Google has renamed its “Local Services platform policies” document to “Local Services Ads requirements,” according to Search Engine Roundtable. The overhaul is not just a title swap: the guide now carries jump links and simplified section headers, sorts obligations into named policy categories, and matches terminology to standard Google Ads advertiser language. It also folds in recent structural changes to the Google Guarantee Badges program.
The revised text spells out specific violation examples, including changing prices upon arrival, requesting reviews on-site, and ignoring customer disputes. It lists tiered consequences too, starting with warning emails and capped impressions and escalating to account suspension, temporary or permanent.
Policies and requirements are different words for a reason. Paired with the D-U-N-S verification mandate this publication covered August 3, the rename points toward Local Services Ads formalizing into eligibility criteria as it migrates deeper into the main Google Ads platform.
Advertisers in affected verticals should reread the full document rather than assume the rename left the substance unchanged.
Barry Schwartz reported the rename and its structural changes for Search Engine Roundtable on August 5, 2026.
