Local Services Ads: Partner Updates [April 2021]

Welcome to the latest edition of Local Services Ads Partner Updates, brought to you by Local View! Here’s what’s new in the world of Local Services Ads:

General Updates

1. Chat Support Now Available

Google has updated the Local Services Ads Support Help Page with a chat feature. This is an efficient new way to get your support requests processed promptly. Although, agents are only available during these business hours: Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–8 p.m. EST.

2. Reminder - All Dispute Decisions Are Final

This serves as a reminder that all dispute decisions are final & that there are no challenging appeals. The appeal process was deprecated in November of 2020 under Google’s dispute policies. The dispute decision is considered final.

Verifications & Onboarding Updates

1. Multiple LSA CID’s Allowed For A Single GAIA

By late April/early May, advertisers (SMB’s) or partners (Agencies, LCS, etc.) managing more than one CID/MCC associated with their GAIA will gain the ability to seamlessly switch between their accounts. Additionally, they will be able to choose which CID to log in as when accessing the Local Service Ads provider web. This feature will be applicable to both North American & EMEA accounts. This advancement empowers users to create and manage multiple accounts conveniently through a single login email. It paves the way for expedited scaling, enhancing the flexibility and user-friendliness of Google’s platform.

2. Re-Uploading IDs With Evident

Common challenges encountered by Google providers during Evident’s flow include uploading scanned IDs during the BGC process. The correct approach is to capture a direct picture of their ID for ID verification, as scanned IDs are incompatible with the image processing tool.

3. Acceptable Insurance Documents

In general, Google acknowledges the following insurance documents: COIs, Insurance Declarations, and Errors & Omissions (equivalent to Professional Liability Insurance). Most other insurance documents are typically not accepted. The essential elements that must be present on an insurance document include:

Validity (unexpired)
Adequate coverage amount meeting the thresholds specified on the business verification tab.
Accurate representation of the required insurance type (e.g., General liability vs. Professional Liability, etc.)
Consistency between the business name and what is displayed in the Local Services Ads account.
Presence of a valid signature.
Authenticity of the document without any signs of forgery or alterations.
Issuance by a legitimate insurance agency.

Have Questions?

If you have any questions or need further assistance, be sure to check the Local Services Ads on Google Help Page, or get in touch with our Local View team for comprehensive guidance.