To turn off Google Local Service Ads, log into your Local Services Ads account at ads.google.com/local-services-ads, navigate to your profile settings, and either pause your ads or close your account entirely depending on whether you want a temporary or permanent stop.
What Are Google Local Service Ads and Why They Matter for Your Business
Google Local Service Ads (LSAs) are a pay-per-lead advertising product designed specifically for local service providers, appearing at the very top of Google search results above traditional paid ads and organic listings. Unlike standard Google Ads, LSAs charge businesses per verified lead rather than per click, making them attractive to trades, legal, and healthcare professionals looking to generate local enquiries.
These ads display a business name, star rating, phone number, and a “Google Guaranteed” or “Google Screened” badge, which signals to potential customers that the business has passed Google’s vetting process. For many UK businesses, this badge carries genuine weight with consumers, but it also means the account requires ongoing management, verification, and budget allocation that not every business wants to maintain.
Need Some Google Local Service Ads Support? Speak with a member of our expert Google Guarantee professionals
How Do I Disable Google Local Service Ads Without Losing My Account Data
Pausing your Google Local Service Ads is the recommended first step if you are unsure whether you want to stop permanently, as it suspends your ads without deleting your account history, reviews, or performance data. To pause, sign into your LSA dashboard, select “Profile and Budget” from the left-hand menu, and toggle your ads from active to paused.
If you want a full account closure rather than a temporary pause, you will need to submit a closure request directly through Google’s support team, as there is no self-serve “delete account” button within the LSA interface itself. It is worth noting that any unused budget in your account may be refundable depending on how your billing was set up, so it is sensible to review your account balance before requesting closure.
How Do I Turn Off Annoying Google Ads Appearing in My Local Search Results
| Google Ad Type | Where It Appears | How to Remove/Disable |
|---|---|---|
| Local Service Ads | Top of search, above all other results | Pause or close LSA account |
| Google Search Ads | Above organic results | Pause campaigns in Google Ads |
| Display Ads | Across Google’s Display Network | Pause or remove campaigns |
| Google Maps Ads | Within Google Maps listings | Managed separately in Google Ads |
| Shopping Ads | Above search results for product queries | Pause via Google Merchant Centre |
If you are a user rather than an advertiser and you are seeing LSAs that feel intrusive when searching locally, you cannot remove them from your results entirely, but you can use the “Why this ad?” or “Report this ad” options within Google Search to provide feedback or flag irrelevant ads. Google does use this feedback to refine what ads are served to individual users over time, though it does not provide a guaranteed opt-out.
Is Google Local Service Ads Worth It for UK Tradespeople and Service Businesses
Whether Google Local Service Ads are worth the investment depends heavily on your trade, location, and the competition level in your area, with businesses in lower-competition towns often seeing a significantly better cost-per-lead than those operating in large cities like London or Manchester. The pay-per-lead model can offer strong value for high-ticket services such as roofing, boiler installation, or legal consultations, where a single job can cover the cost of many leads.
| Business Type | Average UK LSA Lead Cost (Estimated) | Typical Job Value | Likely ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emergency Plumber | £15 to £35 | £150 to £500 | High |
| Roofer | £25 to £60 | £500 to £5,000+ | High |
| Electrician | £20 to £45 | £100 to £800 | Medium to High |
| Solicitor | £40 to £90 | £500 to £5,000+ | High |
| Locksmith | £10 to £25 | £75 to £200 | Medium |
| Cleaning Company | £12 to £30 | £80 to £300 | Medium |
That said, LSAs are not universally effective, and some businesses report poor lead quality or a high volume of irrelevant enquiries that do not convert. If your close rate on LSA leads is low or you are struggling with lead quality, it is worth auditing your profile settings and dispute history before switching off entirely, as poor-quality leads can sometimes be refunded through Google’s dispute process.
How to Manage Your Google Guaranteed Badge When Turning Off Local Service Ads
The Google Guaranteed badge is tied to your LSA account and will no longer appear in search results once you pause or close your ads, as it is not a standalone certification that persists independently. This is an important consideration for businesses that have built trust with local customers partly on the strength of this badge, since its disappearance may be noticed by return visitors comparing their options.
For businesses that rely on the trust signal the badge provides but no longer want to run paid LSAs, it may be worth exploring whether a strong Google Business Profile with verified reviews can compensate for the loss. According to Google’s own guidance on Local Services Ads, the vetting process behind the badge is thorough, and maintaining your verification documents up to date can help speed up reactivation if you choose to return to the programme later.Is $10 a Day Enough for Google Ads? Understanding Budget Realities
The short answer is that $10 a day (roughly £8) is almost certainly not enough to run an effective Google Local Service Ads campaign in a competitive UK market. That budget might generate one lead every few days in a low-competition area, but in urban markets like London, Surrey, or Hampshire, where multiple businesses are bidding for the same customers, your daily spend will be exhausted very quickly with minimal return.
