A person is sitting at a desk, looking at a computer screen displaying a Google Local Services Ads webpage, ensuring the listings are Google Screened. The workspace is tidy with a potted plant, a pen holder, and an office phone. The window in front of the person shows a blurred office environment beyond.

Can You Dispute a Lead for Google Screened/Local Service Ads?

Google has recently implemented notable changes to its Local Services Ads (LSA) platform, which have broad implications for businesses using LSAs as part of their marketing strategies.

At Accel Marketing Solutions, Inc., we want to ensure you’re fully informed about these updates and how they might impact your business. The most significant aspect of Google’s update is that businesses will no longer be able to manually dispute invalid leads for Google Screened. Instead, Google has introduced an Auto Crediting System that now handles disputes, assessing the validity of leads within 72 hours of being charged. While this change may streamline the lead management process, it also places a heavier burden on businesses to proactively rate their leads to improve the system over time.

Understanding the Google Screened Dispute Process

Google’s new system automatically evaluates whether a lead is valid within 72 hours of being charged. If Google determines a lead is irrelevant or of low quality, your account may receive a credit. However, businesses can no longer manually dispute leads they find unsatisfactory, such as calls for services they don’t provide, locations they don’t serve, or spam-generated contacts.

This change puts businesses in a position where they need to depend more on Google’s system, raising questions about how accurate and efficient the auto-adjudication will be in resolving disputed leads.

The Importance of Lead Ratings

Although the Auto Crediting System simplifies lead validation, it also places greater responsibility on businesses to rate their leads through Google’s platform. This feedback helps improve the system, refining which types of leads are most valuable and which are less relevant.

  • Negatively Rated Leads: Marking leads as low-quality or irrelevant gives Google’s system valuable feedback, which should, in theory, help reduce the number of bad leads over time. However, it’s important to note that this feedback doesn’t guarantee an immediate credit for poor leads. Only after Google detects similar feedback patterns might a credit be issued.
  • Positively Rated Leads: Rating high-quality leads helps train Google’s system to send more relevant prospects in the future. However, relying on a system-driven solution for lead quality may limit businesses' direct control over filtering invalid contacts.

The Auto Adjudication Process

Businesses can expect Google’s system to review leads within 72 hours of being charged. If a lead is deemed invalid, any credit will appear in your billing within 30 days. While this might reduce the need for manual intervention, the process is automated, raising concerns about the level of oversight available to ensure accurate dispute resolutions.

Why Rating Your Leads is Critical

Google urges all advertisers to rate their leads within 30 days. This feedback plays a critical role in how the system evolves. If businesses do not provide timely input, the opportunity to improve the lead quality diminishes. In essence, the onus falls more on businesses to monitor and report on lead quality, without the previous manual recourse to dispute issues immediately.

What This Means for Your Business

While this update reduces the time spent disputing invalid leads, it may introduce new challenges for businesses looking for more control over the quality of contacts they receive. The shift towards a more automated system means businesses must now actively rate leads to shape the future performance of the platform. Without manual dispute options, businesses could face frustration if the system fails to recognize poor leads promptly.

If your business needs guidance navigating these changes or enhancing the quality of your LSA leads, our team is here to help ensure your marketing budget is effectively allocated and that you achieve success in your local market.

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