A blog series on how Google Local Services Ads actually work, from someone who helped build the platform. Most of what's written about LSA is guesswork. Here's your source of truth.
Featured Brief
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BRIEF 001 — RANKING
What Actually Determines Who Appears in the Top Three LSA Positions
Google calls them the 3 Rs: Reviews, Responsiveness, and Radius. That framework is accurate. What it doesn't tell you is how those factors actually work, which ones you can control, and what happens when one of them is effectively off the table.
Core ranking factors Google uses to determine position
1
Of the 3 Rs actually controlled inside the dashboard
60%
Of callers hang up within 40 to 60 seconds without a human
The businesses consistently appearing in the top three have built a review generation process into their operations, answer their phones fast, and configured their service area as wide as they can actually support. None of that is complicated. Most of it is not even advertising.
DATE: 2026.03.08
READ TIME: 6 MIN
CATEGORY: RANKING
BRIEF 004 — Agency Ops
Published
I Asked Gemini for LSA Best Practices. Here Is What It Got Wrong.
AI tools are getting better at a lot of things. LSA advice is not one of them. I ran the test so you do not have to.
BRIEF 003 — Agency Ops
Published
What Operational Factors Outside the Platform Matter Most for LSA Performance
The factors that move LSA ranking the most are not inside the dashboard. They live in how the business operates. Most agencies either do not understand this or choose not to talk about it.
BRIEF 002 — Agency Ops
Published
The First Things I Check on Every New LSA Account
There is a specific order I work through on every new account before touching a single setting. Account history, competitive review standing, intake operations, profile settings, job types and photos. Here is why the sequence matters.