{
  "dataset": "Local Services Ads rules, quoted from Google",
  "url": "https://husky-digital.com/research/local-services-ads-rules/",
  "published": "2026-09-09",
  "lastVerified": "2026-09-09",
  "licence": "CC BY 4.0 — reuse with attribution and a link",
  "publisher": "Husky Digital",
  "method": [
    "Every row comes from Google's own Local Services Ads Help Center (support.google.com/localservices), opened directly with WebFetch or the browser tool in this session — never from a search-result snippet alone. Pages covered: getting started and eligibility, screening and verification, ad rankings, lead handling and disputes, budget mechanics, and the new Google Verified badge.",
    "The country count and the US category count are the two rows in this dataset where Google states no number in a sentence — they come from counting entries in an on-page selector and an on-page category list. Both were reopened and recounted by hand for this publication: the country switcher is an 11-option dropdown embedded in the \"Getting started\" page (other ISO codes tested — Netherlands, Australia, Japan — redirect to the US default rather than rendering their own page), and the US category list runs to 204 line items, several of them state-restricted. Both rows are marked verification: manual for that reason.",
    "Rows about the discontinued Google Guarantee / Google Screened badges and their replacement by the single Google Verified badge were kept deliberately narrow, since Google's current help pages describe the new unified system far more than the retired one. Any number that could not be personally verified on a live Google page — an exact discontinuation date, a lifetime dollar cap, an aggregate cross-country category count — was moved to the dropped section rather than estimated."
  ],
  "rows": [
    {
      "id": "lsa-country-count",
      "metric": "Number of countries where Local Services Ads is available",
      "value": "11",
      "valueNumeric": 11,
      "unit": "countries",
      "period": "current policy, accessed 2026-09-09",
      "source": {
        "name": "Google Local Services Help, \"Getting started with Local Services Ads\"",
        "url": "https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/6224841",
        "type": "platform-docs"
      },
      "quote": "Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States",
      "accessed": "2026-09-09",
      "verification": "manual",
      "note": "This is the country switcher embedded in this exact help page — a dropdown with 11 options, opened and counted by hand on the access date, since Google never states the number \"11\" in a sentence anywhere on the page. Testing other ISO codes (Netherlands, Australia, Japan) redirects to the default United States page instead of rendering a localized one, which is why they are not counted."
    },
    {
      "id": "lsa-us-category-count",
      "metric": "Number of distinct service categories eligible for Local Services Ads in the United States",
      "value": "204",
      "valueNumeric": 204,
      "unit": "categories",
      "period": "current policy, accessed 2026-09-09",
      "source": {
        "name": "Google Local Services Help, \"Getting started with Local Services Ads\" (United States)",
        "url": "https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/6224841?hl=en&co=GENIE.CountryCode%3DUS",
        "type": "platform-docs"
      },
      "quote": "Acai Shop, Acupuncturist, African Restaurant … Window repair services, Yoga studio",
      "accessed": "2026-09-09",
      "verification": "manual",
      "note": "Google states no total here — this is the actual bulleted category list on this exact page, opened directly and counted by hand: 204 line items for the US market alone. Some entries are geo-limited, e.g. \"Architect (California and Florida only)\" and \"Drain expert (California and Florida only).\" This supersedes the often-cited \"70+ categories\" figure, which comes from a March 2023 Google blog post pre-dating this year's badge overhaul."
    },
    {
      "id": "lsa-background-check",
      "metric": "Who performs LSA background checks, and what they cover",
      "value": "Third-party background check partners; identity + criminal history",
      "period": "current policy, accessed 2026-09-09",
      "source": {
        "name": "Google Local Services Help, \"Understand the screening and verification process\"",
        "url": "https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/6226575",
        "type": "platform-docs"
      },
      "quote": "Local background check partners perform background checks. Background check results remain strictly confidential between the business and background check partner. All owners of the business must complete a criminal background check. This background check involves identity and criminal history checks... like cross-checks against national sex offender, terrorist, or sanctions registries in the US.",
      "accessed": "2026-09-09",
      "verification": "script",
      "note": "Google does not run the checks itself — it contracts them out to background-check partner companies, and every owner plus every worker performing the core service must individually pass one."
