Google Local Services Ads (LSAs) are a specialised advertising format designed to connect your local business directly with customers who are actively searching for your services on Google. Unlike traditional pay-per-click campaigns, LSAs operate on a pay-per-lead model - you only pay when a potential customer contacts you by phone or message through your LSA listing.
With LSAs, your business appears prominently at the top of Google Search results, showing essential information such as your services, service area, hours and reviews. This places you in front of highly relevant search intent at the exact moment customers are ready to engage.
However, success with LSAs doesn't stop at generating leads - how you handle those enquiries directly influences your campaign's performance, quality score and ultimately your visibility in search results.
How LSA Leads Work
When a user interacts with your Local Services ad, they can either:
- Call you directly via the tracking phone number displayed on your LSA, or
- Send a message lead through the ad interface.
LSA leads are evaluated before you're charged: only valid leads - those that meet Google's quality criteria - are counted. Leads determined to be invalid or low quality may not be charged, and you can provide feedback on lead quality directly to Google to improve future lead relevance.
Message leads are typically priced lower than equivalent phone leads, with pricing based on factors including the type of message request and the estimated likelihood of booking.
Why Quality Handling Matters
Google uses your responsiveness and lead engagement as signals when ranking Local Services Ads. Promptly answering and correctly classifying leads helps:
- Improve your LSA ranking and visibility
- Reduce wasted spend
- Signal higher quality to Google's lead optimisation algorithms
- Attract more high-intent enquiries over time
A structured approach ensures that every lead is acknowledged, classified and managed consistently - whether by phone or message. The SOPs below formalise that approach.
Standard Operating Procedures for LSA Lead Handling
Ensure all LSA calls are handled consistently to maximise booking rate, protect lead quality, and improve Google LSA performance.
When the call is answered live:
- Greet professionally and confirm the service required.
Quickly qualify:
- Location
- Service needed
- Urgency / intent
Mark the call as:
Use Booked only if:
- A site visit, quote, or job is agreed
- The caller is a genuine, relevant customer
Quote requested with clear intent
Installation date discussed
Use Archived if:
- Outside service area
- Not the services we provide
- Budget completely unsuitable
- Customer only researching
Select the most accurate reason (e.g. Not my service, Out of area).
- Call back as soon as possible (target: within 15–30 minutes)
- If unanswered, leave a short voicemail
If contact is made on callback:
- Treat as an answered call
- Mark as: Booked → if job progresses
- Mark as: Archived → if unsuitable
If no contact after callbacks:
- Archive
- Reason: Unable to contact
Immediately Archive if:
- Sales or marketing calls
- Robocalls
- Completely unrelated enquiries
Reason: Spam or Not a valid lead
- Mark Booked only when there is real customer intent
Do not mark:
- Price checkers
- Time wasters
- Wrong services
Incorrect booking damages Google's lead optimisation.
Always:
- Answer or return calls quickly
- Mark every lead
- Use accurate archive reasons
- Be polite and helpful (calls may be recorded)
Never:
- Leave calls unmarked
- Book poor-fit leads
- Ignore missed calls
Answered call? ├── Genuine job → BOOKED ├── Not suitable → ARCHIVED │ Missed call? ├── Called back & spoke → BOOKED or ARCHIVED ├── No contact → ARCHIVED (Unable to contact) │ Spam / sales → ARCHIVED (Spam)
Correct call handling:
Improves Google LSA ranking
Increases lead quality
Reduces wasted ad spend
Drives more high-intent calls
Ensure all LSA messages are handled consistently to maximise lead quality, improve response rate, and increase bookings from message leads.
- Target response time: within 15 minutes
- Maximum acceptable time: within 1 business hour
Every message must receive a reply.
First reply must:
- Be polite and professional
- Acknowledge the enquiry
- Ask 1–2 qualifying questions only
- Offer the next step (call, quote, or visit)
Can you confirm your postcode and the type of service you're looking for?"
Quickly confirm:
Do not provide long explanations before qualification.
Mark as Booked when:
- A call is scheduled
- A site visit is arranged
- A quote request with clear intent is confirmed
"Please come and measure for a quote."
Archive if:
- Outside service area
- Wrong service
- No response after follow-up
- Budget clearly unsuitable
Use the correct archive reason (e.g. Out of area, Not my service, No response).
If the customer does not reply:
Follow-up schedule:
- 1st follow-up: after 24 hours
- 2nd follow-up: after 48 hours
If still no response:
- Archive
- Reason: No response
Immediately Archive if:
- Marketing/sales enquiries
- Unrelated services
- Automated or nonsense messages
Reason: Spam or Not a valid lead
- Professional and friendly
- Clear and concise
- Helpful, not salesy
- No pressure language
- No emojis
- No pricing without context (unless approved)
│ ├── Respond within 15 min │ ├── Qualified? │ ├── Yes → BOOKED (call / visit / quote agreed) │ └── No → ARCHIVED │ ├── No customer reply? │ ├── Follow up at 24h & 48h │ └── Still no reply → ARCHIVED (No response) │ └── Spam → ARCHIVED
Correct message handling:
Improves LSA responsiveness score
Increases conversion from message leads
Signals high-quality engagement to Google
Drives more inbound enquiries over time
Optimising Your LSA Lead Handling
Handling LSA leads the right way - not just once, but as a repeatable system - drives better results from your advertising investment. Here are the key optimisation principles, drawn from how Google defines and measures lead performance:
-
1. Speed of Response is Critical
Google's systems weigh responsiveness heavily. For message leads, aim to reply within minutes, not hours. Quick replies help improve your responsiveness score and signal relevance to Google's platform.
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2. Mark Every Lead Accurately
Every lead - whether booked or archived - should be assigned a clear status. Google uses this data to understand the quality of leads your business generates and how well you convert enquiries.
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3. Feed Back Lead Quality to Google
If a lead is genuinely invalid, use Google's lead feedback tools in your LSA dashboard to report it. This can help Google refine future lead delivery and reduce irrelevant contacts.
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4. Maintain Accurate Business Information
Your LSA profile - including services offered, service area and hours - directly affects which customers see your ad. Keep this updated to ensure you attract the right enquiries.
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5. Encourage Reviews and Maintain Verification
LSAs integrate reviews from your Google Business Profile. Higher ratings and a verified business status can boost customer trust and click-through rates, which in turn helps generate more high-quality leads.
Conclusion
Generating leads with Google Local Services Ads is only the first step. What sets high-performing advertisers apart is systematic handling of every phone and message enquiry - with speed, accuracy and clarity.
By combining the SOPs above with an understanding of how Google evaluates and charges for leads, you can maximise your LSA visibility, reduce wasted spend, and turn more enquiries into booked jobs.
If you'd like help auditing your LSA lead handling process or integrating it into your wider digital marketing strategy, get in touch to explore expert support and optimisation services.
- About the Author
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George Papatheodorou is a UK-based SEO consultant with a background in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science and an MBA in Telecoms. Since 2012, he has specialised in Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), Google and Bing Ads, and Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO), empowering businesses to elevate their online presence, attract targeted audiences, and secure top search engine rankings.
