I read that Google is officially moving Local Services Ads into the main Google Ads platform. They’ll become a specialized Performance Max campaign with pay-per-lead goals, not a traditional PMax campaign. LSAs will still be keywordless, appear only on Search and Maps, and charge for valid leads rather than clicks. They will do away with LSA dashboard. Any thoughts?

Stumbled across this new AI tool called MapScan that gives you a full heatmap audit of your Google Maps rankings. It literally shows you where your business ranks across your entire city—visually. No dashboards, no digging through GMB. Just a clean map of where you're hot and where you’re invisible. Ran it for one of my local clients and was shocked by the red zones we didn’t even know existed. You get a free audit, no credit card or signup hoops. If you’re doing local SEO, this might be worth checking out. Curious if anyone else here has used it yet?

Wednesday, October 21, 2026, 2:00–3:00 PM Eastern. Accelerate Marketing / Local Lead Labs. Google is changing how local businesses prove trust, and the smartest move is to separate confirmed changes from limited tests before touching your account. Join us live for a practical Accelerate Marketing workshop for local-service business owners, law firms, and agencies. We’ll cover: 1. LSA featured-professional and headshot changes. How to adjust a professional-services ad after Google’s October notice removes featured professionals and makes headshots optional. This is a display/setup change, not a promised ranking improvement. Reference: https://searchengineland.com/google-local-services-ads-removes-featured-professionals-497197 2. Google Business Profile verification. How to follow the verification method Google actually offers, prepare legitimate evidence and protect identity documents. Photo-only and government-ID options are limited observations, not options everyone can select. Google guidance: https://support.google.com/business/answer/7107242 Photo discussion: https://localsearchforum.com/threads/verify-a-google-business-profile-with-a-photo.63441/ ID discussion: https://localsearchforum.com/threads/verify-by-uploading-government-id.63448/ 3. Delayed review-removal appeals. Keep one clean case with the review, policy issue, evidence and case number, and check its status rather than submitting duplicates. Delay report: https://www.seroundtable.com/google-business-profiles-review-appeals-delays-42331.html Google’s process: https://support.google.com/business/answer/4596773

Q: What is changing? A: Featured professionals will no longer show on your ads. Q: Do I still need headshots? A: No, headshots are now optional and won't affect your ad serving. Q: Will my photos and reviews be affected? A: Not at all! The rest of your ad—including reviews, ratings, and business photos—will remain unchanged.

Quick observation: A lot of owners focus on getting more LSA visibility or more GBP views… But the real leak usually happens in one of three places: • Slow response time to new leads• Weak or generic Google Business Profile messaging• No proper follow-up system (missed calls = missed revenue) Even small tweaks, like tightening your service descriptions or improving first-response scripts, can significantly increase booked jobs without increasing ad spend. Curious: If you’re running LSAs right now, what’s been your biggest bottleneck, ranking, lead quality, or closing rate?