Getting started on Location Assets | Google Ads
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Incorporate shop location information in your ads by setting up location assets. With location assets, your ads can display information such as the shop address, a map to the shop location or the approximate travel distance to help people find your shops.
To make it easier for users, location assets now covers two use cases:
- Formerly Location Extensions: Used by advertisers who own their shop locations directly
- Formerly Affiliate Location Extensions: Used by advertisers, such as manufacturers and aggregators, who sell products or services in shops that they don’t own directly
This article provides an overview of location assets, how to create them and how to remove them. This article also provides detailed guidance on linking a Business Profile account, and how to link location assets to a Business Profile.
Whether you’re an advertiser who owns your shops directly or a manufacturer who sells products through major retail chains, you can use location assets to help boost the performance of your ads. Below are some examples of how you can use location assets.
Advertisers who own their shop locations directly
If you own your shops directly, ads with location assets help people to engage and visit your business.
Search Network example
Clara, a bakery owner, wants to draw foot traffic to her shop front. She adds a location asset to her campaign. Now, when people nearby search on mobile for one of her keywords ('best bakery nearby' or 'fresh bread'), her asset is eligible to show and may give bread lovers:
- The distance to her location, and its city (mobile)
- Her location's street address (computer)
- A clickable 'Call' button
- Tappable or clickable access to a details page for her location, with information such as hours, phone number, photos and directions
Location assets can also work with YouTube and Performance Max campaigns.
YouTube example
A major clothes retailer wants to target the audience segment 'Fashionistas', encouraging people browsing online to come into the shop and make purchases. To accomplish this goal, the shop's account manager sets up location assets on YouTube ads. Here’s what would happen:
- Alongside the YouTube ad, the location asset format shows a 'teaser' of business information.
- When a user clicks or taps the location within the final ad, it expands to a location page that shows more business information, such as address, phone number and shop hours.
- The shop shown in the final ad is selected based on the user’s location or a location that they’ve shown interest in.
Advertisers who sell products or services in shops that they don’t own directly (manufacturers and aggregators)
If you’re a manufacturer who sells products through major retail chains, you can use location assets to help people find nearby shops that sell your product.
Search Network example
Here’s an example of how location assets help you attract new customers on the Search Network:
- Someone searches Google for a product.
- Your ad shows with your location asset.
- The person finds the nearest shop that sells your product, either as an address or on a map.
- On mobile, the person can tap to get directions to the shop.
- The person heads to the shop and buys your product.
Location assets can also work with YouTube and display campaigns.
YouTube example
Here’s an example of how location assets help you attract new customers on the Display Network or on YouTube:
- Someone who fits your targeting demographic browses websites or apps on the Display Network or watches videos on YouTube.
- The person is near to, or has demonstrated an interest in, the area where your product is sold.
- Your display or video ad shows along with your location asset that features distance, open hours and shop locations.
- The person notices the ad, clicks on 'Directions', and goes to the shop that sells your product.
Where they show
Location assets can show your business information in various formats on mobile devices and computers on the Search Network, Display Network, YouTube and Google Maps.
Google Search Network: On the Search Network, ads with location assets can appear as a standard text ad with your location and phone number. On mobile, a clickable 'Call' button may show in place of your phone number.
Here are two examples, one for advertisers with their own shop locations and the other for manufacturers with affiliate shop locations.
Advertisers who own their shop locations directly
Advertisers who sell products or services in shops that they don’t own directly (manufacturers and aggregators)
- Google search sites, like Google Maps: Your locations can appear beside, above or below search results on Google Maps, including the Maps app.
- Search partner network: Your locations may show on sites and apps on the search partners network when people are near, or have demonstrated an interest in, your local area.
- Google Display Network: Your locations may show on sites and apps on the Display Network when people are near, or have demonstrated an interest in, your local area.
Note: Location assets on Display inventory are only available through Local campaigns or Performance Max with shop goals.
- YouTube Video Ads: Your locations may show on YouTube TrueView in-stream and bumper ads when people are near, or have demonstrated an interest in, your local area.
Your locations will start showing on video ads, meaning your video ads will show information about your business locations unless you explicitly opt out.
How to create location assets
You can choose only one type of location asset in an account. After you select your location asset type, you’ll be prompted to link a corresponding location data source in your account.
| Location asset type | Location data source |
| You own the locations directly | Google Business Profile or Chain stores |
| You don’t own the locations, but they sell your products or services | Chain stores (either general retailers or auto dealers) or Global Location Groups (for example, pharmacies in France) |
Whichever way you choose, the locations that you add are eligible to show with any Search, Display or Video ad in your account, assuming they are approved through the integrity verification process.
If you want to assign locations to particular campaigns or ad groups, set up location groups when you create your location assets.
Optional settings
You can choose to enable call reporting (this setting is recommended). You'll need to turn on account-level reporting to view call reporting for calls from location assets. Learn how to Manage call reporting for your campaigns.
Verifying your phone number
Phone numbers with location assets will be verified to confirm that they represent the business that's being promoted. Learn more about Phone number verification for call and location assets.
Instructions
Add location assets
- In your Google Ads account, click the Campaigns icon
.
- Click the Assets drop-down in the section menu.
- Click Assets.
- Click the plus button
, then click + Location assets.
- To add chain locations directly to your account in Google Ads, or to link a Business Profile, follow the steps below.