    },
    {
      "id": "lsa-license-verification",
      "metric": "What license verification Google performs before approving an advertiser",
      "value": "State/provincial/country-level license check, to the extent practical",
      "period": "current policy, accessed 2026-09-09",
      "source": {
        "name": "Google Local Services Help, \"How providers qualify for Local Services Ads\"",
        "url": "https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/6230381",
        "type": "platform-docs"
      },
      "quote": "Google verifies that advertisers hold applicable state, provincial and/or country-level licenses for businesses and owners or managers, to the extent practical, and confirms that all workers are appropriately licensed.",
      "accessed": "2026-09-09",
      "verification": "script",
      "note": "The qualifier \"to the extent practical\" means the depth of the license check can vary by category and jurisdiction — it is not a uniform bar everywhere."
    },
    {
      "id": "lsa-insurance-requirement",
      "metric": "Insurance requirement for LSA advertisers",
      "value": "Certificate of insurance required where the category demands it",
      "period": "current policy, accessed 2026-09-09",
      "source": {
        "name": "Google Local Services Help, \"How providers qualify for Local Services Ads\"",
        "url": "https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/6230381",
        "type": "platform-docs"
      },
      "quote": "Whenever applicable, each business must be insured. The insurance type and minimum amount required depend on the category and location.",
      "accessed": "2026-09-09",
      "verification": "script",
      "note": "Google does not publish one fixed minimum coverage amount across categories — it varies by trade and by location, so there is no single dollar figure to quote."
    },
    {
      "id": "lsa-chargeable-lead-definition",
      "metric": "What makes a Local Services Ads lead chargeable",
      "value": "Any valid contact: call, text, email, voicemail, returned missed call, or booking request",
      "period": "current policy, accessed 2026-09-09",
      "source": {
        "name": "Google Local Services Help, \"How leads work\"",
        "url": "https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/7195435",
        "type": "platform-docs"
      },
      "quote": "You're charged for each valid lead you receive through your Local Services ad.",
      "accessed": "2026-09-09",
      "verification": "script",
      "note": "The same page lists leads that are NOT charged: those received outside stated business hours, customers who were only seeking advice, canceled bookings, price-shoppers, no-shows on a callback, or requests for a service the business doesn't actually offer."
    },
    {
      "id": "lsa-dispute-window",
      "metric": "Time window and eligibility to dispute a charged lead",
      "value": "30 days, US and Canada only, excludes health care verticals",
      "valueNumeric": 30,
      "unit": "days",
      "period": "current policy, accessed 2026-09-09",
      "source": {
        "name": "Google Local Services Help, lead-dispute help article",
        "url": "https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/11444751",
        "type": "platform-docs"
      },
      "quote": "Unfortunately, leads can only be disputed within 30 days.",
      "accessed": "2026-09-09",
      "verification": "script",
      "note": "A companion article adds the geographic and category limits: \"A successfully disputed lead will be credited back to you (US and Canada only). Note that lead disputes aren't available for health care verticals.\" (support.google.com/localservices/answer/11444536, accessed 2026-09-09)."
    },
    {
      "id": "lsa-money-back-guarantee-discontinued",
      "metric": "Status of the Google Guarantee money-back guarantee",
      "value": "Discontinued; last reimbursement requests accepted before Dec 7, 2025",
      "period": "reimbursement deadline: 2025-12-07",
      "source": {
        "name": "Google Local Services Help, \"The Google Guarantee\"",
        "url": "https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/7549288",
        "type": "platform-docs"
      },
      "quote": "Google will be discontinuing the Money Back Guarantee associated with the Google Guarantee badge. Eligible consumers can submit the request for reimbursement for services booked through Local Services Ads before December 7, 2025. Requests must be submitted within 30 days of the initial service completion date.",
      "accessed": "2026-09-09",
      "verification": "script",
      "note": "As of the access date, the consumer-facing money-back guarantee tied to the old \"Google Guarantee\" badge no longer accepts new claims; the page does not reproduce the old lifetime dollar cap that used to apply."
    },
    {
      "id": "lsa-badge-consolidation",
      "metric": "Consolidation of LSA trust badges into a single Google Verified badge",
      "value": "One unified \"Google Verified\" badge replaces the old badge set",
      "period": "current policy, accessed 2026-09-09",
      "source": {
        "name": "Google Local Services Help, \"About Google Verified badge\"",
        "url": "https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/16498018",
        "type": "platform-docs"
      },
      "quote": "Google is continuously looking to innovate and improve our advertiser and consumer experience. In that spirit, we're simplifying our advertiser badging by launching a single badge for all advertisers. ... All eligible existing advertisers who've completed verification requirements will automatically earn the new Google Verified badge and your ads will continue running as usual.",
      "accessed": "2026-09-09",
      "verification": "script",
      "note": "Google no longer describes separate \"Google Guaranteed\" and \"Google Screened\" tiers on its current help pages — both terms now redirect conceptually to the single Google Verified badge, with the specific verifications completed (background check, license, insurance, etc.) called out on the profile instead of via a distinct badge name."
