Ask Scott: Can Google Charge Me for an LSA Call I Never Answered?

Yes. Starting October 1, some unanswered Local Services Ads calls can become paid leads, making NOW the time to check your phone coverage.

Picture this: you’re working with a dog, your phone rings, and you can’t step away. The caller waits, hangs up, and tries another trainer.

You’ve always risked losing that opportunity. Under Google’s new rule, you could also pay for the introduction….even though you never got to say hello.

“Not answering your phone was always a bad idea. But now it can cost you real money.”

Adapted from Darren Shaw, Whitespark

When does an unanswered call become a paid lead?

Google’s notice to advertisers says that beginning October 1, 2026, missed calls during business hours will count as paid leads when the caller stays on the line for more than 20 seconds, subject to exceptions.

That doesn’t mean every missed call gets charged. But it does mean that “we never spoke to them” is no longer enough to assume the call was free.

And this billing change has its own effective date. Don’t wait for your account’s move into Google Ads to get your phone coverage in order.

“Are LSAs worth doing if we struggle to answer the phone?”

Yes! Fix the coverage problem rather than write off a potentially valuable source of clients.

You wouldn’t stop accepting website inquiries because nobody remembered to check the inbox. You’d fix how those inquiries get handled. The same thinking applies here.

Being unable to answer while you’re training a dog is understandable. Having no plan for who answers instead is the part you can change.

• Give the call a clear owner. Your team should know who handles new inquiries during each part of the day.
• Give that person a backup. Another team member, overflow routing, or an answering service can cover training sessions and calls that arrive while the main person is busy.
• Match advertising to coverage. Ask whoever manages your LSAs to review the ad schedule against when your team can respond. Keep your public business hours accurate.

An AI receptionist may be worth considering, too, if it handles your callers well and reliably gets them to the next step. The goal is a useful conversation, not simply a machine picking up.

Then judge the results: are those leads becoming consultations and training clients at a cost that makes sense, including the cost of answering them? That’s how you decide whether LSAs are earning their place in your business.

And the move into Google Ads?

In my earlier Ask Scott, I discussed a possible earlier migration window for dog trainers. That wasn’t a confirmed deadline. Google’s current plan rolls accounts over in phases through 2027; we still don’t have a published date for every OLK9 location.

The essentials:

• It’s still pay-per-lead. These specialized Performance Max campaigns stay on Search and Maps.
• Save your performance reports before the move. Those reports don’t transfer, although customer lead history does. Save what’s available and use screenshots where an export isn’t offered.
• Have your account manager check the transfer. Review the converted daily budget, service areas, ad schedule, and phone routing. Make sure the person handling inquiries can access the new lead inbox.

“I tried signing up and got ‘Not eligible for sign up.’”

Several of you followed my earlier advice and hit that wall. I haven’t forgotten.

Google still lists pet training as a supported category. The error alone doesn’t explain why your particular signup was blocked, and I haven’t confirmed that the migration caused it.

If you’re handling setup, check these with whoever manages your Business Profile:

• Does the Google login you’re using have the right access to that profile?
• Are LSAs available for your service and location?
• Does an LSA account already exist for the business?

If those checks don’t explain it, take the exact error and account details to Google LSA support for investigation. Don’t create duplicate profiles or an ordinary Performance Max campaign to get around the block. New LSA setup still starts through Local Services.

A few quick answers

• Does sending calls to voicemail avoid the charge? No guarantee. Google already counts voicemails and meaningful automated interactions as potential paid leads. Answering services help capture business; they don’t make leads free.
• What if callers have to press a key? Google’s notice says the missed-call timer starts after the required routing keypress. That exception isn’t a reason to make customers navigate an obstacle course.
• Can a later call be charged? Yes, if the first wasn’t chargeable and the later call qualifies.
• What about bad leads? Google has an automated credit and feedback process. That’s a clarification to my earlier post; feedback doesn’t guarantee a refund.
• Is it still called Google Guaranteed? The current badge is Google Verified.

Before October 1, have your team test the number your LSA calls route to, especially when the first person can’t answer. Make sure the next person actually gets the call and knows what to do with it.

Google can charge for the introduction. Let’s make sure your business gets the conversation.

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