Google Local Services Ads can charge for missed calls

With Google Local Services Ads, a call you never picked up can still land on your bill. Google says so on its help page How leads work. A call you miss in business hours is charged if the caller stays on the line. Voicemail counts too, whether they leave a message or not.

So the call that rang while you were under a sink is on the bill. The caller didn’t reach you, and nothing stops them calling the next company. You’ve paid for a lead someone else gets to book. That’s how leads go cold, with the bill still in your name.

What does Google charge you for?

Leads, not clicks. A lead is a call, a text or email, or a voicemail. Since October, a call you miss in business hours can count too. It counts if the caller holds on for more than 20 seconds.

Outside your business hours, a missed call isn’t charged. The caller is still gone, though. Here’s what can pick up after 5 pm.

You pay for the lead whether you pick up or not. Picking up is what turns it into a job.

Does a missed call hurt your ranking?

It can. Google’s page About ad rankings says it in plain words: “Missed calls may negatively affect your responsiveness.” Responsiveness is part of how Google picks whose ad shows first. How fast you answer messages counts too, and so do your reviews.

So one missed call can cost you twice. You pay for the lead, and your ad can slip for the next one.

What should you do with each lead?

• Get every call picked up. If you’re on a job, a receptionist or an AI can answer for you.
• Answer messages fast. Reply between jobs, before they message the next company.
• Ask for the review. More good reviews help your ad show first.

Picking up every call is the hard part. You can’t answer the phone with both hands in a wall. In Income Mavericks, AI phone answering picks up the calls you can’t take and books them in your name.

The lead is already on your bill. Picking up and replying fast is what turns it into a job.