CallRadius Publishes Guidance for Advertisers Ahead of Google’s October 1 Local Services Ads Missed-Call Billing Change

Missed calls during business hours become billable when the caller stays on the line for more than 20 seconds, and some follow-up calls can also be charged

Starting October 1, 2026, Google will begin charging Local Services Ads (LSA) advertisers for some calls that go unanswered. CallRadius, a human-managed Google LSA service, has published five steps advertisers can take to limit those charges before the change takes effect.

A business can’t fix a gap it can’t see.”

— Doug Brown, Founder

What is changing

According to Google’s notice to advertisers, as reported by PPC Land, Search Engine Land and Search Engine Roundtable:

– A missed call during business hours can be charged as a lead if the caller stays on the line for more than 20 seconds.
– If a customer’s first call is not charged, a follow-up call from that customer can be charged if it meets Google’s valid-lead criteria.
– For businesses that use a phone menu, the 20-second timer starts only after the caller presses a key. A caller who never presses a key is not charged.
– Google says it is adding safeguards to limit robocalls and spam calls.

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Google described the update as a way of “rewarding businesses that provide excellent responsiveness.” The notice does not define “business hours,” and it does not explain how the spam safeguards will work. Advertisers must therefore prepare without knowing how many missed calls will be billed.

“This change turns an unanswered phone into a line item,” said Doug Brown, founder of CallRadius. “Until now, a missed call cost a business the job. Starting October 1, it can cost the job and the lead fee. The businesses that come out ahead will be the ones that know, call by call, when their phones go unanswered and close those gaps before the invoice arrives.”

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What advertisers should do before October 1

CallRadius recommends five steps:

1. Check the business hours listed in the account. If the listed hours run longer than the hours someone actually answers the phone, every call in that gap becomes a potential charge. Listed hours should match real phone coverage.
2. Find out when calls go unanswered. Lunch hours, the end of the day and Friday afternoons are common gaps. Each one should either be staffed or removed from the listed hours.
3. Review call routing. A phone menu should route callers quickly, and every option should reach someone who can book the job.
4. Watch charged leads closely in October. Comparing charged calls with the calls the team actually handled will show early whether the new rules are adding charges.
5. Rate questionable leads promptly. Google’s automated system decides lead credits, and lead feedback is how advertisers tell Google a lead was not valid.

How CallRadius helps

Every CallRadius account is run by an experienced human manager working alongside the CallRadius LSA AI management system. The system records every lead, whether Google charged for it and its call details, and its call analysis flags calls that went unanswered. Managers can see where the coverage gaps are and what they now cost, then work with each business to close them.

“A business can’t fix a gap it can’t see,” Brown said. “Google’s reports show how many leads an advertiser paid for. CallRadius shows its clients which of those calls nobody picked up, and when.”

The October 1 change comes as Google moves Local Services Ads into Google Ads as Performance Max campaigns, a migration that began with selected U.S. advertisers in August 2026.