Geo Targeting Type
What AdGradr checks
Section titled “What AdGradr checks”AdGradr inspects every active campaign that has positive location targeting set up. It looks at the positive_geo_target_type setting on each:
- Presence: ads serve only to people physically in your targeted locations. This is the right setting for most local and regional businesses.
- Presence or interest (Google’s default): ads serve to people in your targeted locations AND to people who searched or showed interest in those locations from elsewhere.
Any active campaign with positive location targeting still on the default “presence or interest” setting is flagged. Across every account ClickMakers has audited, the default has not been the right setting.
This is a standalone check, meaning it does not affect your overall AdGradr score. It surfaces a settings problem that leaks budget for most accounts.
Why this matters
Section titled “Why this matters”A local plumber in Austin does not need to advertise to someone in Ohio researching plumbing services in Austin (the ex-resident asking about a relative’s house, the journalist writing about Austin housing, the student doing a geography paper). The default setting serves all of them.
Out-of-area researchers click. They click at meaningfully lower conversion rates than in-area prospects, and they cost the same per click. The only thing changing is your conversion rate quietly drops because the wrong half of your traffic is showing up.
Google sets “Presence or interest” as the default because it expands reach. For travel, hospitality, education, and destination services that genuinely want out-of-area inquirers, it is correct. For everyone else, it is a leak.
When the default is correct
Section titled “When the default is correct”Keep “Presence or interest” if your business is:
- Travel and hospitality: hotels, vacation rentals, tour operators
- Relocation services: real estate agents serving people moving to your city
- Education: universities, boarding schools recruiting from out of area
- Destination services: medical tourism, conference venues, wedding venues
- Regional brands shipping nationally
If any of these describes you, the current setting is intentional. Move on.
When the default is wrong
Section titled “When the default is wrong”Switch to “Presence” if your business exclusively serves customers physically in their service area:
- Local services (plumbers, electricians, HVAC, lawn care, contractors)
- Retailers without national shipping
- Healthcare providers (dentists, lawyers, clinics)
- Restaurants
- Local franchises
How to fix it
Section titled “How to fix it”- Open the affected campaign in Google Ads.
- Go to Settings → Locations → Location options.
- Change targeting from “Presence or interest” to “Presence: People in your targeted locations”.
- Save. Repeat for each flagged campaign.
- Watch conversion rate over the next 14 days. It typically improves because lower-intent out-of-area clicks stop diluting the average.
This applies going forward only. Past spend on out-of-area users is not refundable, since this is a user-controlled setting and Google did not violate any policy by serving them.
Bonus: location exclusions
Section titled “Bonus: location exclusions”If you have negative location criteria (excluded locations), the same setting applies. Google’s default “presence or interest” applies to exclusions too, meaning anyone interested in your excluded locations gets blocked, even if they’re physically elsewhere. If AdGradr flags this, also switch the exclusion setting to “Presence” so you only block people physically in the excluded locations.
When to ignore this check
Section titled “When to ignore this check”If your business genuinely serves out-of-area inquirers as a meaningful segment (the categories listed above), the default is correct and the finding is fair to dismiss.
Want someone to handle this? The Click Makers team manages Google Ads accounts for companies spending $10K+/month. Get in touch to see if we are a fit.