Will My Google Local Service Ads Reviews Transfer When Local Services Ads Move Into Google Ads? What Happens to LSA Reviews and Ratings as Local Services Ads Are Moving Into Google
You've spent years earning those stars, and now Google is moving Local Services Ads into Google Ads, so you want to know if your reviews come along or if you start over at zero. Fair thing to worry about, because the home services shop with the most reviews tends to get the calls.
The short answer is that Google says your review ratings on the ad come straight from your Google Business Profile, and you can't edit them inside Google Ads. Google's pages don't say what happens to reviews that only lived inside your old account. We'll show you what Google said, what it left out, and what to do about the gap.
Why Local Services Ads Are Moving Into Google Ads
Google says Local Services Ads is transitioning to a more integrated, self service experience inside the Google Ads platform, so you can manage all your Google advertising in one place and reach local customers from there. Google is bringing Local Services Ads into Google Ads over the coming months, and existing Local Services Ads campaigns get migrated automatically to a specialized Performance Max campaign type built for pay per lead goals. You still pay for valid leads, like phone calls and messages, and not for clicks. Our post on moving into Google Ads as a contractor covers the bigger picture.
Google also says where and how your ads appear to local customers on Google Search and Google Maps "remains exactly the same." So the ad is the same ad in the same spot, your ads continue to show on Search and Maps, and the only thing that changes is where you manage it. You'll run it from your Google Ads account instead of the old dashboard, and Google says it expects minimal down time during the move.
on your ad
What Google Says About Reviews and Your Google Business Profile
Google's help page on pay per lead goals says core ad content, "including your business name, address, business hours, and review ratings," is sourced directly from your profile and can't be edited in Google Ads. You can read it on Google's pay per lead goals page.
That tells you where the stars on your new ad come from. They come from the profile Google already has for your shop, the same one people see on Google Maps and in local search. Google adds that setup pre-fills from your Google Business Profile data, so you don't type it all in again.
What Google Doesn't Say About LSA Reviews
Here's the gap. We read Google's transition page, its pages about pay per lead goals, and its best practices page. None of them says what happens to a review that was earned only inside the old LSA setup and never showed up on your profile. They also don't say whether your old auction ranking history carries over. That's us reporting what's missing, not a guess about what happens.
So if you've been told your reviews are "safe" or "gone" by a rep or a blog, ask where they got it, because Google's own pages don't say either one. If any of your customer reviews came through the LSA side, write down the number of reviews and the stars today, so you have your own record.
Google Screened Badges and Your Star Rating
Some owners mix up badges and reviews, so here's the split. Google replaced the old Google Guaranteed badge and the Screened badge with one badge, the Google Verified badge, and Google's Local Services Help page says existing advertisers who finished verification get it automatically. Google's Ads Help page adds that your Google Verified status transfers to Google Ads automatically too. A badge says Google checked your business. Stars come from customers. They're two different things, and Google lists them separately. We cover the badge story in our post on what happened to the Google Guaranteed badge.
Does Your Ranking Move With You?
Google says reviews matter for ranking. Its best practices page tells advertisers to aim for 5 or more reviews on their profile, and says high ratings and a steady stream of reviews "directly improve your ad ranking in local auctions." The same page says to answer calls promptly, since missed calls and slow responses can lower your ranking and visibility.
Owners say the same thing in their own words, that whoever has the most reviews gets the calls. That's owner talk, not Google, but it lines up with what Google wrote. What nobody says is whether your old standing carries over on day one, so plan to watch your leads closely. Google itself says to allow up to two weeks for performance to settle after the move.
Local Services Ads Migration: What Moves and What Doesn't
Google will transfer your setup automatically on transition day, and it also says what doesn't carry over. Google will divide your weekly budget by 7 to get a daily average. Reviews are the only line in the table where Google stays quiet about the old setup.
| Google says it carries over | Google says it doesn't, or doesn't say |
|---|---|
| Your ad placements on Search and Maps | Your old performance reports |
| Your verified status and badge | Reviews earned only inside the LSA setup (not addressed) |
| Locations, service types, service categories, budget limits, ad schedule, photos | Your old auction ranking history (not addressed) |
| Past lead history, with contact details, messages, and call recordings | Manual bidding such as a maximum cost per lead |
Your business name, address, and hours sync one way from your profile into Google Ads, and Google says other fields like photos and service areas are pre-filled but you can change them on their own. That matters for editing your business profile before the move, because a significant change to your name or address can trigger a review that takes 24 to 48 hours, and your campaign may pause while it happens. Google also says Better Business Bureau callouts are no longer supported, so pick at least six other callouts.
