” | Same |
| “Your campaign remains keywordless” | Same |
| Lead history, messages, and call recordings | Move over automatically |
| Manual bidding (Max per lead) | “No longer supported” |
| Weekly budget | Divided by 7 into a daily budget |
| Past performance reports | “Will not migrate” — download before your date |
| Timing | Aug 2026 select US accounts → late 2026 → rest + non-US in 2027 |
Source: Google Ads Help, “Local Services Ads transition to Performance Max campaigns with pay-per-lead goals,” read August 21, 2026; timeline and the 14-day and 7-day warning emails also reported by PPC Land (July 20, 2026), which quotes Google’s Ads liaison recommending that advertisers download their historical data first. The practical cost change is the end of the hard per-lead ceiling: after your account moves, watch “Cost / conv.” in Google Ads, which is your average cost per lead, and set a target rather than a maximum.
The part Google does not bill for
The cheapest lead is the one that was coming anyway
Every number above is a price for a lead that Google sold you. The homeowner who asks Google or ChatGPT “who is a good roofer near me” and gets your name in the answer costs you nothing per lead — and that stream keeps running when the ad budget stops. Local Services Ads are a fair way to buy this month’s calls. They are not a reason to skip being the business that gets named.
That is the work Get Recommended does: the website, the Google profile, and the reviews that get a business named by Google and ChatGPT. Start with the free audit below and see whether you are findable before you pay for another lead.
Paying per lead only works if customers can find you without one. Can they?
Free audit: whether Google’s AI and ChatGPT name your business when homeowners ask who to hire. No signup.
Local Services Ads Costs — FAQ
How much do Google Local Services Ads cost per lead?▾
About $53 per lead on average, according to SearchLight Digital's February 2026 benchmark of $6.72 million in spend across 888 contractors and 126,650 leads. By trade in that data: electrical $39, HVAC $51, plumbing $57, drain and sewer $59. The Media Captain's August 2025 client data runs higher for some trades — roofers $162, HVAC $80, plumbing $69. Google itself says lead prices vary by location, job type, lead type, and bidding mode.
Are Google Local Services Ads worth it?▾
For most home-service trades, yes, when three things are true: you answer the phone (more than 90% of LSA leads are calls, per The Media Captain), you have reviews, and you check the lead charges. You pay only for valid leads — calls, messages, and bookings — not clicks, and Google credits some poor-quality leads you report. The Media Captain's clients get 6-7% of spend back as credits. LSAs are not worth it if nobody picks up, because a missed call is still a billed lead.
How do Local Services Ads bidding and budgets work?▾
Google's help center lists three bidding modes: Maximize leads (Google sets the bid to get the most leads for your budget), Target cost per lead (you or Google set a target average), and Max per lead (a hard ceiling on what you will pay for one lead). Starting with the August 2026 move into Google Ads, Google says manual bidding is no longer supported and your historical weekly budget is divided by 7 to become a daily budget.
What is changing in Local Services Ads in 2026?▾
Google is moving Local Services Ads into the regular Google Ads platform as Performance Max campaigns with pay-per-lead goals. Google's own announcement says the first phase began in August 2026 for select home and storefront service advertisers in the United States, expands in late 2026 to service-area businesses without storefronts and accounts with custom bidding, and reaches the remaining categories and non-US accounts in 2027. Pay-per-lead billing and Search-and-Maps-only placement stay the same; manual bidding ends and old performance reports do not move over.
Do roofers do well on Local Services Ads?▾
Roofing is one of the most expensive LSA categories. The Media Captain reports $162 per roofing lead from its client data (August 2025), and ResultCalls puts the 2025 range at $45-$120 per lead, rising in storm season. Against LocaliQ's $228.15 average cost per lead for roofing and gutters on regular Google search ads (3,211 campaigns, updated July 2026), LSAs are usually the cheaper paid lead for a roofer — but only if the phone is answered.
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