How to View the Location Report in Google Ads: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide for 2025

Section 1: What Is a Location Report in Google Ads?

A location report in Google Ads tells you where your audience is located when they engage with your ads. This report breaks down performance metrics by geographic area, such as country, state, city, or postal code, and gives you a clear view of where your ad spend is making the most impact (a major win for Search Engine Marketing (SEM) performance).

Types of Location Reports in Google Ads

There are two types of location data you can access:

Both views are helpful depending on your campaign strategy.

• If you’re a local business, user location is usually more relevant, especially when paired with Google Business Profile Management.
• If you sell services or products people might research from afar, geographic reports offer insights into buyer intent

What Data Does the Location Report Show?

When you open a location report, you’ll see columns for:

• Clicks
• Impressions
• CTR (Click-Through Rate)
• Average CPC (Cost Per Click)
• Cost
• Conversions
• Cost per Conversion
• Conversion Rate

You can also segment this data by:

• Device type
• Time of day
• Audience demographics
• Campaign or ad group

Why Location Reports Matter

Here’s what you can do with a well-analyzed location report:

• Identify which cities or regions drive the best ROI (crucial for Conversion Rate Optimization)
• Exclude locations that waste ad spend
• Shift budget to high-performing regions
• Tailor ad copy for regional trends or behaviors
• Adjust bids based on performance by area

Whether you’re running a single campaign or managing multiple locations across different regions, this report gives you the data you need to make smarter decisions.

Section 2: How Google Determines Location Data

Before you start analyzing your location report, it’s important to understand how Google collects and categorizes location data. The numbers you see are not just based on where someone lives, but also on where they are physically located and what locations they are showing interest in during their search.

How Google Detects a User’s Location

Google uses several signals to determine a user’s location when they interact with your ads. These include:

• IP Address: One of the most common signals used for desktop users
• GPS Coordinates: Pulled from mobile devices with location services enabled
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth: For more precise location data indoors
• Search Queries and Map Activity: If a user types in or interacts with a location name
• Google Account Settings: For users who share their location history across devices

These signals help define physical location and interest-based location, which directly impacts how you interpret performance for different Google Ads Management Services campaign types.

Two Key Location Dimensions in Google Ads

Google Ads offers two distinct views of location data:

1. User Location

This tells you where your audience was physically located when they clicked or viewed your ad. This is ideal for:

• Brick-and-mortar businesses
• Local service providers
• Region-specific delivery or targeting

2. Geographic Location (Location of Interest)

This captures users who showed interest in a location , even if they were not physically there. This includes:

• People searching for “lawyers in Chicago” while in another city
• Users reading content or browsing sites about a specific area
• Tourists planning travel or relocation

Understanding the difference helps you interpret the data correctly. For example:

• A travel agency might benefit more from geographic reports
• A local restaurant should focus on user location reports

How Campaign Settings Affect Location Reporting

Your location targeting settings directly influence the data shown in your reports. When you set up a campaign, you choose how broadly or narrowly you want to reach people.

There are three main settings under “Location options”:

1. Presence or Interest (default): Shows ads to people who are in your targeted locations or who show interest in them
2. Presence Only: Shows ads only to people physically located in your targeted area
3. Interest Only: Shows ads to people who are outside the area but show interest in it

These options will also affect how your location reports appear. If you target “presence or interest,” your geographic report may include cities where users were not physically located.

Why This Matters for Performance Analysis

If your campaign is underperforming in certain locations, the reason might not be the people who live there , it could be users outside the location who are triggering your ads through interest-based activity.

To get a clear picture:

• Use User Location to see where your real traffic comes from
• Use Geographic Report to understand where people are searching about

If you target “presence or interest,” your geographic report may include cities where users weren’t physically located, important for accurate ROI modeling with Google Analytics Services.

Section 3: Step-by-Step , How to Access the Location Report in Google Ads

Once you understand how Google tracks user locations and location intent, the next step is learning how to access and use the location report inside your account. The interface makes it simple, but knowing where to click and what to look for will save time and avoid confusion.