How This Differs From Standard Performance Max Campaigns
You'll hear the words Performance Max, and it helps to know this isn't the standard kind. The standard kind charges per click and runs across YouTube, Gmail, and the Display Network. A pay per lead campaign serves only in local search results and on Maps, uses no keywords, and charges for valid leads. Your reviews matter the same way in both, since they show up beside your name, but only one of them bills you by the lead.
What Happens to Your LSA Dashboard and Lead Inbox
Once your LSA account moves, Google says you can't open the original Local Services Ads dashboard anymore, and logging in to that separate Local Services Ads dashboard sends you to Google Ads. You land on your campaign overview in the Google Ads interface, and your old Local Services Ads inbox becomes the Leads page under Goals and Conversions. Past leads, with contact details, messages, and call recordings, move over and stay accessible there. Your historical performance reports don't, so exporting your LSA reporting history comes first. If your ratings show anywhere in that old view, screenshot them too.
Step by Step: Protect Your Reviews Before Your Account Moves
Here's what a shop owner can do this week, in order. The first two take about ten minutes.
- 1Open your business profile and write down your star rating and total review count, then take a screenshot. That's our advice, not Google's.
- 2Screenshot anything in your old view that shows reviews or ratings, because it goes away once you move.
- 3Check that your business name, address, hours, and main category are right and match what customers see, and review your service areas while you're there.
- 4Ask your next ten happy customers for a Google review while the job is fresh, and send the link by text before you leave the driveway.
- 5After the move, compare your star rating and review count on the live ad to the numbers you wrote down, and then check them again in two weeks.
Getting Reviews Without Making It Weird
Google says to aim for 5 or more reviews, so a shop with 12 is in better shape than a shop with 2. Our read is that a steady drip beats one big push, since Google's page talks about a steady stream. Ask customers to leave reviews the same day, ask by text, and ask everyone, not only the people who smiled the most.
New Local Services Campaigns and Campaigns in Google Ads
One more thing that trips owners up, Google says you can't create new campaigns with pay per lead goals directly within Google Ads at this time. If you need a new local campaign, Google says to keep using g.co/localservices, and that creation will come to Google Ads later. If you run more than one service line, like plumbing and HVAC, and list multiple service categories, Google will calculate one campaign-level Target CPA for all of them, and it says separate campaigns are how you keep separate bidding rules.
When Will Your Google Local Services Ads Account Move?
Google's timeline puts the first phase in August 2026 for select home and storefront service advertisers in the United States, including plumbing, HVAC, electrical, and roofing. In late 2026 it expands to service-area businesses without physical storefronts and accounts with custom bidding or booking. Remaining business categories follow in 2027, so existing LSA advertisers in those groups wait longer than other local services advertisers. Your account administrator gets an email 14 days before the move, and a final reminder 7 days later. Google recommends checking your settings the first time you log in.
If your leads feel slow after the switch, our post on why your LSA leads stopped coming in walks through the common causes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do my Google reviews carry over when LSA moves into Google Ads?
Google says review ratings on your ad come straight from your Google Business Profile and can't be edited in Google Ads, so reviews on your profile show up on the new ad.
What happens to reviews I only earned inside my old LSA setup?
Google's pages we read don't say. Screenshot them now and compare after your account moves.
How many reviews does Google want me to have?
Google's best practices page says to aim for 5 or more reviews, with high ratings and a steady stream of new ones.
Will my ranking stay the same after the move?
Google doesn't say whether old ranking history carries over. It does say to give it up to two weeks to settle, so watch your leads during that time.
Does my verified badge move too?
Google says your verified status and badge transfer to Google Ads automatically if you already completed verification.
Nobody can promise your stars come out the same on the other side, and we won't pretend we can. If you'd rather have someone check your profile, settings, and budget before your account moves, the Migration Rescue is a flat $2,000, no retainer.
Want a second set of eyes, start with the free Migration Readiness Report, and if you want the whole job done for you the Migration Rescue is $2,000 flat. Start on the home page.