Local Services Ads in California are showing law firms based in other states that did not select those areas, Search Engine Roundtable reported on October 1. Len Raleigh first flagged it on X: “Something is wrong here.. California LSAs are showing advertisers from Illinois, New Jersey, Florida and Texas.”
Anthony Higman, an LSA expert, checked the profiles. He said the New Jersey firms did not have Fresno or Arizona selected, and wrote that “there is a bug here right now.”
Google has not confirmed the problem. Barry Schwartz of Search Engine Roundtable raised a second possibility: that Google is expanding how these advertisers target without their permission. Neither explanation has been tested against Google’s own account.
Advertisers should compare lead locations against their selected geos, and local firms in affected markets should expect unfamiliar competitors in results until Google replies.
Search Engine Roundtable, Barry Schwartz, October 1, 2026.
