Google’s Upcoming Ad Change Could Spell Disaster For Millions Of Unprepared Small Businesses

There’s a big change coming that small business owners need to know about.

Starting on November 21, Google Local Services Ads will only show up in search results if they’re linked to the business’ Google Business Profile. If they’re not, the ads will be paused and won’t appear at all.

Google Local Services Ads connect businesses directly with local customers. They appear at the top of Google search results and allow businesses to pay only for leads related to their service. Many small businesses rely on these ads to attract new customers, with studies showing that 98% of U.S. consumers look for local businesses online. They’re highly effective. Over 80% of these searches lead to sales, according to Fit Small Business, a small business industry publication.

A Google Business Profile lets businesses control how they show up on Google Search and Maps. It’s free and helps businesses appear in local searches, making it important for getting new customers. To get verified, businesses need to prove their legitimacy through video or phone verification, or sometimes even by receiving a postcard from Google. This verification helps prevent lead generation hijacking, where fake businesses are set up to reroute potential customers to another business, often to get around bad reviews or boost leads.

The change was introduced to increase consistency and security by adding another layer of verification, according to Ben Fisher, founder of Steady Demand, a specialist in Google Business Profiles and Local Services Ads. Fisher says that will help prevent bad actors from exploiting the Local Services Ads ecosystem.

The SEO guru says spamming and hijacking of Local Services Ads has become a “whack-a-mole” problem for Google that’s nearly impossible to combat. “Getting fake profiles removed from Local Services Ads takes something like an Act of Congress,” he says. “It just doesn’t happen. Right now, it can take months and months to get a bad actor removed.”

Fisher, with 30 years of digital marketing experience, is well-qualified to comment on the issue. He’s one of just 80 Google Business Profile Product Experts on the planet. Google’s product expert program is made up of trusted users who help others troubleshoot and optimize their use of the search giant’s business tools, offering direct feedback about potential improvements.

Fisher estimates the change will affect roughly half of all businesses that advertise locally on Google. While he acknowledges there may be some false positives, he supports the move. The change aims to curb abuses in the system, such as a garage door company—one of the frequent offenders along with locksmiths and attorneys, he says—that boosts its reviews by pulling in feedback from unrelated businesses.

Here are the steps business owners should take right away, according to Fisher.

First thing is to make sure you can log in to both your Local Services Ads and Google Business Profile accounts. Then, confirm that both accounts are registered under the same email. After that, go into the Local Services Ads platform and check for any messages, such as one prompting you to “correct or create a new Google Business Profile.” If that message shows up but you’re unsure whether you already have a profile, Fisher strongly advises against creating a new one until you know for sure. As he puts it, “what I like to say is that when Google Business Profiles gives you advice, reach out to an expert.”

Despite the hassle, Fisher says that this change shouldn’t deter small businesses from using Local Services Ads.

“You’re crazy, absolutely crazy if you don’t have Local Services Ads,” says Fisher.