I Set My Location to My City But Getting Leads From Other States

Location targeting in Google Ads has a setting that most people never notice. By default Google shows your ads not just to people in your target location but to people interested in your location. This single setting can send your ads nationwide.

You are not alone in this.

You set your location targeting to your city. You are a local service business and only want calls from people in your area. But your Search Terms Report shows searches from cities hundreds of miles away. Your phone has rung with calls from people you cannot serve. You are confused because you specifically set a local location.

Here is what is actually going on.

The cause is a targeting option called Presence or Interest. When set to Presence or Interest Google shows your ads to anyone who is either physically in your target area or who Google believes has shown interest in that area through their search behaviour. Someone in another state searching for services in your city can trigger your ad under this setting.

The thing most people miss.

Presence or Interest is the default setting because it increases auction participation and Google revenue. Presence Only is the correct setting for almost every local service business because it restricts ad delivery to people who are physically located in your target area at the time of the search.

The fix that actually works.

In your campaign settings find Location Options and change the setting from Presence or Interest to Presence Only. This immediately restricts your ads to people physically present in your target area. Also audit your location targeting radius if you are using radius targeting and ensure it reflects your actual service area.

What this looks like when it works.

After making this change your impression volume may drop slightly but the quality of every click will improve dramatically because they will all be coming from people who can actually become your customers.

How I can help you.

My name is Eshchar Givoni. I am a Google Ads specialist and I work exclusively with local service businesses. I have been doing this for seven years. I manage a maximum of 20 clients at any one time and I manage every single campaign personally. There are no junior account managers, no handoffs, and no templates. When you work with me you talk directly to the person making decisions about your campaign every day.

You start with a $500 trial campaign. That is 14 days of a live, fully managed Google Ads campaign. You see real results before you commit to anything more. If it works, we continue. If it does not deliver, you have lost only the trial cost. That is how confident I am in the process.

Ready to fix this?

If this article described your situation, the next step is simple. WhatsApp me directly right now and tell me what is happening with your campaign. I will give you an honest assessment within 24 hours at no cost. Or if you are ready to start, apply for your $500 trial campaign here. I read every application personally and respond within 24 hours.