LSA Missed-Call Defense

What this is

Google’s Local Services Ads billing has changed: a missed call during your listed business hours is now a paid lead if the caller stays on the line more than 20 seconds — about five rings. Nobody has to answer. Follow-up calls can be charged too. (Sources: Search Engine Land; Search Engine Roundtable via Google’s advertiser email.)

If your shop misses calls, you’re paying for them now.

The LSA Missed-Call Audit — $950, one time

We find every place your LSA calls leak money and hand you the fix list:

  • 60-day call forensics — your LSA call history analyzed: what rang out, and the dollar figure on your monthly exposure under the new billing
  • Hours-vs-coverage gap — your listed business hours checked against the hours someone actually picks up
  • 20-second routing test — we call your number like a customer and time your phone menu against the new clock
  • Missed-call safety net plan — text-back, backup answering, or coverage for your busiest hours, sized to your shop
  • Written report + walkthrough call — findings and fixes in priority order

If you’re already covered, we’ll tell you that too.

LSA Call Defense — $295/mo (optional)

  • Weekly review of your LSA lead bill — bogus charges flagged and disputed
  • Answer-rate watch with a monthly one-page report
  • Early warning before small routing problems get expensive

No contract. Cancel anytime.

FAQ

Is this really happening? It’s live. Google put advertisers on notice in late August 2026, and the rule is now in effect: missed calls during business hours, caller on the line 20+ seconds, become billable leads — with limited exceptions (e.g., key-press phone menus, where the clock starts at the key press).

We already answer most calls. Do we need this? If “most” isn’t “all during listed hours,” yes. One missed call a day is 30 billable leads a month you never spoke to.

Can’t we just dispute bad charges ourselves? You can — weekly, if you remember, and if you know which charges qualify. That’s the $295/mo: we do it every week without you thinking about it.

Next step

Reply and we’ll schedule your audit. Every week you wait is another week of paying for calls you never took.

Tygart Media — we run LSAs for restoration contractors and we answer our own phone.