Why your location extensions (now “location assets”) aren’t appearing
1) Your location asset can be eligible, but still not show in every auction
One of the biggest misconceptions I still see (even in seasoned accounts) is assuming that adding a location extension guarantees it will appear. In reality, Google Ads assembles the “final ad” in real time, and assets only show when the system predicts they’ll improve performance and when your ad clears the required Ad Rank thresholds for showing assets. If your ad is showing in a lower position, there may simply not be enough space (or expected incremental benefit) to add your location asset on that impression.
2) The campaign type and inventory matter more than most people realize
Location assets can show across Search, Maps, Display, and YouTube, but not all inventory works the same way. For example, Display inventory support is constrained (it’s not “anything goes”), and certain formats require specific campaign types/goals. If you’re expecting location assets to show on Display the same way they do on Search, that expectation mismatch alone can look like a “broken extension,” when it’s actually a placement/campaign eligibility issue.
3) Your locations may not actually be synced (or are being filtered out)
When location data is coming from a linked Business Profile, syncing is not instant. Linking and edits can take up to 24 hours to reflect in Google Ads, and if you’re using account-level filters (business name/labels) it’s possible to accidentally filter out locations you expected to use. This commonly happens when teams add label-based filtering later and suddenly “lose” locations in Ads.
4) Your location (or phone number) can be disapproved—even if your ads are fine
Location assets are subject to policy and integrity checks. If a location is not recognized, is marked closed, doesn’t match what’s being advertised (for non-affiliate setups), or is missing required verification elements, it can be disapproved or limited. Also, if your location asset includes a phone number that can’t be verified for the business being promoted, it can block serving until verification succeeds (and updates can take time to propagate).
A systematic troubleshooting flow (the fastest way to find the real blocker)
Step 1: Confirm the location asset is actually associated where you think it is
Start in the Assets area and switch to the Associations view, then filter to Location. This is where you confirm whether the location asset is attached at the account, campaign, or ad group level. The most common “setup” issue I see is someone adding location assets at one level, then unintentionally overriding them elsewhere (or setting a campaign/ad group to “No location assets”).
- If you’re using location groups: verify the location group isn’t empty. An empty group behaves the same as “No location assets,” meaning nothing can serve for that campaign/ad group even though everything looks “configured.”
- If you’re running multiple brands/regions: confirm you didn’t apply an account-level filter (business name/labels) that excludes the locations you’re trying to advertise.
Step 2: Check approval status at the location level (not just at the ad level)
Next, use Location Manager to review each location’s Status. This is where you’ll catch issues like a specific store being disapproved (and therefore never eligible to show), even while the rest of your ads and keywords are running normally. If a location is disapproved, you’ll typically be able to hover for details and appeal after correcting the issue.
Step 3: Validate Business Profile linking and sync timing
If your locations come from a linked Business Profile, confirm you actually have access to the profile that contains the locations. Then allow time for sync. If you just linked accounts or edited address/name fields, give it a full day before you conclude it’s not working.
Step 4: Make sure the location itself is eligible to appear (open/active and accurate)
If a location is marked temporarily or permanently closed in Business Profile, it won’t show as a location asset in your ads. Also, if you notice incorrect address or phone information, correct it at the source that feeds the location data so it can flow into Ads after syncing.
Step 5: Eliminate “it’s not showing for me” false negatives
If you’re searching your own keywords to see whether the location extension appears, you can easily misdiagnose the problem because your physical location, search behavior, and settings influence what you see. If you’re targeting areas where you’re not located, you may not be able to reproduce the ad experience reliably by searching normally—use the platform’s diagnostic approach instead of repeated manual searches.