    },
    {
      "id": "lsa-badge-category-exclusion",
      "metric": "Categories currently excluded from the Google Verified badge",
      "value": "Auto, beauty, and dining verticals",
      "period": "current policy, accessed 2026-09-09",
      "source": {
        "name": "Google Local Services Help, \"Getting started with Local Services Ads\" (United States)",
        "url": "https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/6224841?hl=en&co=GENIE.CountryCode%3DUS",
        "type": "platform-docs"
      },
      "quote": "Note: The Google Verified badge is currently unavailable for verticals in the auto, beauty, and dining categories.",
      "accessed": "2026-09-09",
      "verification": "script",
      "note": "See the disagreements section — a separate Google help page states the dining exclusion differently (naming Food and Beverage, Restaurants, and Dessert and Coffee specifically) and does not mention auto or beauty at all."
    },
    {
      "id": "lsa-prebadge-exclusion",
      "metric": "Categories excluded even from pre-badge (unverified) LSA ads",
      "value": "Garage door services, health care verticals, and locksmiths",
      "period": "current policy, accessed 2026-09-09",
      "source": {
        "name": "Google Local Services Help, \"Getting started with Local Services Ads\" (United States)",
        "url": "https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/6224841?hl=en&co=GENIE.CountryCode%3DUS",
        "type": "platform-docs"
      },
      "quote": "Note: Pre-badge ads aren't available for garage door services, health care verticals, and locksmiths.",
      "accessed": "2026-09-09",
      "verification": "script",
      "note": "Pre-badge ads let a provider collect leads while still finishing onboarding checks; these three categories cannot run at all until every check is fully completed."
    },
    {
      "id": "lsa-ranking-bid",
      "metric": "Role of bid amount in Local Services Ads ranking",
      "value": "Bid = maximum willingness to pay per lead, in an auction",
      "period": "current policy, accessed 2026-09-09",
      "source": {
        "name": "Google Local Services Help, \"About ad rankings\"",
        "url": "https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/7527305",
        "type": "platform-docs"
      },
      "quote": "The amount you bid is the maximum amount you're willing to pay for a lead, though you may end up paying less.",
      "accessed": "2026-09-09",
      "verification": "script",
      "note": "Ranking is explicitly an auction combined with a \"lead likelihood\" score, not bid amount alone."
    },
    {
      "id": "lsa-ranking-responsiveness",
      "metric": "Role of responsiveness in Local Services Ads ranking",
      "value": "Missed calls can hurt ranking",
      "period": "current policy, accessed 2026-09-09",
      "source": {
        "name": "Google Local Services Help, \"About ad rankings\"",
        "url": "https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/7527305",
        "type": "platform-docs"
      },
      "quote": "Your responsiveness to customer inquiries and requests: Missed calls may negatively affect your responsiveness.",
      "accessed": "2026-09-09",
      "verification": "script",
      "note": "The companion \"Getting started\" page reinforces this: \"If you regularly fail to answer calls or respond to messages, your ad ranking may be affected.\" (support.google.com/localservices/answer/6224841, accessed 2026-09-09)."
    },
    {
      "id": "lsa-ranking-profile-quality",
      "metric": "Profile-quality factors Google names for Local Services Ads ranking",
      "value": "Rating, review count, response time, photos, completed verification checks",
      "period": "current policy, accessed 2026-09-09",
      "source": {
        "name": "Google Local Services Help, \"About ad rankings\"",
        "url": "https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/7527305",
        "type": "platform-docs"
      },
      "quote": "Your rating, number of reviews, average response time, use of high-quality images, the verification checks you have completed, and any other information about your business.",
      "accessed": "2026-09-09",
      "verification": "script",
      "note": "Google bundles proximity, service relevance, time-of-search and business hours into a separate \"context of the search\" factor on the same page rather than listing them as profile-quality items — it does not give either factor a numeric weight."
