Google's Local Services Ads Migration Sparks Warning for Home Service Businesses

PxlPerfect Designs has warned home service businesses to export their Local Services Ads data before Google's migration, which began in August 2026. The company is urging plumbing, HVAC, and electrical companies to take immediate action as historical performance reports will not be transferred to the new system.

According to Google's documentation, the first phase of the migration started in August 2026 with select home and storefront service advertisers, including plumbing, HVAC, and electrical businesses. The company is advising business owners to export their data within 14 days of receiving a migration notice, as the standalone Local Services Ads dashboard will be retired once an account completes its move.

Brian Lowell, owner of PxlPerfect Designs, emphasized the importance of exporting data: 'Google has been clear that those reports do not come with you. Exporting takes minutes.' The company is urging business owners to export their performance reports, including impressions, clicks, weekly spend, and ad-level reporting.

The migration timeline outlined by Google includes three phases: August 2026 for select home and storefront service advertisers, late 2026 for broader advertiser groups, and 2027 for accounts outside the United States. While the core model remains unchanged, manual bidding is being retired in favor of automated bidding, and weekly budgets will convert to average daily budgets.