Google Ads location assets can show an address, map, distance, call button, hours, phone, photos, or directions depending on surface and eligibility. For businesses that own their locations, Google can use linked Business Profile or Maps data; affiliate locations serve a different use case. Assets are eligible, not guaranteed to show, and data can take time to sync. This lesson builds the source, grouping, and QA process.

VISUAL LESSON

What you will learn

  1. 01Choose and link a location source.
  2. 02Create campaign-specific location groups.
  3. 03Verify assets, reporting, and public details.
A business location source feeds location manager, filtered location groups, and address, call, map, and direction ad surfaces
Location assets inherit public business data, so source ownership, grouping, accuracy, sync, and eligibility all need preflight.

ILLUSTRATIVE WORKED EXAMPLE

Audit an illustrative multi-location account

Profile locationsAvailable from the linked source
24
Campaign-relevantMatches the promoted market
18
Details reviewedAddress, phone, hours, and status checked
15
Eligible assetsObserved after sync and review
13
Illustrative example—not a benchmark. Replace every sample value with your own campaign, market, and measurement data.

PRACTICAL INTERFACE MAP

Link, filter, sync, and verify locations

Source01Choose owned or affiliate locations

Use Business Profile, Maps, or supported chains according to ownership and the live account options.

Groups02Select campaign-relevant locations

Create location groups by chosen sites or labels and avoid broad account defaults that conflict with campaign intent.

Report03Check status and local actions

Allow sync time, verify asset eligibility and phone details, and review calls, directions, or store goals only where supported.

Conceptual walkthrough. Labels, controls, and availability can vary by account, region, plan, and interface version; verify the current screen before acting.

STEP-BY-STEP LESSON

Location source → campaign group → eligible ad context → local evidence

SourceOwned public locations
ControlCorrect campaign group
EvidenceObserved local actions

THE LEAD ATLAS METHOD

Lead Atlas Data can research business contacts for the paid campaign's exact store market, categories, and locations, supplying a custom prospect list separate from location-asset delivery.See how custom list research works ↗
01

Choose the correct location use case

Decide whether the advertiser owns the promoted locations or sells through locations it does not own. Google distinguishes owned location assets from affiliate location assets. Document the business goal: visit, call, directions, local information, or store-related conversion where eligible.

List the exact locations and campaigns that should use them. One account can serve several regions or brands, and an account-level asset applied too broadly can show a technically valid but commercially wrong location.

02

Prepare the public source data

Review Business Profile or Maps information for name, address, phone, hours, website, photos, open or closed state, and location ownership. Fix inaccuracies in the source system because Google Ads uses that data to format location assets.

Confirm the Google Ads operator has access to the Business Profile manager or understands the request-access flow. Do not create a duplicate profile simply because linking is delayed, and do not link a location the advertiser does not own or legitimately represent.

03

Link and group locations

In the current Google Ads Location Manager, choose the location type and data source shown in the account. Link a managed Business Profile, request access, discover an eligible profile, connect supported Maps locations, or choose the appropriate chain source.

Create location groups by selected locations or Business Profile labels for each campaign. Campaign-level settings can override account settings, so capture where the asset is applied and remove broad defaults that conflict with the intended group.

04

Allow sync and run QA

Google documents that profile changes and linking can take time to sync; current help notes 24 to 48 hours for some updates and about a day for location groups. Check the location asset report, approval or integrity state, filters, and phone verification after the expected window.

Preview eligible ads and open the location detail experience on mobile and desktop. Verify address, distance context, call action, hours, map, directions, photos, destination, call reporting if enabled, and the behavior of temporarily or permanently closed locations.

05

Measure eligible local outcomes

Review impressions with the asset where reported, clicks, calls, directions, location-page interactions, store-related conversions only when eligible, campaign geography, and qualified business outcomes. An approved asset is not guaranteed to show on every ad.

Deliverable: ownership and use-case brief, location inventory, public-data audit, access proof, linking capture, campaign location groups, sync timeline, asset-status report, mobile and desktop QA, local-outcome scorecard, and a maintenance owner for profile changes.

THE TAKEAWAY

Link the correct source, verify every public location field, group only relevant sites, preserve sync and eligibility limits, and measure local actions without assuming the asset appears on every impression.

OFFICIAL REFERENCES

Check the platform’s current instructions.

Platform labels, eligibility, and workflows can change. These official help pages were used to validate this lesson.