News & Notes on Google Local Services Ads: February 2022

Want to stay in the know on the latest updates from Google for your Local Services Ads (LSAs)? This is the post for you!

Approximate Read Time: 2 Minutes

If you use Google solutions as part of your law firm marketing strategy, you likely already know that things are frequently changing behind the scenes. This is even more true with Google Local Services Ads (LSAs) – which remain the newest way for lawyers and law firms to advertise in Google Search results.

Check out this post for a few updates Google recently shared with its LSA partners.

New: Troubleshooting for Lead Disputes Now Live in Help Center

With a recent update, Google has added a Troubleshooter into its Help Center to ease the process by which providers can troubleshoot “bad leads.” As you likely know, LSAs are a pay-per-lead product, which means you should only pay when you receive a valid lead through your LSA. However, that does not mean the product is immune from spam or misuse, such as repeated callers or a lengthy call about a case in a practice area not handled by your firm.

If someone running an LSA believes they should not have been charged for a lead through their LSA, they can submit a dispute in an effort to obtain a lead credit. With this new Troubleshooter, lawyers utilizing LSAs can better determine whether they may be eligible for a lead credit. On a related note, remember that once you have a dispute decision, it is final. There are no appeals.

Important Info: LSA Metrics in Google Ads Are Now Accurate

In our November 2021 update, we shared a reminder from Google that the data about LSAs displayed in Google Ads accounts was not accurate or reliable, as a unification rollout was ongoing. However, Google recently advised that this process was completed in December 2021. Now, all data shown about your LSAs in your Google Ads account should be accurate, including spend data (excluding disputes) and leads based on the lead creation date.

Notably, the lead information in your LSAs Dashboard is based on your monetization date, which in some “rare cases” may differ from the lead creation date shown in Google Ads.

Final Thoughts: Why Do You Care?

Staying informed about the latest updates from Google about LSAs helps you ensure that your LSA campaigns are doing the most work for your firm. Don’t have time to keep up with the rapidly changing landscape of Google advertising, or just need help managing your campaigns? Our dedicated legal marketing professionals on the Justia Amplify team can manage your Google Ads PPC campaigns and LSAs for you.

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