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The Hidden Toggle: Why "New York" Doesn't Always Mean New York

Google's default setting might be showing your ads to the wrong world.

When you select a location in Google Ads (e.g., "United States"), you assume your ads will only show to people living there. This is often false.

Hidden inside the "Location Options" drop-down menu (which is usually collapsed by default) are two very different targeting methods:

Presence: People physically located in your target area.

Interest: People who are not there, but are searching about your target area.

If you leave the default setting on ("Presence or Interest"), a person in India searching for "Plumber in New York" can see your ad and click it, costing you money for a job you can't do.

Option A: "Presence" (The Safe Bet)

Target: "People in or regularly in your targeted locations."

This is the setting that 90% of businesses should use. It restricts your ads strictly to the geographic border you selected.

✅ Use this if:

You are a Local Service Business: Plumbers, Dentists, Lawyers, Mechanics. You physically need to be near the customer to serve them.

E-commerce with shipping limits: You only ship within the US and don't want to pay for clicks from Europe.

B2B Services: You only work with companies in a specific time zone.

How it works: Google uses the user's IP address and GPS data to verify they are physically standing inside your target zone.

Option B: "Interest" (The Specific Use Case)

Target: "People in, or showing interest in, your targeted locations."

This setting allows people outside your border to see your ads if their search query indicates they care about your location.

✅ Use this if:

Tourism & Hospitality: You own a hotel in Las Vegas. You want people in London searching "Hotels in Las Vegas" to see your ad.

Real Estate: You are selling homes in Florida to retirees currently living in New York.

Moving Companies: Someone in Texas searching "Movers to California."

❌ The Danger: If you are a local Pizza shop and you use this setting, you will pay for clicks from tourists planning a trip months in advance, or random informational searches from overseas.

The Fraud Connection: Why "Interest" is Risky

How looser targeting opens the door to Click Farms.

The "Interest" setting is a common vulnerability for click fraud.

Click Farms: Many click farms operate out of non-target countries (like regions in Asia or Eastern Europe). If you use "Presence," they are naturally blocked. If you use "Interest," and they search for your keywords + location, Google may let them through.

VPNs: Users hiding their location often slip through "Interest" filters.

Recommendation: Unless you are in the Travel industry, go to Settings > Locations > Location Options and switch to "Presence: People in or regularly in your targeted locations."

Then, check your ClickSambo dashboard to see if any out-of-area IPs were blocked recently—this is often a sign your Location Options were too loose.