Google adds broad‑search controls to Local Services Ads

Google has rolled out a “broad search” setting in its Local Services Ads (LSA) help doc, letting advertisers explicitly turn on or off automatic serving for generic category queries such as “plumber near me” [1]. The change matters because opting out can cut lead volume, while the new UI lets businesses filter and report on those broad‑category leads directly in the LSA inbox.

How the broad‑search toggle works

The updated help page explains that LSAs automatically opt advertisers into their industry’s general category, meaning ads can appear for broad queries without a specific service term. Advertisers can now disable this by unchecking the “broad search” box under Profile & budget → Settings. Google warns that turning the feature off “may result in a decrease in leads” because ads will no longer serve for those category searches [1].

The UI also adds a way to view leads generated from broad search. In the lead inbox, users can filter the “All search intents” column to “Category” and identify broad‑category leads by a dash (“‑”) in the “Job Type” column. Reports can be filtered by “Category” or “Direct Business” to see spend and charged leads broken out by broad versus specific intents [1].

Industry‑specific nuances and multi‑vertical impact

For legal advertisers, disabling broad search removes exposure to “general law” queries (e.g., “lawyer near me”) while still allowing practice‑specific searches such as “personal injury law” [1]. Food & Beverage accounts lose visibility for generic restaurant queries (“restaurants near me”) but retain “food near me” matches. Both sectors toggle the setting via the “Job Type” section on the Profile & budget page.

If an account promotes services across multiple verticals—say plumbing and HVAC—disabling broad search applies to all listed industries, suppressing generic category ads for each [1]. This all‑or‑nothing behavior could force advertisers to maintain a single broad‑search strategy across diverse service lines.

Related content generation update

Earlier in April, Google emailed LSA advertisers about a “rich content” feature that pulls service descriptions, special offers, pricing and discounts from the URL listed in the LSA account [2]. Advertisers can keep or remove the URL in Account → Profile & budget → Website to control whether Google generates this content. While not directly tied to the broad‑search toggle, the two updates together give Google more levers to shape ad copy and lead quality.

What to watch

• Roll‑out timeline – Monitor Google’s announcements for any phased deployment of the broad‑search toggle across additional industries.
• Lead volume trends – Advertisers should track lead counts after disabling broad search to gauge the actual impact versus the warned “decrease.”
• Competitor response – Watch whether other local‑search platforms (e.g., Bing Local Services) introduce similar category‑level controls to stay competitive.

By giving advertisers granular control over category‑wide queries, Google is sharpening the balance between lead volume and relevance in LSAs. The move raises questions about how much advertisers will rely on broad exposure versus highly specific service matches, and whether the new reporting tools will drive more data‑driven budgeting decisions.