Google Ads · Status at source date: Account observation
Local Services Ads drop "featured professionals" and make headshots optional
An in-account notice says that "starting in October, featured professionals will no longer show on your ads" and that a headshot "is optional and won't affect ad serving"; photos and reviews are unchanged. Anthony Higman posted the notice in the first hour of Monday 19 October (UK time), after an earlier post on a headshot test, and Search Engine Roundtable and PPC News Feed followed. Google's LSA help page had not been updated. The person-led ad unit is going, so review which trust signals remain in your profile and keep review volume up.
What changed
Anthony Higman has shared a Google Local Services Ads notice stating that the Featured Professionals section will no longer appear on ads starting in October.
The screenshot says that Featured Professionals would no longer show, and that a headshot would become optional without affecting ad serving. The same notice indicates that photos and reviews are unchanged.
That distinction matters for advertisers who have used individual professional presentation as part of their Local Services Ads profile strategy. Based on the available evidence, the change concerns the Featured Professionals section specifically. It does not establish that provider photos, reviews or other profile elements are being removed more broadly.
Higman suggested the change may be related to a migration, but the sources reviewed do not provide evidence confirming that relationship. It should therefore be treated as his interpretation, not as a stated Google rationale. The supplied material also gives no exact effective day within October, no confirmed regional scope and no account-level eligibility detail.
Search Engine Roundtable coverage dated 19 October is reviewed separately. The newsletter places Higman’s post in the first hour of 19 October UK time. This is an account observation based on a notice image, pending direct official documentation and confirmation of how the change is applied in affected accounts.
Week 43 source and practical context
The practical review is the live ad and business profile, not a speculative explanation of Google’s motives. Check which trust signals are actually present, preserve accurate business photos and review information, and distinguish an optional headshot from a requirement for ad serving.
Sources & contributor credit
- Original observationAnthony Higman
Lead; exact date and broader priority unresolved. Source text read in existing signed-in browser. Discovery: public reaction sheet; 🛰️ Yoann Ferrand finds this insightful
- Newsletter sourceSearch Engine Roundtable
Original source linked in the user-authorised published Week 43 edition.
- Newsletter coveragePaid Media Collective
Approved credit, date and media reconciliation.
Original creator unverified
Credits reflect the editor's latest changes. Original authorship has not been independently verified for this version.
Attribution evidence and limitations
Full attribution review pending.
A source link alone does not establish original authorship.
Original image and video creators have not yet been verified.
- Published on this site
- Article updated
This update reflects the dated source reporting. Availability may have changed. Further coverage of this same development will be added to this page.
