Google Local Service Ads Bug Showing Tradespeople in Wrong Locations
What happened
Google Local Service Ads (LSAs) have been showing ads from businesses in the wrong locations, according to reports from advertisers and local SEO experts in early October. Businesses that specified they serve a particular city or region were appearing in searches hundreds of miles away — in areas they had never targeted.
One advertiser reported that California LSA searches were returning businesses from Illinois, New Jersey, Florida, and Texas. Another found that New Jersey firms were appearing in results for Fresno, Arizona — despite not selecting those locations in their targeting settings.
It's unclear whether this is a technical bug or Google auto-expanding location targeting without permission. Google had not confirmed the issue at the time of reporting, though LSA specialists identified it independently.
This follows a separate LSA change reported last week, where Google began hiding phone numbers behind a button by default.
What this means for tradespeople
If you're paying for Google Local Service Ads, this bug could be wasting your budget. LSAs charge per lead — so if your ad is showing in areas you don't serve, you're paying for calls from customers you can't help.
For tradespeople who DON'T use LSAs, this is a reminder of why relying solely on paid ads is risky. Ads are subject to bugs, policy changes, and price increases you can't control. Your organic Google Business Profile — powered by genuine reviews — is the one asset that keeps working regardless.
If you're an electrician in Manchester and Google is showing your LSA to someone in Southampton, that's a wasted lead you've paid for. But your organic Google profile, with 50 reviews from Manchester customers, will always show up in the right place.
What to do about it
- Check your LSA dashboard. If you're running Local Service Ads, review your recent leads. Are you getting calls from areas you don't serve? If so, dispute those leads — Google allows you to contest invalid leads.
- Don't put all your eggs in the LSA basket. Paid ads are one channel. Your Google Business Profile, powered by reviews, is the channel you own. It doesn't have bugs, and nobody can turn it off.
- Keep collecting reviews on your organic profile. When LSAs glitch, your organic listing is what customers fall back on. The tradespeople who survive ad platform issues are the ones with strong review profiles.
Source: Google Local Service Ads Bug Serving Wrong Locations — Search Engine Roundtable