Google Tests Larger LSA Image and Highlight Box

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Highlighted local service ad with a larger image of a house

By NewSunSEO September 26, 2026

Google is testing a redesigned Local Service Ads layout that puts a bigger image and a larger highlight box under the main listing, giving the unit far more visual weight in the search results. The change was spotted and screenshotted in the wild, and it points to the continued push of resources behind Local Service Ads as Google migrates LSA campaigns into the Google Ads interface.

What the new Local Service Ads layout looks like

The test swaps the existing compact LSA module for a much taller block. The main listing now sits above a noticeably larger image, and a clearly drawn highlight box runs beneath it. Together those two changes make the ad unit taller, more colorful, and harder to scroll past, which is the opposite of what usually happens to ad units during quiet redesigns.

Why this redesign is different from past image tests

Google has experimented with Local Service Ads imagery before, including earlier tests of expandable images inside the unit. The current version is not the same thing. The image is larger to begin with, and the supporting box beneath the listing is also enlarged, so the whole module takes up more vertical real estate in one go.

Where Local Service Ads fit in the broader Google Ads migration

Local Service Ads have been receiving more resources and placements from Google for some time, and that has coincided with the migration of LSA management into the main Google Ads platform. Local advertisers running lead-driven businesses, such as home services and legal or professional providers, are the audience most affected, because LSA is where their phone calls and lead forms originate rather than where text ads and clicks do.

What a local advertiser should watch

Three signals are worth tracking while this test is live:

Whether the enlarged layout appears in your geographic area and your service categories. LSAs are regionally gated and rolled out by vertical, so a test seen in one screenshot may not show for everyone at once.
Whether the larger image pulls from your existing LSA creative or from your Google Business Profile photos, since the source of the asset affects what you can control.
Whether Google Ads reporting starts showing new engagement metrics for the expanded unit, since a visual redesign of this size usually comes with new measurement options once it ships.

Tracking rank and visibility across a service area, rather than relying on a single city-wide average, is how a local advertiser sees where the new layout is actually appearing. SEOScanPRO’s GEO Grids do this by mapping rank position town by town across a service area.

How to prepare while the test is live

Two practical steps help a local advertiser stay ready:

Refresh every photo in the Google Business Profile now, since a larger image box means a low-resolution or off-brand photo will be more visible to searchers.
Recheck the LSA budget and bid caps inside Google Ads, because as the migration to Google Ads continues, campaign settings that were locked in the old LSA interface are now editable in the main platform.

If the test rolls out broadly, the new layout will give advertisers a bigger canvas for imagery and a more prominent call-to-action area underneath, which raises the stakes on both photo quality and the offer in the highlight box.

FAQ

What is changing in the Google Local Service Ads test?

Google is testing a redesigned LSA unit in the search results that uses a larger image and a larger highlight box under the main listing, making the ad module noticeably taller and more prominent than the current design.

Is this the same as the older expandable image test in Local Service Ads?

No. Google tested expandable images in Local Service Ads years ago, and this current design is a separate change that enlarges the image outright and adds a bigger supporting box beneath the main listing.

Why does Local Service Ads layout matter for local advertisers?

LSAs generate leads, such as phone calls and form submissions, for local service businesses, so a bigger, more visually dominant unit changes how much attention the listing draws and how visible the advertiser’s imagery becomes in search results.

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