Does Google charge for missed calls on Local Services Ads?

What Google charges for

• A missed call during your business hours, when the caller stays on the line more than 20 seconds.
• A call that goes to voicemail or a greeting and lasts more than 20 seconds, whether they leave a message or not.
• Answered calls. These are judged on the conversation, not on how long it rang.
• Texts, emails and booking requests that come in through your ad.

What Google doesn’t charge for

• Missed calls outside your business hours or outside your ad schedule.
• Callers who hang up on a phone menu without pressing a key. If they press one, the 20 seconds start then.
• Follow-up calls and messages with the same customer within 15 days of a charged lead.

20 seconds is about 4 rings

A US phone rings about once every 6 seconds. So if your phone rings 4 times before voicemail picks up, the caller is already past 20 seconds.

That means most calls you miss while your ad is running are calls you pay for. Count how many you missed last week and multiply by what you pay per lead.

What you can do

• Check your business hours. Google uses the hours on your Business Profile to decide which missed calls are charged.
• Get every call in those hours answered, by you, your office or a backup line. A call you pay for should at least get you a name, an address and the problem.
• Call back fast. A callback counts as an answered call, and follow-ups within 15 days aren’t charged again.
• Don’t chase disputes. Google now rechecks charged leads and credits low-quality ones on its own. You can still rate leads in the app.

Where we fit

We pick up the calls you miss, answer as your shop, and text you the details in seconds. Emergencies go straight to your cell. You still pay Google for the call, but now it can turn into a job.

It’s an AI voice, and it tells callers so. Works for any plumbing or HVAC shop in the US with a phone.