Google Local Services Ads Will Charge for Missed Calls Over 20 Seconds

Google announced a policy change to its Local Services Ads lead-charging model, beginning October 1st, that will charge advertisers for certain missed calls and follow-up calls meeting Google's valid lead criteria. Under the update, missed calls during business hours will be charged if the caller stays on the line for more than 20 seconds, and subsequent calls between business and user will be charged if they qualify—with exceptions for call routing that requires customers to press a key. Google frames the change as rewarding responsiveness and meeting customer expectations for quick connections to local professionals, while introducing new spam protections, though it provided few details on how those safeguards will function.