Google Ads Location Assets: A Setup Guide for Multi-Location Brands

The short answer

Google Ads location assets add a branch's address, phone number, hours, directions and ratings to your ads on Search, Maps and other Google surfaces. For multi-location brands, the winning setup links Google Business Profile as the single source of truth, picks the right location type, maps each branch to the campaigns that serve it, and settles the new automated promotions setting before it starts on October 12, 2026.

Get the source right, and every branch shows up ready to take the call.

Start with the call, the visit and the booked appointment

For a dental group, a childcare network or a chain of pain clinics, the money moment is local. Someone nearby calls the closest office, taps for directions or books a visit. Location assets put those actions inside the ad itself.

That makes them a revenue lever more than a cosmetic add-on. Three questions frame every setup:

• Which locations does the business own, and who controls each Business Profile?
• Which campaigns serve which branches?
• Which local actions count as conversions, and how do they reach Google Ads?

Answer those first and the settings fall into place.

9 steps to a clean location asset setup

1. Pick the right location type

Google offers two types. "Our locations" fits businesses that own their locations, which covers most DSOs, clinic groups and childcare operators. "Affiliate locations" fits brands that sell through retailers owned by someone else. Google allows one location asset type per account and notes that declaring the wrong type can lead to disapproved assets.

2. Link Google Business Profile as the source

For owned locations, Google supports three sources: Business Profile, supported chain stores, or up to 10 locations picked from Google Maps. Business Profile gives you control of the address, phone number, hours and photos, so it is the natural choice for a group with many branches. You need access to the Business Profile manager account that holds the locations.

3. Confirm owner approval for every branch

Google requires the location owner's explicit approval before a location appears in ads. Groups that grew through acquisitions often inherit Business Profile links from earlier teams or vendors. Confirm who owns each profile today and write it down.

4. Fix business details at the source

Google Ads pulls addresses, phone numbers, hours and photos from Business Profile and Google Maps. Make corrections there, and accepted changes flow into the linked ads account. Search Engine Land notes that Google says Business Profile changes may take up to a day to appear in Google Ads.

5. Plan phone numbers with verification in mind

Google verifies that phone numbers in location assets represent the business being promoted. If your group uses call tracking, plan it so each branch keeps a number Google can verify for that location. Then confirm calls route to the right front desk.

6. Map branches to campaigns with location groups

Linked locations are available across the account by default. Location groups let you assign a subset of locations to a campaign or ad group, and Business Profile labels act as filters. Google says labels must exist in Business Profile before you apply them as filters in Google Ads. For example, a regional campaign for three clinics can show only those three addresses.

7. Clear the broad association before you manage by campaign

Campaign-level settings override account-level settings. Search Engine Land flags an easy miss: when the broad account-level association stays on, a campaign you believe uses a subset can still reach every location. Remove the broad association first, then assign groups, and export current associations and performance before any large label or filter change.

8. Handle openings, closures and moves the same day

Location assets for listings marked temporarily or permanently closed stop showing. When a branch opens, closes or relocates, update Business Profile first, then confirm the campaign mapping. A new office with a recognized address and an active profile is ready to join its location group.

9. Measure local actions beyond the click

Location assets support store visit measurement and location-based bidding, and Google can enable store visit conversions automatically for eligible accounts. Search Engine Land notes that removing every location asset from an account also removes location-based targeting, bidding and store visit tracking. Track calls, directions and booked appointments by branch, then send qualified leads back to Google Ads through offline conversion import.

The October 12 change: automated promotions

Starting October 12, 2026, Google Ads will scan advertisers' websites for valid promotions and attach them as promotion assets to eligible Search and Performance Max campaigns. Eligible campaigns have linked location assets and zero manual promotions attached. Enrollment is automatic.

For healthcare and education brands, offers carry terms. A new-patient special, an enrollment offer or a seasonal discount has dates and eligibility rules. A short review keeps every offer accurate:

• List every offer live on your site today, including older landing pages.
• Retire expired offers from the site, since Google sources promotions from your pages.
• Add manual promotion assets where you want exact control of wording and dates. Google skips campaigns that already run manual promotions.
• Prefer to keep it off? Go to Assets, then Account-level automated assets, then Advanced settings, and set Automated promotions to Off.
• Check the Assets report for promotions labeled "Google AI" in the Added by column.

Google's help page adds that each automated promotion serves for under 24 hours at a time and can be re-enabled while the offer stays visible on your website.

Eligible to show, earned in the auction

Approval makes a location asset eligible. Google decides when it appears based on Ad Rank, ad position, expected asset performance and the other assets in the auction. Search Engine Land also points out that, per Google, ads with more prominent assets can sometimes carry a higher actual CPC.

So judge location assets on outcomes. Calls, direction requests and booked visits per branch tell the real story.

A 30-day location asset rollout

1. 01Week 1: Inventory every branch, Business Profile owner, phone number and listing status. Export current location associations.
2. 02Week 1: Confirm the location type and your access to the Business Profile manager account.
3. 03Week 2: Clean names, hours and phone numbers in Business Profile, and add labels by region or service line.
4. 04Week 2: Build location groups, map them to campaigns, and clear the broad account-level association where needed.
5. 05Week 3: Decide on automated promotions before October 12: manual promotion assets, Off, or On with a weekly review.
6. 06Week 4: Report calls, directions and booked visits by branch, and set a monthly review for openings, closures and disapprovals.

How SalesX runs Google Ads location assets for multi-location groups

Expert pre-click targeting starts with clean location data, and it pays off when every branch is mapped with intent.

A multi-location dental group (DSO) we partner with under NDA saw 40–50% more leads at the same ad spend within 60 days, and 80% of those leads became new patient visits. SalesX credits two levers for that result: expert pre-click targeting and post-click landing page experiences. SalesX's X-Vault technologies give each client a custom, continuously improved edge, tuned to that client's growth goals.

Want a senior strategist to pressure-test your account? Request a free X-Audit. It is built for U.S. advertisers spending $50k+ per month, and the analysis typically takes three to five working days after access is approved.

The bottom line

Location assets turn a local search into a call, a visit or a booked appointment at the nearest branch. Keep Business Profile accurate, map each branch with intent, and settle automated promotions before October 12. Clean data in, local leads out.

Sources and further reading

• Google Advertising Policies Help, Location asset requirements
• Google Ads Help, About location assets
• Google Ads Help, About Automated promotions
• Search Engine Land, Google location asset requirements: What you need to know

Related reading

• PPC for Multi-Location Businesses: A Scalable Google Ads Framework
• Google Ads account structure for $50k+ spend
• Offline conversion import for Google Ads
• Landing Page Optimization for Google Ads: 12 CRO Fixes
• Request a free X-Audit