Google Local Services Ads now charge for missed calls

The Trades Titan exists for one reason. To help family-first business owners scale through AI and marketing without the confusion, and build a legacy worth having.

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Last issue I showed you how backlinks work and three free ways to start getting them. If you missed it: https://newsletter.thetradestitan.com/post/why-your-competitor-ranks-higher-on-google

This week: Google just changed how it bills Local Services Ads. If you run them, it starts today.

As of October 1, Google charges you for calls you miss.

Here is the rule. A call comes in during your business hours. Nobody picks up. The caller stays on the line for more than 20 seconds. You pay for that lead, the same as if you had answered it.

Google sent this out in an email on August 24. It was easy to miss.

Why this hurts roofers more than most

You are on a roof. Your office manager is on the other line. The phone rings out.

Before today, that missed call cost you a job. Now it costs you the job and the lead fee.

The 20-minute audit

Do this before your first October invoice.

1. Open your Local Services Ads account and go to your leads.
2. Pull the last 30 days of phone leads and look at the missed ones.
3. Count only the missed calls that came in during your business hours.
4. Multiply that number by what you pay per lead.

That number is what October costs you if nothing changes.

Three fixes

1. Make your hours honest. Calls outside your business hours are not billed under this rule. If nobody answers at 7am, do not list 7am. Set your hours to match when a real person picks up.

2. Answer inside 20 seconds. Forward the line so a second phone rings. The office, a partner, anyone. A missed call now costs as much as an answered one, so answer it.

3. Text every missed call in 5 seconds. When you can't answer, a text goes out right away. The caller gets a reply instead of a voicemail, before they dial the next roofer on the list.

Here is the text I use. Copy it:

"Hi, this is [Your Name] with [Company]. Sorry I missed your call, I'm on a roof right now. What can I help you with? Text me back here and I'll call you in a few minutes."

Then a real person calls them back. Text first to find the live leads, then a human call. That took the booking rate to 50% for our clients.

What I would do this week

Run the audit. Fix your hours today. Get the missed-call text running before the weekend.

That's it for this week.

One rule change. One 20-minute audit. Three fixes.

If this helped, forward it to a contractor friend who runs Local Services Ads. A lot of them missed Google's email.

Talk soon,

Paul

Paul Parnell
Founder, Level Up | The Trades Titan
Helping business owners scale with AI and marketing
thetradestitan.com

P.S. Reply "TEXT BACK" and I will send you the exact missed-call text setup I use.

P.P.S. Someone forward this to you? Subscribe free at https://thetradestitan.com

Source: Google Local Services Ads email to advertisers, August 24, 2026, "Upcoming changes to lead charge policy." Reported by PPC Land: https://ppc.land/google-lsa-advertisers-face-missed-call-charges-from-october-1/

Common questions

Does Google charge for missed Local Services Ads calls?

Yes, starting October 1, 2026. If a call comes in during your business hours, nobody picks up, and the caller stays on the line for more than 20 seconds, you pay for that lead the same as if you had answered it.

Are missed calls outside business hours billed?

No. Calls outside your business hours are not billed under this rule. Set your hours to match when a real person picks up.

How do I cut the cost of missed Local Services Ads calls?

Make your hours honest, forward the line so a second phone rings and someone answers inside 20 seconds, and text every missed call within 5 seconds so the caller gets a reply instead of a voicemail.

Keep reading

• What are backlinks? Why your competitor ranks higher
• Google Ads click fraud: the $12,000 problem in your account
• Google Ads audit: how I found $1,234 in fake clicks

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