Google Local Services shows mixed Q1
- SearchLight data shared with Homepros showed Google’s local channels split in Q1 2026 — LSAs and PPC drove more paying customers, while GBP lifted ticket size. - No Google channel improved both metrics year over year; LSAs reached 78,400 paying customers across 864 contractors, while GBP was the only winner on spend. - That matters because home-service shops can’t treat “Google” as one channel anymore — stage and trade now shape what actually works.
Google’s local lead machine is getting less simple for contractors. The old shortcut was easy — “do Google” and the phone rings. But Q1 data from analytics firm SearchLight suggests Google’s channels are now pulling in different directions. For HVAC, plumbing, and electrical shops, Local Services Ads, Google Ads, Google Business Profile, and organic search are no longer interchangeable bets. (homepros.news) ### What changed in Q1? SearchLight compared Q1 2026 with Q1 2025 across samples of roughly 860 to just over 1,000 U.S. contractors, using two blunt but useful measures — average paying customers per contractor and average ticket size. The headline is simple: LSAs stood out on customer volume, PPC also gained volume with little ticket movement, GBP was th(homepros.news 1)(homepros.news 2) ### Why is that a big deal? Because “more leads” and “better jobs” are now splitting apart. LSAs and PPC appear to be better at driving paying-customer volume, but the jobs coming through were roughly flat to slightly lower in ticket value. GBP did the opposite — weaker volume effectiveness than a year earlier, but better customer spend. No channel improv(homepros.news)e bucket. (homepros.news) ### Where did LSAs really stand? LSAs were still the heavyweight in raw scale. SearchLight’s data showed 864 contractors generated 78,400 paying customers from LSAs in the quarter. That dwarfed newer AI-search traffic. So this is not a story about LSAs failing. It is more a story about LSAs becoming a volume tool first, not automatically the best-margin tool in every case. (homepros.news) ### What happened to GBP? Google Business Profile looks more like a quality channel than a quantity channel right now. That tracks with how homeowners use it — they often hit a profile after already narrowing choices, checking reviews, hours, photos, and whether someone feels legit enough to call. Homepros has also noted that Google has been folding more (homepros.news)elf more central to conversion even if it is not the biggest lead spigot. (homepros.news) ### Why did organic search lag? Organic search is the uncomfortable part of the chart because it declined on both paying customers and ticket size. Basically, the free-click middle of Google is getting squeezed. LSAs sit above it. Ads sit around it. AI features are starting to answer more local questions before a click happens. Google has also been adding(homepros.news)d availability. (homepros.news) ### Does AI search matter yet? Yes, but not as a replacement. SearchLight saw paying customers per contractor from ChatGPT grow by more than 250% year over year in Q1. The catch is scale — 556 contractors saw a total of 247 paying customers from ChatGPT, versus 78,400 from LSAs. So AI search is growing fast, but it is still a side channel for most home-service companies, not the main pipe. (homepros.news) ### What should contractors take from this? Treat each Google surface like a different job. LSAs are for volume. GBP is for trust and higher-value conversion. PPC can steady volume. Organic is under pressure and needs help, not autopilot. That means the smart move is less “pick one winner” and more “match the channel to the outcome you need” — booked jobs now, bigger tickets, or long-term visibility. (homepros.news) ### Bottom line Google local search still matters most. But the mixed Q1 picture says the easy era is over. Contractors who keep treating every Google lead source the same are probably misreading where their best customers are actually coming from.