.Use chain locations in Ads
Keep in mind: Chain locations update automatically as shops open, move or close, but updates to locations in the Business Profile Manager may take up to a day to reflect in your Google Ads account.
- When setting up location assets, you’ll have the option to select one or more chains. Click Select curated locations to view pre-selected chain stores that have been identified as being a good fit for the country associated with your account.
- Follow the prompts to add the specific chain locations where your products are sold.
- Click Save.
You can customise your locations further at the campaign or ad group level. You can choose to add all account-level locations, use just a subset of account-level locations using Location Groups, or choose 'No affiliate retail chains' to keep the asset from showing for specific campaigns or ad groups.
As an alternative to chains or if your chain locations aren't available in Google's list, you may also link your Google Ads account to a Business Profile and show the Business Profile’s locations as location assets in Google Ads. To use this option, you'll need access to the Business Profile manager that lists your locations.
Learn more about how to opt out of allowing your merchant photos to be used by local ads.
Check whether your business is already on Business Profile as many businesses already are. Since Business Profile verification takes time, don’t set up a new Business Profile if your business already has one.
If your business is new to Business Profile, start by creating an account. For instructions, go to Get started with Business Profile.
Link to a Business Profile you manage
- In your Google Ads account, click the Campaigns icon
- Click the Assets drop-down in the section menu.
- Click Assets.
- Click the plus button
- Choose Select a Business Profile Manager account. Select an account from the drop-down.
- Click Continue.
- Apply your business name or label filters if needed. Click Finish.
Link to a Business Profile using an email address
- In your Google Ads account, click the Campaigns icon
- Click the Assets drop-down in the section menu.
- Click Assets.
- Click the plus button
- Select Request access to another Business Profile Manager account. Enter the account email address.
- Click Continue. A request will be sent to the Business Profile email. When the request is approved, locations from this account will be eligible to show as location assets with your ads.
Link to any Business Profile
- In your Google Ads account, click the Campaigns icon
- Click the Assets drop-down in the section menu.
- Click Assets.
- Click the plus button
- Your domain should show up automatically. If it doesn’t, enter a domain to discover potential Business Profiles.
- Select Countries by clicking the pencil icon
. Click Save.
- In the list below, find the Business Profile that best matches your business. Click Select.
- Confirm that the correct Business Profile is showing in the preview, click Continue.
Your request will be sent to the email address for the Business Profile that you've selected. When your request is approved, locations for that account will be eligible to show as location assets with your ads.
Edit locations or location labels in Business Profile
- Identify the person who manages Business Profile for your business, then ask that person to add your Google Ads email address as an owner or manager. You may want to send them the Business Profile instructions: Add and remove location group owners and managers.
- After the Business Profile manager invites you to Business Profile, an invitation is sent to the email address associated with your Google Ads account. Accept that invitation.
- After you’ve accepted the invitation from the Business Profile, sign in to your Business Profile to make any edits to your addresses. For guidance, go to Edit your Business Profile on Google.
When you're a manager of a Business Profile, you can link to Google Ads using the instructions above for 'Find and link to a Business Profile you manage'.
Opt out of using merchant photos in local ads
- In your Google Ads account, click the Campaigns icon
- Click the Assets drop-down in the section menu.
- Click Assets.
- Select Association from the 'Table view' drop-down menu.
- Click the 3-dot menu icon
on the right, then select Account level automated assets.
- Click the 3-dot menu icon
- Expand the 'Automated locations' entry.
- Unselect the 'Allow Google Ads to use merchant photos' tick box, to opt out.
on the right, then select Account level automated assets.Set up campaign and ad group level location assets
Before using the below steps, make sure that you have location assets set up at the account level.
- In your Google Ads account, click the Campaigns icon
- Click the Assets drop-down in the section menu.
- Click Assets.
- Click the plus button
- You can select to add a campaign. If you want to add an ad group, click 'Add to' from the drop down menu, then select the campaigns or ad groups you wish to add the location assets to.
- You can select to set up campaign or ad group level location assets by using one of the four options under the 'Show my ad with' menu.
- All synced locations: Use all location assets synced at account level.
- Location groups: Individually select locations to be used in the campaign or ad group. Up to 20 locations can be selected.
- No location assets: Disable location assets in the campaign or ad group. If you select this option, location assets won't be serving in the selected campaign or ad group.
- Click Save. You can find the campaign or ad group level location assets settings in the 'Associations' view of the Assets page.
Remove location assets
How to turn off location assets at the campaign or ad group level
- In your Google Ads account, click the Campaigns icon
- Click the Assets drop-down in the section menu.
- Click Assets.
- Click the plus button
- Choose to remove your location asset at either the campaign or ad group level using the drop-down menu.
- Click the pencil icon
, then tick the boxes beside the specific campaigns or ad groups from which you want to remove your location asset.
- Select No location asset.
- Click Save.
, then tick the boxes beside the specific campaigns or ad groups from which you want to remove your location asset.How to remove location assets from your entire account
- In your Google Ads account, click the Campaigns icon
- Click the Assets drop-down in the section menu.
- Click Assets.
- You'll now be able to view a table with all your assets. Select Associations (legacy) from the 'Table view' drop-down menu.
- Select Location from the list above the table toolbar.
- Check the box next to your account-level location asset.
- Click Remove in the blue bar at the top.
Important: If you remove location assets from your account, then you won't be able to use business locations for targeting or bidding, and you won't be able to track shop visit conversions, so it's not recommended.
