The single most important asset in Google Ads for local businesses is the location asset. This single asset makes your ads more relevant, expands your ad real estate, opens up additional ad placements and shares the critical information your customers are looking to find. If your business doesn’t have these set up properly, you’re likely missing out on the customers your business is trying to capture.
This guide covers what location assets are, where they show up, the setup steps most people get wrong, and how to tell if yours are actually working.
What Is a Location Asset (formerly Location Extension)?
Location assets are additional information about your business that appear alongside your ads. These assets pull in additional business information directly from your Google Business Profile. Depending on where your ad is showing, they can show:
- The store address
- A “Get Directions” button
- A map to the closest location
- Distance to the store
- Store hours
- Whether the business is open or closed right now
- A clickable call button
What actually shows depends on three things: where the ad appears on Google, the device it’s shown on, and the location of the person seeing it. A mobile searcher three miles from your shop might see distance and a directions button. Someone on desktop might see your hours and address instead. Google will optimize the combination to the person searching for your business.
Where Location Assets Appear
Location assets can show across five placements, and where they show changes what information appears:
- Google Search Network: These are your traditional Google Ads search placements and location assets show alongside them.
- Google Maps: Appear alongside Map Pack or Map placements in the browser as well as inside the Google Maps app.
- Google Search Partner Network (if enabled): These ads appear on Google’s 3rd-party partners (I usually recommend turning this off though).
- Google Display Network: Image ads showing on sites and apps in Google’s Display Network.
- YouTube: May show in in-stream or bumper ads alongside your videos.
The most important piece that holds consistent across these placements is that Google will try to serve the location assets when people are near your location or have demonstrated an interest in your area. This means these assets serve to users with the highest intent for your local business.
Why Location Assets Matter for Local Businesses
Local searches carry more urgency than most other search types. Someone searching “plumber near me” at 9pm with a leaking pipe isn’t researching, they’re deciding who to call in the next five minutes. Your business showing up first in the Map Pack with your glowing reviews and an easy-to-click call button is critical. People are likely to click the first relevant option they see.
When location assets are active, three things happen to your ad:
The ad gets bigger. More information means more visual space, which makes your ad the most prominent option on the results page. This additional space means more opportunity to communicate how your business can help. It also means your business can show up in both search and map results for the same search. That’s twice the opportunities for clicks!
The ad becomes eligible for more placements. Without location data attached, your ad can’t show inside Google Maps at all. That means your competitors are showing up and capturing the clicks, calls and leads while you’re wondering why your campaign isn’t working.
The ad answers questions before the click. Hours, distance, and open/closed status let a searcher self-qualify. The searcher can see where you’re located and when you’re open. That means when someone clicks on your ad, they are ready to book. You’re not dealing with out-of-state or after-hours calls. Location assets filter that out before you pay for the click.
All of these things feed directly into higher click-through rates for your ads and more relevant ads being shown to customers. Ads with high relevance and strong click-through rates see a better ad rank which means a lower cost per click and better performance for your business.
Types of Location Assets: Location Assets vs. Affiliate Location Assets
There are actually two types of location assets and which one you should use depends on your business. One type is for businesses that directly own their stores (e.g., home services, coffee shops, restaurants). The other is for businesses that are selling their products or services through another store. Let’s dive into each type so you know which one to use.
Location assets: These are going to be the most commonly used location asset type for local businesses. You connect your own Google Business Profile that represents a store you own to your ads. This is what almost every local service business, single-location retailer or multi-location brand should be using. As long as you physically own the location that you are presenting, location assets are for you.
Affiliate location assets: These are for businesses that sell products through retailers, think a manufacturer whose products are carried by Home Depot or a regional chain. Affiliate location assets are going to pull in another business’s information to show where someone can buy your product. For example, if you manufacture a product and sell it through a regional retailer, your ads can show the location, directions and information for that retailer. This allows a potential buyer to find the nearest location to them to purchase your product.
If you’re a plumber, roofer, HVAC company, dentist, or any business where customers come to your location or you go to theirs, standard location assets are what you want. Affiliate assets only apply if someone else’s storefront is where your product actually gets sold.
Requirements and Eligibility
Location assets are not automatically eligible or set up inside your account. So, before you try to set up location assets, make sure you have the following items in place.
Your Google Business Profile (GBP) must be claimed and verified. An unverified or suspended profile won’t be eligible to connect to your Google Ads account. If you’re already running location assets and they stop showing with no explanation, check your GBP verification status first. Ensure you’ve claimed, verified and updated your Google Business Profile with the most accurate information for your business. The most critical information to update is:
- Business name
- Phone number
- Accurate address information
- Hours you’re open (consider matching the hours that your phone is answered)
- Website
- Images
- Business category
- Service areas
Accurate information is crucial so that customers can find the information they need and to make sure you follow Google’s policies.