Budget thresholds matter because LSAs use a ranking system that weighs your weekly budget alongside your responsiveness, your review score, and your proximity to the customer. A business spending £150 per week will generally receive more lead volume and better placement than one spending £40 per week, all else being equal. The UK Government’s Business Finance Support guidance is worth reviewing if you are a small business exploring how to fund your advertising spend as part of a broader growth strategy.
For businesses that are newer to paid advertising, it is also worth reading the Competition and Markets Authority guidance on online advertising to understand your rights and protections when purchasing digital advertising services from third-party agencies.
What Factors Determine the Cost of a Google Local Service Ad?
Lead cost on LSAs is not fixed. Google calculates it dynamically based on several factors that interact with one another, and understanding them is essential if you want to control your spend effectively. The biggest drivers are your trade category, your geographic market, and the level of competition from other verified businesses in your postcode area.
Your Google Screened rating also plays a role. Businesses with more five-star reviews and faster response times tend to receive more leads at a lower effective cost per lead, because Google’s algorithm rewards engagement and customer satisfaction. Maintaining a high review count is not just good for your reputation; it directly affects how efficiently your LSA budget performs.
Need Some Google Local Ads Help? Speak to a member of our UK Google Local Ads experts team
How Do I Turn Off Google Local Service Ads: What You Need to Know Before You Stop
Before switching off your Google Local Service Ads, it is worth taking stock of your current performance data, including your average cost per lead, dispute win rate, and the volume of bookings attributable to LSAs over the past three months. Switching off without reviewing this data means you may be removing a channel that is performing better than you realise, particularly if you have not been attributing jobs back to your ad account consistently.
If you have decided the ads are not right for your business right now, pausing rather than closing gives you the flexibility to reactivate quickly without going through the full verification process again. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published guidance relevant to digital advertising practices in the UK, which is worth reading if you have concerns about how your business is represented within advertising platforms more broadly.
Ultimately, turning off Google Local Service Ads is a straightforward process but one that deserves a considered approach rather than a reactive decision. Whether you pause temporarily during a quiet period, reduce your budget ceiling to limit spend, or close the account entirely, the right answer depends on your pipeline, your margins, and the alternatives you have in place.
How Do I Turn Off Google Local Service Ads: Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, pausing your LSA account does not delete your reviews or profile information, which remain saved within your account. Your Google Guaranteed badge will simply stop appearing in search results until you reactivate.
Ads typically stop showing within a few hours of you toggling your account to paused status in the LSA dashboard. There may be a short lag depending on caching, but they should be fully inactive within 24 hours.
No, once your account is paused you will not receive new leads and will not be charged, though any leads already delivered before the pause may still be billed. Review your billing summary after pausing to confirm no outstanding charges remain.
Yes, you can reduce your weekly budget to a very low amount (such as £1) to effectively limit activity without fully pausing or closing the account. This approach keeps your profile live and your badge visible while minimising spend.
Your Google Guaranteed badge will no longer appear in Google Search once your ads are paused or your account is closed, as the badge is only displayed when your LSA is active. It is not a standalone certification you can keep without running active ads.
Pausing suspends your ads temporarily while retaining all your data, reviews, and verification status, making reactivation much faster. Closing your account is a permanent action that typically requires a fresh application and verification process to restart.
You can dispute individual leads directly within your LSA dashboard by selecting the lead in question and submitting a dispute with your reasoning. Google reviews disputes and will issue a credit to your account if the lead is found to be invalid.
Google Local Service Ads charge per lead rather than per click and appear at the very top of search results with a Google Guaranteed badge, making them distinct from standard pay-per-click campaigns. For a broader overview of how Google Ads products differ, the Wikipedia page on Google Ads provides a useful starting point.
LSAs are available to a defined list of business categories in the UK including plumbers, electricians, roofers, solicitors, and financial advisers, but not every industry qualifies. Google updates its eligible categories periodically, so it is worth checking the current list in your LSA account settings.
Yes, you can adjust your service area settings within your LSA profile to remove specific postcodes or towns without pausing the entire account. This gives you geographic control over where your ads appear without switching off entirely.
If your account has been suspended rather than paused by you, you will need to contact Google support directly to understand the reason, which is often related to insurance, licence, or background check documentation. The UK Government’s guidance on business licensing and compliance may help you gather the documentation Google requires to reinstate your account.
All leads generated through LSAs are logged within your account dashboard under the “Leads” section, where you can see calls, messages, and booking requests along with their status. You can also listen back to recorded calls directly within the dashboard to assess lead quality.
No, pausing or closing your LSA account has no direct effect on your organic search rankings, as LSAs and organic SEO are entirely separate systems. Your Google Business Profile and website SEO performance will be unaffected.
For businesses with clear seasonal demand cycles, pausing LSAs during low-demand periods is a sensible way to protect your budget without permanently removing the channel. Many UK tradespeople pause their accounts during holiday periods or when their diary is already full from other sources.