Top 5 LSA Ranking Factors for 2026
Google's LSA algorithm uses a complex "Quality Score" auction model to determine who gets those top spots.
Here is OmniLocal's deep dive into the Top 5 LSA Ranking Factors for 2026 and the actionable steps you need to take now.
1: Budget & Bidding
Local service is always been a pay to play system. Setting your budget higher than your competition determines if you are even allowed to compete. This doesn't always mean you will be shown at the top more often or at all. For some business categories like Real Estate or Lawyers, almost everyone sets their budgets to the max.
Set you budget to the max and rate your leads daily!
2: Reviews
This is the most powerful signal of your business's ability to give a great experience. Google monitors the overall amount of reviews you have and the amount of new review velocity to measure its trust with your business. Reviews influence both your ranking in the LSA list and the likelihood of a customer choosing your ad over a competitor's.
Gather 3-10 new reviews every month!
3. Response Times
In the pay-per-lead world, speed is paramount. Google tracks how quickly you respond to an incoming lead (phone call or message). A slow response signals shows Google that you may not give their searchers the best user journey, which can lead their searchers using other forms of local searches.
Answer every inbound call lead and respond to every message lead!
4. Click-Through-Rate
Google monitors which profiles searchers like and interact with. High engagement and a strong Click-Through-Rate (CTR) tell Google your ad is the preferred option for that query, which boosts your Quality Score and ranking.
Try changing headshots of the ad to test different demographics!
*You can find your Google Local Service ads CTR using a Google Ads MCC account.
5. Being Verified / Google Guaranteed
Everyone has to get verified to run LSAs in the beginning, but sometimes business forget to update their expiring insurances and licenses. If you lose your verified badge then you fall to the bottom of the lists and may even have to re climb the ranks from the previous position.
Create a note to update your LSA account based on expiring insurances and licenses!
Ready to Outrank Your Competition?
Budget, Reputation, and Responsiveness are the pillars of LSA success in 2026. Ignoring even one of these top five factors guarantees a loss in visibility and leads.
Contact OmniLocal today for a free LSA Performance Audit and get on the path to dominating the top spots.