Follow these steps to view your location report for any campaign.

Step 1: Sign in to Your Google Ads Account

• Visit https://ads.google.com
• Log in with your account credentials
• From the dashboard, select the account or campaign you want to analyze

If you manage multiple campaigns, start with one that has enough traffic to generate meaningful data, especially if you’re optimizing under a larger Pay Per Click (PPC) Marketing framework.

Step 2: Choose the Campaign or Ad Group

• In the left-hand navigation menu, click on Campaigns
• Select the campaign you want to review
• If needed, you can drill down into an individual Ad Group

Choosing the right campaign scope helps narrow down location data that’s actually useful to your strategy.

Step 3: Click the Locations Tab

• In the menu beneath your campaign name, click Locations
• This section will display how your ads are performing based on geography

You may see a blank view if location targeting hasn’t been customized. If you’re using broad location targeting, you’ll likely see broader regional data like country or state-level, by default.

Step 4: Switch Between Report Types

There are two report views you can toggle between:

You can switch between them by using the dropdown at the top of the Locations tab, especially when diagnosing lead quality for Lead Generation Services.

Step 5: Customize Your Columns

You can edit the columns to display performance metrics that matter most to your goals:

• Clicks
• Impressions
• CTR (click-through rate)
• Average CPC
• Cost per Conversion
• ROAS (if tracking revenue)
• Impression Share
• Conversion Rate

Use the Columns button in the top-right to add, remove, or reorder the data.

Step 6: Apply Filters or Segments

To dig deeper:

• Use the Segment dropdown to break data down by device, time, or conversion action
• Use Filters to view only specific cities, states, or postal codes
• Adjust the Date Range at the top-right to focus on a specific campaign period

These tools allow you to isolate trends such as:

• Best-performing zip codes during weekends
• Mobile traffic performance by city
• Locations with high impressions but zero conversions

This helps uncover patterns like mobile performance by city, which also highlights whether your site needs Responsive Web Design

updates.

Step 7: Export Your Location Data

If you want to analyze your location data in Excel or Google Sheets:

• Click the Download icon (arrow pointing down)
• Choose your preferred file format
• Save the report to your computer or share it with your team

This is useful for deeper analysis or preparing client reports.

At this point, you’ve successfully accessed the location report for your Google Ads campaign. In the next section, we’ll go over how to interpret this data and apply it to optimize your results.

Section 4: How to Analyze the Data for Better Targeting

Viewing the location report is only the beginning. The real value comes from analyzing the data and taking action based on performance by geography. Whether you’re trying to increase conversions, cut wasted spend, or improve return on ad spend, your location report gives you clear signals. The growth comes from decisions, especially within a mature Digital Marketing Strategy Development structure.

Here’s how to read the data and turn it into better campaign results.

1. Identify High-Converting Locations

Start by sorting the report by conversions or conversion rate. This shows you where your ads are delivering the best results.

Look for:

• Cities or regions with a strong conversion rate and low cost per conversion
• Zip codes where users are not only clicking but also completing goals
• Areas that consistently outperform others during key periods

If you spot top-performing locations, consider:

• Increasing your bids in those regions
• Creating dedicated campaigns just for those cities

• Customizing ad copy for local intent (supported by Copywriting Services)

2. Spot Wasted Spend in Poor-Performing Areas

Next, sort your data by cost and review areas with:

• High ad spend but few or no conversions
• A high average cost per click with low engagement
• A large number of impressions but a low click-through rate

These are areas that could be draining your budget without delivering returns.

Actions you can take:

• Exclude those locations from your targeting
• Lower bids or adjust budgets
• Pause campaigns in those regions temporarily and re-evaluate later

3. Use Bid Adjustments by Location

Google Ads allows you to increase or decrease your bids for specific locations based on performance. These are called location bid adjustments.

