Google Is Moving Local Services Ads Into Performance Max — What to Check First

# What's happening Google is moving Local Services Ads (LSAs) into Performance Max (PMax). The visible assets — the same listings, the Google Guaranteed badge, and the pay-per-lead billing model — stay where they are. What changes is how those ads are managed and reported inside your Google Ads account.

# What changes in your account Short list of the concrete shifts you should expect:

• Historical reporting moves location and some parts will not transfer. You'll lose access to certain reports in the old dashboard once migration happens.
• Day-to-day campaign management shifts into Google Ads' interfaces and automated campaign controls.

Some elements carry over automatically and only need verification afterward. Others disappear entirely. At least one part of your account history does not transfer at all — the only way to retain it is to export it before your migration date.

# Why you need an audit before migration Google assigns migration dates, so you must act before yours arrives. An audit tells you which data to export, which settings to lock down, and where post-migration performance risks live. Accounts that are checked and prepped before migration move through cleaner and report more predictably after the switch.

# What to export and check pre-migration CallRail's webinar outlines a practical checklist. Key items to save and verify before your date:

• Save budget schedules and any manual bid history you currently use.
• Document ad copy, service categories, and targeting settings that might be needed to reconstruct or verify PMax inputs.
• Note any conversion or tracking setups tied specifically to the Local Services dashboard.

# What to watch for after migration Once the account moves, focus on these checks in this order:

• Budget reconciliation: confirm how LSA spend appears inside Google Ads and adjust weekly/monthly budgeting as needed.
• Report locations: find where your historical metrics moved and confirm any data gaps.
• Campaign management: learn the PMax controls available for your migrated listings and test small changes before wide rollout.

# Agency considerations Agencies managing multiple clients will face staggered migration dates. The recommended approach:

• Prioritize accounts with upcoming migration dates for pre-migration exports.
• Use a standard audit checklist to ensure consistent data capture across clients.
• Prepare a client communication plan that explains what will change and when you'll review performance post-migration.

# Where to get the checklist and walkthrough CallRail's Meagan McLoughlin, director of product marketing, has been tracking what transfers, what resets, and what changes in advertiser reporting during this migration. She built the audit checklist CallRail uses and will walk through it live on September 8. The webinar promises the full before-and-after checklist, including an agency playbook.

# Bottom line The visible LSA experience stays largely the same for users. The operational side — where budgets live, who sets bids, and where data is reported — moves into Performance Max. Export the right reports and settings before your migration date, monitor cost-per-lead closely after the move, and use a repeatable audit for each account that migrates.