How to Recover from a Sudden Drop in LSA Leads

You’ve been generating consistent leads through Google Local Services Ads (LSAs), and then—almost overnight—the momentum disappears. Calls slow down, messages stop, and your visibility plummets.

If your LSA performance suddenly drops, you’re not alone. Lead declines can happen for a variety of reasons: algorithm shifts, account issues, missed leads, or changes in your service profile. The good news? Most issues are recoverable once you identify the cause and respond quickly.

This guide walks you through the most common reasons for LSA performance drops and provides a clear roadmap to recovery.

Step 1: Rule Out the Basics

Start with a quick audit of common technical or setup-related issues:

Is your ad active?
Visit your LSA dashboard to confirm your ads are running. Ads may pause automatically when budgets are exhausted or when documents expire.
Did you hit your monthly budget cap?
Even if it’s early in the month, your ads will pause once your monthly spend limit is reached. Adjust your budget to match expected lead flow.
Are your business hours correct?
Google will not show your ads outside of your listed business hours unless you have 24/7 availability. Ensure your hours reflect when you’re able to accept leads.

Step 2: Analyze Your Lead History

Your lead dashboard can provide valuable context:

Review the trend of incoming leads over the past two to four weeks
Check the volume of leads you’re disputing (excessive disputes may hurt performance)
Identify any leads marked as unanswered or unbooked
Confirm that your active job types and service areas are still aligned with demand

Look for any correlation between a drop in leads and recent changes you may have made.

Step 3: Evaluate Your Profile Health

Google rewards complete, active, and high-performing LSA profiles. A decline in any of these areas can impact your rankings and lead volume.

Review performance factors such as:

Reviews

Are you consistently collecting new reviews?
Have you recently received multiple negative reviews?
Were any reviews flagged or removed?

Responsiveness

Are you answering leads quickly, especially within the first 15 minutes?
Are you marking leads as “booked” or engaging with them through the dashboard?

Profile Accuracy

Did you make changes to job types or ZIP code coverage that narrowed your audience??Are your photos, business bio, and certifications up to date?

Step 4: Investigate Silent Suspensions or Document Expirations

Google may quietly pause or suppress your LSA account for reasons that don’t always appear obvious.

Check the following:

Expired licenses or insurance documents
Mismatched contact details between your Google Business Profile and your LSA account
New employees or field workers who haven’t completed background checks
Missing identity or business verification updates

In your dashboard, look for language such as “Business not verified” or “Pending review”—these often indicate backend issues.

Step 5: Evaluate Market Conditions and Algorithm Changes

If your profile appears healthy, the drop may be external. Ask the following:

Has there been a seasonal decline in demand?
Have more competitors in your area joined LSA recently?
Did Google make changes to ad rotation, policy, or ranking factors?
Are other providers in your vertical reporting similar drops?

Tools like Google Trends and local keyword trackers can help validate whether demand has truly shifted.

Step 6: Rebuild Momentum

Once you identify the issue, take targeted action to restore performance.

Focus on the following:

Generate New Reviews

Follow up with recent customers and request Google reviews
Emphasize specific service types or outcomes to improve keyword relevance

Adjust Job Types and Service Areas

Reintroduce any high-performing services you may have paused
Expand to additional ZIP codes or suburbs if your current areas are slow

Improve Responsiveness

Set up call forwarding or an answering service to capture leads after hours
Assign team members to monitor LSA messages and calls during peak times

Increase Budget Strategically

If demand is high, temporarily increase your daily or monthly budget to stay competitive
Monitor for budget exhaustion early in the day or week

Optimize Your Profile

Refresh your business bio with updated services and specialties
Add high-quality photos that reflect seasonal or urgent work
Double-check your licenses and insurance documentation for expiration dates

Step 7: Escalate to Google Support (If Necessary)

If you suspect your profile is being suppressed without a clear reason—or you need to dispute a support decision—reach out directly to LSA support.

Provide documentation such as:

Screenshots of lead history
Active license and insurance files
Review history
A list of disputed leads with reasons
Evidence of responsiveness and service completion

Working with an LSA-certified partner like Local View can also speed up escalations and help resolve complex cases more effectively.

Avoiding Future Drops: Ongoing Best Practices

To protect against future performance dips:

Maintain a steady stream of recent reviews
Keep business documents updated in advance
Monitor lead trends weekly and adjust budgets accordingly
Maintain high responsiveness rates, especially on weekends and holidays
Avoid excessive lead disputes unless clearly justified
Audit your job types and ZIP codes quarterly

Conclusion: Drops Are Fixable—But Require Action

A sudden drop in Google LSA leads doesn’t mean your campaign is dead—it means something has changed. The fastest recoveries happen when businesses respond quickly, optimize proactively, and communicate with Google when needed.

At Local View, we’ve helped hundreds of local businesses identify the exact reason behind sudden LSA drops and recover performance within days—not weeks.