Are Local Services Ads reviews the same as Google Business Profile reviews now?

Yes. Since Google folded review management into Google Business Profile in 2025, every review generated through a Local Services Ads interaction is a Business Profile review: same pool, same average, same reply tool. There is no separate Local Services review system left to manage.

How do I reply to a review that came from Local Services Ads?

Sign into Google Business Profile, not the Local Services Ads dashboard, open the Reviews tab, and reply the same way you would to any other review. Your response publishes under "Response from the owner" and shows everywhere the review appears, including back inside Local Services Ads.

Is Google Guaranteed still a thing?

No. Google retired the Google Guaranteed and Google Screened badges in October 2025 and replaced both with a single Google Verified badge. The old money back guarantee only covers services booked before December 7, 2025, submitted within 30 days of the job. Anything booked after that date is not covered.

Does my star rating affect whether my Local Services ad runs?

Yes, more directly than a typical Google review does. Google's own Local Services Help documentation states that star ratings and review counts affect how a business ranks within Local Services Ads, and Google's screening process includes an unpublished minimum review requirement that varies by category and location. A thin or falling rating can affect ad performance on top of how it reads to a shopper.

Why isn't a Local Services Ads review showing up on my Business Profile?

It's almost always a broken connection rather than a missing review: an expired license or insurance document, a mismatched ownership email between your Local Services and Business Profile accounts, or a profile that isn't fully public and verified. Fix the connection and the review typically appears.

AI that replies to your Google reviews for you, written the way you would write them. Not like a chatbot. You stay in control; it does the work.

Is there software that replies to my Google reviews for me?

Yes, that is exactly what Resparo is. It learns your voice and answers your Google reviews for you, so you never have to write a reply by hand. It is live now, and free to start.

Once it is set up, do I have to do anything?

Almost nothing. You answer a few questions once, then Resparo writes and posts your replies in your voice, automatically. The only thing it ever brings to you is a sensitive review worth verifying first, waiting in your Sensitive tab with the reply already written. Most owners check it in seconds. It is built so you can stop thinking about your reviews.

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Never. Hiding or gating reviews breaks Google and FTC rules. Resparo only helps you respond well to every review, which is the part that actually builds trust.

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Yes. That's the whole point. Resparo learns your tone, your phrases, and the words you'd never use. A pizzeria shouldn't sound like a law firm, and with Resparo it doesn't.

What happens with negative reviews?

Most are answered automatically, in your voice, the same as any other review. The exception is a sensitive one, a billing dispute or a claim you would want to verify in real life. Resparo writes the reply but holds it in your Sensitive tab so you can check the facts before it posts. A thoughtful response often wins the customer back, and you never risk the wrong reply going out on a review that needed your eyes.

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Google reviews first. That's where your customers are looking. More platforms are on the way.

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Yes. Resparo is built to work for any business size, from a single corner shop to multiple locations.

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Local Services Ads Reviews: What Changed in 2026

If you run paid Local Services Ads and a new one-star review lands, you might reasonably wonder which system it belongs to, and whether replying inside Google Business Profile actually reaches it. As of a 2025 change, there's only one system now. Local Services Ads reviews and Google Business Profile reviews are the same pool, managed in the same place. Here is exactly what changed, what happened to the old badge, and how to respond and troubleshoot from where you actually work.

The short answer

Local Services Ads reviews are no longer a separate system. Every review a customer leaves through an LSA interaction shows up, and gets replied to, inside your Google Business Profile, the same place your organic Google reviews already live. The badge on your ad also changed: Google Guaranteed and Google Screened were retired in October 2025 in favor of a single Google Verified badge, and the old money back guarantee stopped covering new bookings after December 7, 2025.

What actually changed in 2025

For years, Local Services Ads ran a quietly separate review system. A customer who booked through an LSA listing could leave a review that showed up on the ad itself but did not always match what sat on the business's regular Google Business Profile: two review counts, two averages, for the same business. Owners running both organic and paid campaigns lost track of which number to trust.

That ended in 2025. Google's own Local Services Help documentation is direct about it: "Your customer reviews are managed through Google Business Profile Manager, not your Local Service Ads account." Google's Business Profile community guidance and SEO trade press (SERoundTable, PPC Land) date the cutover to July 11, 2025. From that point on, every review generated through an LSA interaction is a Business Profile review, full stop, and it appears everywhere Google surfaces profile reviews: Maps, Search, YouTube, and any third-party site or app that pulls from Google's review data.

Google Guaranteed is now Google Verified

The review merge wasn't the only change. In October 2025, Google retired the Google Guaranteed and Google Screened badges and replaced both, along with "License Verified by Google", with a single consolidated Google Verified badge. Existing advertisers who had already completed screening didn't have to reapply; Google auto-issued the new badge to anyone already eligible. New advertisers still have to complete Local Services screening and verification to earn it.