    },
    {
      "id": "lsa-monthly-max-formula",
      "metric": "How Google calculates the monthly spend cap from a weekly LSA budget",
      "value": "weekly budget × 30.4 ÷ 7",
      "unit": "formula",
      "period": "current policy, accessed 2026-09-09",
      "source": {
        "name": "Google Local Services Help, \"How to edit your budget\"",
        "url": "https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/7434558",
        "type": "platform-docs"
      },
      "quote": "The exact formula for the monthly max is average weekly budget x 30.4 ÷ 7.",
      "accessed": "2026-09-09",
      "verification": "script",
      "note": "The same page states you will never exceed this monthly max, and that once it's hit, the ad stops appearing for the rest of the month unless the budget is raised."
    },
    {
      "id": "lsa-per-lead-charging-model",
      "metric": "LSA charging trigger relative to ad impressions/clicks",
      "value": "Pay only when a customer makes contact, not per click or impression",
      "period": "current policy, accessed 2026-09-09",
      "source": {
        "name": "Google Local Services Help, \"Local Services Ads overview\"",
        "url": "https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/7549347",
        "type": "platform-docs"
      },
      "quote": "You'll have an opportunity to appear prominently in Searches and connect with customers in your area, and only pay when a customer gets in touch from your ad.",
      "accessed": "2026-09-09",
      "verification": "script",
      "note": "This distinguishes LSA's pay-per-lead model from standard Google Ads' pay-per-click model; the specific per-lead price still varies by bidding mode, location, and category (see the monthly-max row for the spend ceiling)."
    }
  ],
  "disagreements": [
    {
      "topic": "Which categories are excluded from the Google Verified badge",
      "positions": [
        {
          "sourceName": "Google Local Services Help, \"Getting started with Local Services Ads\" (United States)",
          "url": "https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/6224841?hl=en&co=GENIE.CountryCode%3DUS",
          "value": "\"unavailable for verticals in the auto, beauty, and dining categories\"",
          "period": "accessed 2026-09-09"
        },
        {
          "sourceName": "Google Local Services Help, \"Local Services Ads overview\"",
          "url": "https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/7549347",
          "value": "\"currently unavailable for businesses in dining verticals, including the Food and Beverage, Restaurants, and Dessert and Coffee categories (but will continue to be applicable to other verticals)\"",
          "period": "accessed 2026-09-09"
        }
      ],
      "why": "Both are live Google Local Services Help pages fetched the same day, but one names three broad verticals (auto, beauty, dining) while the other names only dining, broken into three narrower sub-categories, and explicitly says all other verticals are unaffected. This reads as two help pages updated on different schedules after the Google Verified badge rollout rather than a real policy conflict — Google has not reconciled the wording across both articles as of the access date."
    }
  ],
  "dropped": [
    {
      "claim": "Exact effective date (day/month/year) when Google Guaranteed, Google Screened, and License Verified by Google were discontinued in favor of Google Verified",
      "why": "Only found in secondary sources reached via web search (AI-generated summaries), which gave conflicting dates — October 20, 2025 in one summary, November 7, 2025 in another. The only date confirmed by opening a Google page directly was the December 7, 2025 deadline for consumer reimbursement requests, so that is the only date used in the dataset."
    },
    {
      "claim": "Lifetime dollar cap on Google Guarantee reimbursement per customer",
      "why": "The dedicated definitional page (support.google.com/localservices/answer/12778341) now only states a general one-sentence definition of the discontinued badge; it no longer reproduces the dollar figure or lifetime-limit table that used to accompany it, and no other current Google page opened restates the cap."
    },
    {
      "claim": "Current total category count for Local Services Ads across all 11 countries combined",
      "why": "Google's own pages only publish per-country category lists, and the only aggregate figure available (\"more than 70 types of service area and storefront businesses\") comes from a Google blog post dated March 7, 2023, which pre-dates this year's badge and category changes and is very likely stale — the US list alone now runs to 204 categories."
    },
    {
      "claim": "Netherlands and Australia as supported Local Services Ads markets",
      "why": "A web-search AI summary claimed Netherlands availability, but navigating support.google.com's own country-code URL for Netherlands (co=GENIE.CountryCode:NL) and for Australia (AU) both silently redirected to the default United States page rather than rendering a localized page — the same fallback behavior confirmed for Japan, a country known not to be supported. Treated as not supported."
    },
    {
      "claim": "Exact per-lead dollar price or price range for a Local Services Ads lead",
      "why": "Google's own help pages explicitly decline to publish a number, stating lead price \"varies by location, job type, and bidding mode\" — no figure to quote."
    }
  ]
}