If you run Google Local Services Ads (the "Google Guaranteed" ads at the top of the search), the rules changed on October 1, 2026.
Before, a missed call only cost you if you called back and connected. Now a call that comes in during your listed business hours and stays on the line more than 20 seconds without an answer can be billed as a lead, whether you call back or not.
Why it hits repair guys hardest
Siding repair is ladder work. Your hands are full for most of the day. A shop with an office answers every call. A one-man repair business misses a few every day, and now some of those misses cost money with no job attached.
Four fixes before the next bill
- List only the hours you can answer. If you're up a ladder from 8 to noon, don't advertise 7 to 7. Google only bills missed calls during the hours you list.
- Turn on a missed-call text. It doesn't stop the charge, but it saves the job: "Sorry I missed you, I'm on a ladder. What's going on with your siding? Send a photo if you can. I'll call back by 4."
- Clean up your job types and service area. Google says it no longer credits leads for jobs or areas you don't serve. If you don't do roofing or full re-sides, take them off.
- Count your missed calls every week. Date, time, number. When the bill comes, you'll know which leads to dispute.
The photo trick
Ask every caller you miss to text a photo of the damage. Half the time you can tell from the picture whether it's a one-panel swap, a matching problem, or a job to walk away from. You call back already knowing what to ask.
Never give a price off the photo, though. You haven't seen what's behind the panel.
Sources (2)
Inside Siding Pro Academy, members share the exact missed-call texts and phone setups they use while they're on the ladder.
