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Home » News » Google Clarifies Location Asset Rules and How to Fix Common Ad Problems
Google Ads has updated its Location asset requirements with troubleshooting guidance, and the company says that the enforcement of the policy remains the same. The clarification was released in September, and the practical implications were explained by the owner of the paid search consultancy Pooler Digital Dii Pooler in a Search Engine Land article published on October 1, 2026.
The practical point is easy to miss. Many location asset issues can be resolved within Google Ads itself. Ad addresses, phone numbers, hours, business names, and photos are usually pulled directly from Google Business Profile or Google Maps, and a wrong detail in an ad needs to be corrected on the source.
Location assets enable the addition of address, phone number, business hours, ratings, directions and other to an ad. Google supports two types and an account can use only one type of them.
Our locations is suitable for advertisers who own the listed locations. It has replaced the previous location extensions. Affiliate locations are intended for advertisers who sell products or services through locations that they do not own. They have replaced the previous affiliate location extensions. Choosing the wrong extension type may result in disapproval and reduced availability of the inventory in specific locations.
These assets can be shown across Search, Maps, Search partners, YouTube and certain Display inventory. On Display, they are only available with Local campaigns or Performance Max campaigns with Store goals.
Location assets follow standard Google Ads policies, plus three rules specific to locations.
Google also cites several existing policies which frequently cause disapprovals, such as editorial policies, tobacco, recreational drugs, restricted personalized advertising and unsupported languages. But these are all standard Google Ads policies that aren’t specific to locations.
Which sources you may use depends on whether the user owns the location or not. The former has three options: Google Business Profile, chain stores supported by Google, and up to 10 Google Maps locations. The latter includes two sources: supported chain stores and Global Location Groups.
Business Profile is the most beneficial source of owned locations since the advertiser has control of the address, phone number, hours, and media. Access to the Business Profile manager, where the location data is stored, will be needed. If the user doesn’t have this access, Google Ads allows requesting access via the email of the profile or the domain name.
Google Maps is an alternative to the two previous sources of location data. This tool requires that the advertiser has ownership of the shown address, otherwise, the application will reject the claim. Moreover, Google double-checks that the phone number displayed corresponds to the business that the user wants to promote. In case of incorrect data, an advertiser should edit the address or phone number in Business Profile or Google Maps. After Google approves the changes, they will be reflected in the Google Ads account.
The approval of the location asset does not guarantee its display with each ad. Google takes into account Ad Rank, ad position, expected asset performance, and the other assets that are eligible for the auction. The location asset is shown when Google predicts that it will impact performance and there is an opportunity for it.
Using a location asset can make an ad more relevant by providing a direct way to call, get directions or view. However, adding one does not guarantee a lower CPC. Google notes that some ads using more prominent assets might have a higher actual CPC, so it is best to evaluate the value of local actions taken by the asset rather than traffic to estimate a cheaper CPC.
Location assets were created to help measure store visits and bid on locations. Google can enable store visit conversions by default for accounts that meet specific eligibility requirements. If you delete all of your location assets, you will no longer be able to use business locations for targeting/bidding or track store visits.
Performance-Max campaigns with store goals also require location assets for local variations of search, maps, and (in eligible markets) Waze. Google’s Local customer optimization setting has a preference for local users who are in-market for the business and most likely to visit or contact the business. Local customer optimization setting is only available for offline goals; it is not available for online campaign goals or Merchant Center products, so advertisers who need to use product feed campaigns will have to run these campaigns separately.
Campaigns can utilize all of their account level location associations, a subset defined by location groups, or ‘No location asset’ for a particular campaign or ad group. The use of ‘All locations’ or the selection of specific locations within a campaign will overwrite the account level location associations for that particular campaign.
Any advertiser planning on managing locations primarily at the campaign level should first remove the association of ‘All locations’ at the account level to avoid errors in perception when managing individual campaigns. This is because any use of ‘All locations’ will provide a campaign access to all locations associated with the account, regardless of any attempt to restrict it to a particular set by using the location groups.
Since enforcement didn’t change, nothing here forces an immediate overhaul. What the update gives advertisers is a clearer map of where a problem actually lives. When a location asset fails, check the ownership type, location source, listing status, campaign associations and policy status. Those five checks show whether the fix belongs in Google Ads, Business Profile or Maps. Quite often, the fix sits one step upstream of the ad itself.
Q1: What did Google change about location asset requirements?
Google updated in September with additional troubleshooting guidance in its Location asset requirements which does not alter the policy enforcement practices.
Q2: What are location assets in Google Ads?
They are information such as a business address, phone number, hours of operation, ratings, and directions applied to an ad and can appear in the Search, Maps, Search partners, YouTube, and certain Display inventory.
Q3: What’s the difference between Our locations and Affiliate locations?
Our locations are designed for advertisers who own the locations to which they want to link their ads. At the same time, Affiliate locations are for those who sell their offerings through locations they do not own and an account allows linking of only one type.
Q4: Why is my business information wrong in my ad?
Business profile data, including address, hours of operation, phone number, and photos, is collected from Google Business Profile or Google Maps and changes need to be made directly on the listing rather than in Google Ads.
Q5: How long do Business Profile changes take to show in Google Ads?
The changes may take effect within 24 hours. If a location is not found within 24 hours, it is necessary to check its policy compliance.
Q6: Can I use Google Maps locations instead of Business Profile?
Yes, it is possible but a maximum of 10 Maps locations are allowed to be selected in case Business Profile and chain stores are unavailable and the locations should either belong to the advertiser or be disapproved.
Q7: Does an approved location asset always show with my ad?
No, because Google considers Ad Rank, the position of the ad, anticipated impact of various asset types, and other applicable assets during the auction.
Q8: Will location assets lower my CPC?
It is not likely to decrease the cost-per-click since Google recommends for advertisers to evaluate whether ads with more prominent assets will have a higher actual CPC value.
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