Why this matters more than a normal review

A bad review costs every business something: fewer people who read it convert. An LSA-linked profile carries a second, more mechanical cost on top of that. Google's Local Services Help page states plainly that star ratings and number of reviews affect how a business is ranked within Local Services Ads, and the screening process behind Google Verified eligibility explicitly folds in what Google calls minimum review requirements by category and location. Google doesn't publish the exact number: several agencies that specialize in Local Services report a practical floor somewhere around 3 stars, though the threshold itself isn't public. What is confirmed, directly from Google, is that the mechanism exists.

“A weak rating on an organic listing loses you some customers. A weak rating on a Local Services Ads listing can affect whether the ad shows at all.”

That distinction is worth sitting with, because it splits a review's cost into two different things. The persuasion cost hits every business with reviews: a shopper reads a thin rating or a bad reply and thinks twice. The eligibility cost is specific to paid LSA traffic: your rating and review volume are an input to a ranking and screening system that decides whether your ad shows at all, on top of whether the person who sees it clicks.

How to actually respond

Ignore your Local Services Ads dashboard, it no longer has a reply function for reviews. Sign into Google Business Profile, open the Reviews tab, and reply there, exactly as you would for any organic review. Your response publishes under the label "Response from the owner" and shows on the review wherever it appears, including back inside the Local Services Ads interface where the customer originally booked.

Go to business.google.com and sign in with the account tied to your verified profile, not your Local Services Ads login.
Open the Reviews section and find the review. LSA-originated reviews aren't visually flagged differently, they sit in the same list as everything else.
Reply the way you would to any Google review: name something specific, keep it short, and skip the defensiveness.
If the review mentions a missed appointment window or a scheduling issue, common in Local Services categories, address it directly instead of a generic apology.

Danielle R.

★★★★★

“Booked a 9am appointment through Google. Tech didn't show until noon and nobody called to say it was running late.”

Reply example (illustrative)

Danielle, a three-hour wait with no call isn't the standard we want, especially on a job booked through Google. I want to find out where the scheduling broke down today. Please call the office and ask for me directly, and I'll make sure it doesn't happen on your next visit.

NO-SHOW COMPLAINT REPLY (LOCAL SERVICES)

[Name], I'm sorry a technician never showed up, that's on us and it isn't how anyone booked through Google should be treated. I'd like to find out exactly what happened and get this made right. Please call [phone] and ask for [owner/manager name] directly, and I'll handle it personally.

Reply from Google Business Profile, not the Local Services Ads app or dashboard
Treat an LSA-originated review with the same speed as any other negative review
Name the specific job or issue if the reviewer mentioned one
Keep your license, insurance, and background-check documents current so a reply isn't your only lever

Don’t

Mention what the lead cost you or reference ad spend in a public reply
Assume a low LSA rating only affects clicks, not whether the ad runs at all
Wait for the review to show up inside the Local Services app before responding, reply in Business Profile directly
Argue with a scheduling complaint publicly instead of taking it to a phone call

When a review doesn't show up

Occasionally a customer says they left a review through Local Services Ads and it never appears on the Business Profile. This is almost always a connection problem, not a missing review. Google cross-checks your Local Services account against your Business Profile constantly, and a break in that link is the usual culprit.

An expired license or insurance document. This is the single most common reason a Local Services account gets suspended or disconnected, and reviews stop syncing along with everything else.
A profile ownership mismatch. If the email verified on your Business Profile doesn't match the one tied to your Local Services account, the two systems can't confirm they're the same business.
A public, unverified profile. Google requires a public, verified Business Profile to run Local Services Ads at all; an unverified or suspended profile breaks the review pipeline too.

Protecting the number that gates your leads

Since your rating now does double duty, persuading shoppers and gating paid ad eligibility, treat it with more discipline than a typical Google review habit. The mechanics are the same as any Business Profile: respond fast, especially to anything with a specific complaint, and keep review requests steady so one bad week doesn't dominate your average. Our full breakdown of how to respond to Google reviews covers the exact wording; what counts as a good rating is worth reading too, since a 4.7 with real volume tends to outperform a thin 5.0 on both the organic and paid side.

If you're a plumber, electrician, HVAC company, or another home-services category running Local Services Ads, this is worth building into a routine rather than a reaction. Our home services review guide and contractor review response examples both go deeper on category-specific replies. If the real bottleneck is finding the time to reply consistently rather than knowing what to write, Resparo drafts the everyday replies in your voice and holds anything sensitive, like a scheduling complaint on an ad-linked profile, for your one-tap OK before it posts. Plans start at $29.99 a month, or try a single reply free with the reply generator.

Local Services Ads Reviews: What Changed and How to Respond