Google Local Services Ads in the UK

Google's UK list of home services includes:

• Plumbers, electricians, roofers, carpenters, handymen and general contractors
• Heating and air conditioning (HVAC), appliance repair, garage doors
• Cleaning, carpet cleaning, window cleaning and window repair
• Landscaping, lawn care, tree services and fencing
• Flooring, worktops, foundations and water damage
• Pest control, junk removal, removals and home inspection

Legal services and estate agents are a pilot in Greater London only. Google says these ads "will not trigger outside of Greater London" (Google).

If your trade isn't on the list (locksmiths aren't, for example), you can't use Local Services Ads. Normal Google Ads and your free Business Profile are the routes left. Google also says the badge is currently unavailable for automotive, beauty and dining.

Google has moved to one badge for every advertiser. In its words, it is "launching a single badge for all advertisers", and it is "discontinuing the money-back guarantee associated with the Google Guarantee badge". The old guarantee only covers services booked through Local Services Ads before 7 December 2025, and claims have to be made within 30 days of the job being finished (Google).

If you already had a badge, Google says no action is needed: you get the Google Verified badge automatically, and your ranking isn't affected.

Many guides still describe the old badges and the guarantee. If a page promises customers their money back through Google, it's out of date.

For every UK home service, Google lists three requirements (Google):

1. A business check. For UK businesses, Google asks for a VAT number or a Companies House registration number (Google).
2. Public liability insurance. Google says employer's liability insurance isn't accepted in Europe.
3. A business licence, where local law requires one.

You also need a public, verified Google Business Profile. Google says the process takes three to four weeks on average.

Google says background checks on individuals are for selected users in the US and Canada. It doesn't name UK trade schemes such as Gas Safe in its requirements, so check what applies to your trade when you sign up.

You pay for leads, not clicks. Google says you "pay for valid leads", and that lead prices "may vary depending on your location, the job type, the type of lead or your bidding mode" (Google). There's no published UK price list.

What you control:

• A weekly budget. You set an average weekly budget and can change it at any time (Google).
• How you bid. Google offers three modes: let Google get as many leads as it can, aim for a target cost per lead, or set a maximum per lead (Google).

Points that catch people out:

• No lead credits in the UK. In some countries you can ask for money back on a bad lead. Google says lead credits "aren't available for … advertisers in EMEA", which includes the UK (Google). Leads Google judges invalid at first contact aren't charged.
• No booking leads. Google says booking leads are only available in the US and Canada.
• Repeat contacts. The same customer contacting you again within 15 days isn't charged again.
• Billing goes through Google Ads.

Google's leads page lists exactly which calls, messages and voicemails count as a lead. Read it before you set a budget.

Google says Local Services Ads are ranked by an auction "taking into account bid and overall profile quality" (Google). The things it names:

Google adds that higher quality profiles "may rank higher and may also pay lower costs per lead".

Your reviews for Local Services Ads come from your Google Business Profile, not a separate system. Google says star ratings and number of reviews affect how your business is ranked (Google).

So before you spend on ads, look at your Business Profile: current hours, photos of real jobs, and reviews from recent customers. Keep your opening hours current too: Google uses the hours on your Business Profile as your operating hours for Local Services Ads.

Google doesn't publish what a UK lead costs, and you can't claim credits for bad leads here, so the only way to know is a small test. Set a low weekly budget for a few weeks, and keep a note of each lead: was it a real job in your area, and did it turn into work?

If you're already busy from word of mouth and your free Business Profile, you may not need them.

We don't run ads. We look after the free side that Local Services Ads lean on: an accurate Google Business Profile, review requests after each job, and replies to reviews drafted for you to approve.

• Local SEO and your Google Business Profile
• Google review requests and replies

You approve every message and who receives it before anything is sent.