- Finds every Local Services campaign in the account, standalone or the pay-per-lead Performance Max kind.
- Reads a budget-limited status as a decision about how much exposure you want, not a defect, and says so.
- Checks a target CPA against the leads Google actually reported, never against a fixed monthly count.
- Flags lead goals Google isn't counting, so Local Services leads show up as conversions.
- Keeps LSA inside the same monthly cap and pacing as your Search campaigns.
- Stages budget, target, or status changes on existing LSA campaigns for your approval, where Google's API allows the change.
Local Services Ads management
Google Local Services Ads management for the trades.
Pay-per-lead ads with the Google Verified badge, the one most people still call Google Guaranteed, belong next to your Search campaigns, not off in a separate login. The paid search agent inside Harness Hub reads your LSA budgets, targets, and lead goals every day under one monthly cap. The Harness team handles what Google keeps human: verification, your profile and job types, and lead disputes.
Local Services Ads, defined
What are Local Services Ads?
Local Services Ads are Google's pay-per-lead ads for home services. They sit at the top of Search and in Maps with your verified business, your job types, your reviews, and the Google Verified badge. You pay when a lead contacts you, not when someone clicks. Google is folding them into Google Ads as pay-per-lead Performance Max campaigns, which is why they belong under the same management as the rest of your paid search.
- Pay per lead, not per click You're charged when a customer contacts you, inside a budget you set.
- Built on your profile, not keywords Your verified business, job types, service areas, hours, and reviews do the work.
- Screened by Google Google checks the business first. Pass, and the Google Verified badge rides with your ad.
LSA vs. PPC
Local Services Ads vs. Google Search ads
Same Google results page, two very different machines. Here's how they compare, and what the agent watches on each.
| Compared on | Local Services Ads | Search ads in Google Ads |
|---|---|---|
| You pay | Per lead | Per click |
| What it runs on | Your verified profile, job types, service areas, hours, and reviews | Keywords, bids, ads, and your landing pages |
| Badge | Google Verified | None |
| Bad leads | Disputed in Google's lead manager | Invalid clicks are Google's call |
| Where it shows | Top of Search and in Maps | Search results |
| What the agent reads | Budget-limited status, target CPA against reported leads, lead goals Google counts | Search terms, keywords, ads, and landing pages |
| Who builds it | The Harness team, through Google's screening | The agent, from a conversation |
Most home services businesses run both. Here they sit under one cap. How agentic paid search management works →
How we manage LSA
The agent's half and ours.
Google keeps parts of Local Services human on purpose. So do we. The agent does the daily reading and stages the changes; the Harness team does the work Google wants a person on.
- Category screening and the Google Verified badge.
- Linking the right Google Business Profile.
- Job types, service areas, hours, and photos, checked against what you actually sell.
- Lead disputes for spam, wrong service, and out-of-area calls, submitted in Google's lead manager as they come in.
- Marking leads Booked and Completed, which Google says helps its own optimization.
- Reviews: Google reads your Business Profile reviews, and Harness Hub tracks your total and rating every day.
Missed calls cost twice
Let it ring past 20 seconds, and you can still pay for it.
Google's rules as of our last review: a missed call during business hours can still be a charged lead if the caller stays on the line more than 20 seconds, and a customer who follows up within 15 days of the last contact isn't charged as a new lead. A missed Local Services call can cost you the lead fee and the job.
If the number on your LSA profile is your Harness Agent line, every Local Services call gets answered, recorded, and summarized, routed to your office during business hours if you want it that way, and booked into ServiceTitan as a request your dispatcher confirms. Harness Agent is a $750/month add-on.
LSA by trade
Local Services Ads for every trade we run
HVAC
AC and furnace calls come in hot, and a missed one can still be a charged lead.
Plumbing
Water heaters, leaks, and drains: the calls homeowners make in a hurry.
Electrical
Repair calls and panel work, listed under the job types you actually run.
Roofing
Leak and storm-damage calls from homeowners who want a verified roofer.
Garage doors
Broken springs and openers: same-day calls, listed under the job types you run.
Pest control
One-time and recurring service calls, kept to the areas you actually treat.
Google decides which categories and markets are eligible. We'll tell you where you stand before you commit.
With your Google Ads
One cap across Search and Local Services.
Search gets judged on tracked, scored leads and ServiceTitan invoice revenue. Local Services gets judged on the leads Google reports and what each one cost. Both sit inside one monthly cap, and the agent flags when Performance Max or Display start pulling budget away from either.
How it works
Clipped in, profile first.
- 01
Connect
We connect Google Ads and your Local Services account, then check the badge and the profile before anything else.
- 02
Fix the profile
Job types, service areas, hours, photos, the Business Profile link, and the phone number that answers.
- 03
Set the cap
One approved monthly cap across Search and Local Services, so neither channel runs away with the budget.
- 04
Run
Daily agent checks, changes you approve, and disputes filed as the leads come in.
Pricing
Local Services Ads management, priced straight.
Local Services Ads management is included in Accelerate: $3,000 a month, flat, on up to $25,000 in combined ad spend across Google Ads, Local Services Ads, Display, and Meta. Running LSA on its own, or alongside partner-channel PPC? Ask us and we'll tell you straight what it costs.
FAQ
Local Services Ads, straight answers.
How much do Local Services Ads cost?
You pay per lead, not per click, at a price that moves with your trade, your market, and the target you set, inside a budget you control. We won't quote you an average, because it moves by trade and city. We'll show you your own numbers once the leads come in.
What's the difference between Google Guaranteed, Google Screened, and Google Verified?
Google Verified is the badge's current name. It replaced the Google Guaranteed and Google Screened badges, which is why most people still search for those names. Screening requirements still vary by category and market, so we confirm what yours needs before you start.
Can I dispute a bad Local Services lead?
Yes. Spam, the wrong service, and calls from outside your area can be flagged in Google's lead manager, and the Harness team submits them as they come in. Credits are Google's call and its policies vary, so we never promise a refund on any lead.
Do I need both Local Services Ads and Google Ads?
Most home services businesses run both. Local Services Ads put your verified business at the top of the page for people who want to call a pro now. Search ads reach everyone else, on your keywords and your landing pages. Here they share one monthly cap and one agent.
Does the agent set up my Local Services Ads?
No. Setup, screening, and your profile are human work, and the Harness team does them. Once the campaign is running, the paid search agent reads it every day and stages changes for your approval.
What can the agent change without me?
Nothing. Every budget, target, or status change on a Local Services campaign waits for an explicit approval, the same as Search, and only where Google's API allows the change.
Who answers Local Services Ads calls after hours?
If the number on your LSA profile is your Harness Agent line, the AI receptionist answers every call, day or night, records and summarizes it, and can book a ServiceTitan request for your dispatcher to confirm. Harness Agent is a $750/month add-on.
Is Local Services Ads management included in Accelerate?
Yes. Accelerate is $3,000 a month, flat, on up to $25,000 in combined ad spend across Google Ads, Local Services Ads, Display, and Meta. Running LSA on its own, or alongside partner-channel PPC? Ask us and we'll tell you straight what it costs.
Local Services Ads management
Put your Local Services Ads on the same rope.
Tell us your trade, your markets, and whether you're verified yet. We'll tell you where your Local Services Ads stand and what it takes to run them next to your Search campaigns.
Let's talk
Get your LSA on belay.
Tell us your trade, your service areas, and whether you run Local Services Ads today. We'll be in touch within one business day.