Link your Google Business Profile with your Google Ads account. This is how you pull your Google Business Profile information into the account and activate eligibility to run location assets.
Step-by-Step Setup
- Confirm your Google Business Profile is verified. Log into Google Business Profile Manager and check status directly, don’t assume. If you don’t have a Google Business Profile yet, set up a new one or claim an existing location.
- Link the account. In Google Ads, on the left-hand side go to Tools then Data Manager. In the top right corner, click “+ Connect product” and look for Google Business Profile. You’ll be prompted to log into your account and sync locations that you manage.
- Create location assets at the account or campaign level. Navigate to Campaigns and then Assets on the left-hand side. Click the blue plus sign and then click Location. Here you’ll be able to sync all locations or location groups if you manage a variety of different locations.
- For multi-location businesses, confirm all locations are pulling through. If you are a business with multiple locations and you only want to use specific locations, you’ll need to create a location group with the specific profiles you’d like to use.
- Return to the asset screen and make sure you see all your locations listed. This is also where you’ll be able to review performance by asset such as impressions, clicks, etc.
Common Mistakes
Setting it and forgetting it. Your business is dynamic and information can change frequently. Whether your hours shift for holidays, a location closes or opens, or you adjust services, it’s crucial that information is updated. If that information isn’t kept current, your ad is showing the wrong information to someone who’s deciding whether to call you right now.
Confusing location assets with location targeting. These are two entirely different settings. Location assets control what information displays alongside your ad and where your ads are eligible to appear. Location targeting controls the physical areas where your ad is eligible to show for someone searching. Setting up location targeting doesn’t automatically create location assets.
Suspended or unverified Google Business Profiles. A suspended or unverified profile breaks the connection and location assets will no longer show. There isn’t typically a warning in your account for this so it’s important to monitor the status frequently.
Assuming linking sets up the location assets. Not only do you need to make sure that your Google Business Profile is successfully linked with your account, but you also have to go into assets and set up the location asset. Just linking the Google Business Profile will not automatically set up location assets.
Optimizing Location Assets
There is no direct way to optimize your location assets inside of Google Ads. So, unlike copy or keywords, you can’t experiment with updated information or ways of targeting people. However, you can ensure that all the information is accurate and helpful for visitors. By optimizing your Google Business Profile, you’ll also be effectively optimizing your location assets as well. So, frequently review your Google Business Profile and double check that all the information is accurate and helpful. This is where Google will pull everything needed for location assets.
How to Measure Impact
Google Ads lets you segment performance by asset in your reporting, so you can see click-through and interaction data specific to location assets. The biggest impact from location assets tends to be an increase in phone calls and a CTR improvement in your campaign. It’s critical to have phone call tracking active so you can see if there is an increase in people calling your business.
On their own, location assets are not going to make or break your entire account strategy. They won’t fix a bad landing page, a broken bidding strategy or targeting that’s too broad. They do expand the areas where your ads can appear and make your ad more prominent to searchers. They also make your ad more trustworthy and more useful at the exact moment someone is deciding whether to click. There are real advantages to setting up location assets, but don’t expect them to make or break your account.
FAQ
Do location assets cost extra to run?
No. There’s no additional cost to enable or run location assets. You’re not charged for the asset itself, only for the clicks your ad receives as normal.
Will location assets work without a Google Business Profile?
No. Location assets pull directly from your GBP. Without a profile, verified and linked, there’s no data source for the asset to display.
Can I use location assets if I have multiple business locations?
Yes. Multi-location businesses can link a Business Profile Manager with all locations included, and Google Ads will pull the correct location data based on the searcher’s proximity. Location groups inside of Google Ads can also be used to manage which profiles are eligible to show in a campaign.
How long does it take for location assets to start showing after setup?
Google will need to review the assets and approve them before they show. This can sometimes take 24-48 hours, but most accounts will see them live within the same day. If it’s been more than a week with no assets showing, work back through the requirements checklist above.
Do location assets affect Quality Score?
Location assets can improve your ad’s relevance and click-through rate which are important pieces in determining Quality Score. While the exact amount of impact may vary, all assets that improve ad relevance are going to help improve Quality Score.
What’s the difference between location assets and affiliate location assets?
Location assets connect your own Google Business Profile. Affiliate location assets connect a third-party retailer’s listing for businesses that sell through other storefronts rather than their own.
The Bottom Line
Location assets are an extremely beneficial way for local businesses to improve their ads and make them more useful to people searching for you. There is no extra cost, you get a bigger and more useful ad, eligibility for placements you’d otherwise miss entirely, and a direct trust signal to someone deciding whether to call you right now. Those small details can be the difference between someone clicking on your ad or a competitor’s.
If you’re not sure your location assets are set up correctly or actually showing, that’s worth checking out. Book a coaching call and we’ll walk through it together. Most location asset problems can easily be fixed in less than an hour so we’ll have time to chat about your account!