Example:

• If New York is driving high conversion rates, you can increase your bid there by 20 percent
• If Houston has low engagement, you can decrease bids by 30 percent

How to adjust bids:

• Go to the Locations tab of your campaign
• Hover over the Bid Adjustment column
• Click the pencil icon to set a percentage increase or decrease

This approach gives you more control without changing the overall campaign structure.

4. Look for Geographic Trends Over Time

Location performance can change depending on:

• Seasonality
• Weather
• Local events or holidays
• Economic shifts

Use the date range and time segmentation tools in your report to spot changes over time.

For example:

• A lawn care company might see spikes in spring across specific zip codes
• A clothing brand might see different trends before and after back-to-school season

If you identify these trends, you can:

• Schedule campaigns to activate only during high-performance periods
• Increase spend during strong seasons and reduce during low-return windows
• Prepare ad copy that speaks to seasonal needs in different regions

5. Align Targeting with Business Strategy

Use location insights to match your advertising with your actual business presence.

• If you only ship to certain regions, exclude non-serviceable areas
• If your sales team only supports certain time zones, focus spend there
• If you’re testing a product in a new city, set up a geo-targeted campaign and monitor closely

By aligning your ads with operations, you avoid wasting money in places you can’t serve.

In short, location reports are not just data for data’s sake. They give you a direct line to audience behavior, market opportunity, and budget control. When you use this information to adjust campaigns, the performance gains can be immediate and measurable.

Section 5: Advanced Location Insights and Tools

For advertisers managing large accounts or running campaigns across multiple regions, Google Ads offers more advanced ways to work with location data. These tools help automate reporting, uncover deeper insights, and connect ad performance with your broader business goals.

1. Use Google Ads Scripts or API for Automated Location Reports

If you manage multiple campaigns or accounts, manually downloading reports can become repetitive. Google Ads offers two automation tools:

Use Case Example:

An agency running national campaigns can automate a script to flag any cities with cost per conversion 30 percent higher than average. Use scripts for recurring reports and alerts, ideal for agencies running multiple accounts under Enterprise PPC Marketing.

Resources:

• Google Ads Scripts documentation
• Google Ads API

2. Combine Google Ads Location Data with Google Analytics

While Google Ads shows click and conversion data, Google Analytics reveals what users do after the click. By combining both, you get a complete view of user behavior by location.

Key metrics to analyze in Analytics:

• Bounce rate by region
• Average session duration by city
• Pages per session
• Revenue or goal completions

Steps:

1. Make sure your Ads and Analytics accounts are linked
2. Use the Geo > Location report in GA4
3. Apply Google Ads campaign filters to view results by traffic source

Pro Tip: If your bounce rate is high in certain cities, it may be due to slow site speed or mismatched landing pages.

3. Use Offline Conversion Tracking by Region

If you run lead generation campaigns or sales occur offline, you can push CRM data back into Google Ads. This lets you measure true lead quality by location.

For example:

• A user in City A clicks your ad, submits a form
• Your sales team closes the lead in your CRM
• That conversion is sent back to Google Ads, tied to the original click and location

This helps you:

• See which cities produce not just leads, but qualified customers
• Optimize budget for locations with the best real-world ROI

You can import offline conversions through:

• Google Sheets
• Salesforce integration
• Zapier workflows
• API endpoints

4. Create Location-Based Audience Lists

If you’re using remarketing or targeting customer match audiences, consider segmenting them by geography.

Examples:

• Create a remarketing list of users who visited your site from specific cities
• Build a Customer Match list from buyers in top-performing states
• Use Lookalike audiences based on high-converting regional segments

This allows you to build tailored messaging and campaigns that speak directly to each region’s interests or needs.

5. Use Store Visit Conversions (For Retail Locations)

If your business has physical stores, Google Ads can track visits when users see or click your ads and then visit your store.

Requirements:

• Multiple physical store locations
• Sufficient campaign volume
• Google Maps and Location Extensions enabled

Store Visit data appears in your location reports and helps you:

• Measure foot traffic from digital campaigns
• Justify local ad spend
• Optimize campaigns for in-person conversions

You’ll find this under Tools > Conversions > Store Visits if eligible.

