Local Services Ads will drop the featured professionals element, and headshots become optional, according to a notice Google placed inside advertiser accounts. PPC specialist Anthony Higman spotted it and posted a screenshot on X. Search Engine Roundtable reported the notice, and Search Engine Land covered it too. The change starts in October. Google says the rest of the ad, photos and reviews included, stays as it is.
Law firms feel this most. Featured professionals let a firm put a named lawyer in front of prospects, a trust signal that now goes away. Higman had earlier seen listings running without headshots, so the optional-headshot piece was visible before the notice arrived.
Barry Schwartz of Search Engine Roundtable noted that the help document linked from the notice does not yet describe the change. Google has not said whether removing featured professionals affects LSA performance.
Firms should screenshot current listings now, then track lead volume and cost per lead after October to see whether losing the lawyer’s face changes results.
Search Engine Roundtable, Barry Schwartz, October 19, 2026, with additional reporting from Search Engine Land.
