Q.01
How do Local Services Ads charge for leads?
Google's help pages say you are charged for each valid lead you receive, not for each click. Phone calls, missed calls that run long enough, texts, emails, and voicemails can all count as leads.
According to Google's Local Services help pages, a lead is first assessed when the customer makes initial contact, and leads judged invalid or low quality at that point are not charged. Charged leads can be reassessed over time.
The same pages say lead prices vary by location, job type, lead type, and bidding mode, and that once you reach your monthly maximum your ad stops showing for the rest of the month unless you change your budget. Check your own account for your numbers.
Google lists several things that count as a lead, including a phone call you answer or return, a text message or email from the customer, a voicemail, and a missed call during business hours when the caller stays on the line for a set time. In the United States, booking requests can count too.
That last point matters for a contractor. A call you miss during your listed business hours can still be charged, so an unanswered phone costs you twice: the lead and the job.
Q.02
What may Google credit, and what does it no longer credit?
Google says charged leads that are later found to be low quality may be credited automatically, usually within 30 days, and that it no longer offers credits for job type not serviced or area not serviced. Check the current rules in your own account.
Google's lead credit page says charged leads may be issued credits automatically if they are later determined to be low quality, and that in most cases credits are applied to your account balance within 30 days. It also notes that the original lead charge still appears on your invoice, with the credit applied separately.
The same page says Google no longer offers credits for leads where the job type was not serviced or the location was not serviced. In other words, a caller asking for a trade you do not do, or a homeowner outside your area, is not something to count on getting credited. That is a settings problem you can fix at the source.
Lead credits are not available in every category or region, according to Google, so do not assume your account qualifies. Google changes how this works, so treat this guide as a starting point and read the current help pages in your account.
Not every unhappy outcome is a bad lead, either. A caller who asks for a price and then does not hire you is the normal cost of doing business.
Q.03
How do you spot problem leads quickly?
Review your leads every day or two while the details are fresh, and mark each one with its result. The faster you check, the easier it is to explain what went wrong and to fix your settings.
Open the lead inbox on a schedule and mark each lead with its result: booked, quote sent, not a fit, or problem. Keep short notes on why. Write down the date, the time, and what the caller asked for.
Listen for patterns. If you keep getting calls for work you do not do, your service list or categories may be too broad. If many leads come from outside your area, your service area may need tightening.
Keep a simple log outside the platform too. A spreadsheet with lead date, caller, issue, and outcome is more than enough and gives you something to point to later.
If you share the account with an office manager or a partner, agree on who reviews leads and on which days. Two people each assuming the other one checked is how a full week of leads goes unreviewed.
- Date and time of the lead
- Phone number or message text
- What the caller asked for
- Why it was not a fit
- What you did about it and when
Q.04
How do you give Google feedback or dispute a charge?
Google's help pages say to rate the lead inside your Local Services account and describe the problem, and they point to a separate help article about disputing charges. Follow what your account shows today, because the steps can change.
Google's help page says to leave feedback on leads by going to Leads in your Local Services Ads account, choosing the option to rate the lead, and completing the survey. That feedback helps Google assess lead quality.
For charges you want to question, Google has a separate help article about disputing charges. We have not described its steps here because they can change, so open that article from your own Local Services help center and follow the current instructions, including any deadlines.
Keep your notes short and factual. Describe what the caller said in one or two sentences, with the date and time. Skip anger and speculation.
Expect to wait, and do not assume every request will be approved. Do not stop paying attention to your account while you wait, and keep copies of whatever you submit.
Q.05
How do you reduce bad leads before they happen?
Tighten your service list, your service area, your business hours, and your job types so Google knows exactly what you want. Google itself suggests reviewing those settings if you are getting unwanted leads.
Google's lead credit page suggests that if you are getting unwanted leads, you review your service areas, job types, and categories and refine your settings, with the warning that those changes could reduce your lead volume. That tradeoff is worth making on purpose.
Go through every job type you have listed and remove the ones you do not truly want. Check your service area and include only cities you will actually drive to. Overreach brings in calls you cannot serve.
Make sure your business hours are accurate and that someone answers during them. A missed call can look like a bad lead when the real issue is that nobody picked up, and that is a different problem with a different fix. Summit AI Solutions offers an AI front desk that answers your business line, asks triage questions, and texts you the details, and it also sets up and manages Local Services Ads for Florida trades.
Q.06
What should you do with leads that are real but go nowhere?
Treat them as a sales and follow up problem, not a billing problem. Many real leads are lost because nobody called back fast or the quote never arrived.
Look at how fast you call back and what you say. A homeowner who contacted three contractors will often go with whoever responds first and sounds organized.
Set a rule for yourself: return every lead the same day, and follow up on every quote within a set time. Write the rule down so your office or crew can follow it.
Save your feedback and disputes for leads that were clearly wrong or spam, and fix the process for the ones that are not. Not getting the work is part of the business, and a short factual note beats a long complaint every time.
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