Advanced tools allow you to do more than just react to numbers , they help you build systems that proactively shape better performance across regions. Up next, let’s walk through the best ways to apply these insights inside your account.

Section 6: How to Take Action Based on Location Reports

Collecting and analyzing location data is valuable, but it only improves performance when paired with decisive action. This section walks through practical steps you can take inside Google Ads to use your location insights to boost campaign results, reduce waste, and improve local relevance.

1. Exclude Poor-Performing Locations

If certain cities, regions, or postal codes consistently drain your budget without delivering conversions, you should consider excluding them from your targeting.

How to do it:

• Go to your campaign
• Click on the Locations tab
• Click the blue pencil icon to edit locations
• Under Excluded, type in the underperforming areas

Examples of exclusions:

• Regions with high costs and zero conversions
• Cities outside your service area
• Zip codes with low engagement or irrelevant traffic

This prevents your ads from showing in areas that offer little or no return.

2. Focus Budget on High-Performing Areas

After identifying cities or regions that drive the best results, you can:

• Increase bids for those areas
• Create new campaigns with tighter geo-targeting
• Allocate more daily budget toward those regions

This improves efficiency by sending more traffic from locations that already convert.

Example:

If your ads perform well in Dallas and San Diego, create a separate campaign for each city and optimize the messaging, budget, and bidding strategy for each.

3. Adjust Ad Copy to Match Local Context

Location reports can inspire better ad messaging. Instead of using a one-size-fits-all ad across all locations, consider tailoring your ad copy by region.

You can:

• Mention the city or neighborhood in the headline
• Reference local needs or services
• Offer city-specific promotions or calls-to-action

Example:

Instead of “Affordable HVAC Services,” use “Top-Rated HVAC Service in Phoenix.”

To do this at scale, use:

• Location-specific campaigns or ad groups
• Dynamic keyword insertion with city names
• Responsive search ads with varied headlines by area

4. Optimize Location Extensions

Location extensions display your business address and map in the ad. If you have physical locations or service zones, make sure your extensions:

• Match the high-performing areas identified in your reports
• Show the correct phone numbers and hours
• Are paired with mobile-preferred ads for better local impact

Use this for:

• Retail locations
• Service areas with local teams
• Franchises with multiple offices

5. Use Localized Landing Pages

If you’re targeting multiple cities, drive visitors to location-specific landing pages rather than a general homepage. Send traffic to city-specific pages to improve relevance and conversion rate, often supported by Custom Website Design improvements. These pages should:

• Mention the user’s city or region
• Include local reviews or testimonials
• Show localized contact information or service availability

This improves relevance and reduces bounce rate, especially when paired with location-specific ads.

6. Schedule Campaigns Based on Regional Time Zones

If you’re targeting users across time zones or large geographic regions:

• Use ad scheduling to match user behavior in each location
• Run ads during peak engagement hours for each area
• Pause ads in low-converting time slots based on location + time-of-day performance

Segment your location report by hour of day or day of week to find these patterns.

7. Run Experiments Based on Geography

Google Ads lets you test changes through experiments. You can:

• A/B test different landing pages for different cities
• Run messaging experiments based on local preferences
• Try different bidding strategies by region (manual vs. automated)

Start small, focus on a few high-impact regions, and expand based on results.

Taking action based on youistent, location-aware growth. Smart location strategy means being precise, not just broad.r location report turns passive data into active improvements. Each update helps your campaign become more precise, more cost-effective, and more competitive in the areas that matter most.

Section 7: Common Mistakes to Avoid

Even with the best intentions, advertisers often make simple mistakes when working with Google Ads location data. These errors can lead to inaccurate conclusions, wasted budget, and missed opportunities. Avoiding them will help you get the most value from your location reports.

By avoiding these mistakes, you protect your budget and position your campaigns for consistent, location-aware growth. Smart location strategy means being precise, not just broad.