How to increase the chances your location assets appear (without chasing ghosts)
1) Improve the two levers that actually control asset serving: Ad Rank and predicted performance
If your location asset is eligible but rarely appears, treat it like an Ad Rank/position problem first, not a “broken extension” problem. Assets require a minimum Ad Rank to show, and higher positions get the first opportunity to serve with more prominent asset combinations. Practically, this means tightening relevance (keywords → ad copy → landing page), improving expected CTR, and ensuring bids/bidding strategy are competitive enough to earn the positions where assets tend to serve.
2) Fix phone number verification issues proactively (they’re silent killers)
If your location asset includes a phone number, make verification easy. Ensure the same phone number is present in plain text on the website used in the ads (not only as an image), and consider domain verification methods (for example, via recognized site ownership signals) if you have complex setups. After you fix an unverified phone number for location assets, it can take up to 3 days for the verification status to automatically update—so build that delay into your troubleshooting expectations.
3) Align your location targeting with how location signals work in practice
Location targeting uses multiple signals and is a best-effort system; it isn’t perfectly precise. If you’re targeting extremely small areas (like tight radiuses), ads may show intermittently or not at all, and your ability to reproduce the experience will be inconsistent. Make sure your targeting matches real demand and reach, then use performance data (not one-off searches) to judge whether location assets are functioning.
4) Double-check you chose the right location asset type (owned vs affiliate)
Accounts can be set up for owned locations or affiliate locations (for brands that sell through retailers they don’t own). If the wrong type is selected, you can run into disapprovals and confusing “why won’t it show?” situations even though everything looks connected. If you’re a manufacturer/brand using retail partners, ensure you’re configured for the affiliate use case rather than trying to force owned-store logic onto a retailer network.
5) Keep your troubleshooting grounded in statuses (not guesses)
When something doesn’t appear, resist the urge to keep changing settings. Instead, verify whether the asset (and the underlying location) is Approved/Eligible, whether it’s associated at the correct level, and whether your ad is earning the positions where assets typically show. Use the Status and Policy details fields in the interface to confirm what’s actually limiting serving so you can fix the real constraint once, rather than “toggle-and-hope.”
Let AI handle
the Google Ads grunt work
| Main issue / reason | What’s really happening | How to diagnose in Google Ads | Primary fix or action | Relevant Google Ads documentation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assets don’t show in every auction (Ad Rank & predicted impact) | Location assets are eligible but only serve when they’re predicted to help performance and when the ad meets minimum Ad Rank thresholds; lower positions often show fewer or no assets. | Check impression, click and combination-level data for location assets in the Assets reports; compare performance by campaign and position to see where they serve most often. | Treat it as an Ad Rank/position issue: improve relevance (keywords → ads → landing page), expected CTR, and competitiveness of bids or bidding strategy. |
About location assets Check the review status of an ad or asset |
| Inventory & campaign type limitations | Location assets support Search, Maps, Display and YouTube, but not all formats or campaign types use them the same way; Display inventory in particular has tighter constraints. | Review each campaign’s type and goal; confirm whether it’s one of the formats that can show location assets (for example, standard Search vs. Display, or Performance Max with store goals). | Align expectations with supported inventory and, if needed, restructure campaigns (for example, use campaigns and goals that support local formats if you want Display/YouTube coverage). | About location assets |
| Locations not synced or filtered out (Business Profile linking) | Linked Business Profile data can take up to ~24 hours to sync; account‑level filters (business name or labels) can silently exclude locations you expect to use. | In Assets → Associations, filter to Location and check the total number of synced locations. Compare this to Business Profile and review any account‑level filters. | Confirm the correct Business Profile is linked, wait for sync to complete, and adjust or remove over‑restrictive business name/label filters. |
Common issues when linking your Google Ads and Business Profile Manage advertising account links |
| Disapproved or ineligible locations / phone numbers | A specific location or its phone number may violate location asset policies (for example, closed business, mismatched business, unrecognized address, or unverifiable phone number), blocking that location from serving. | Use Location manager and check each location’s Status and Policy details; look for disapproved or “Eligible (limited)” locations and review policy reasons. | Correct the underlying issue (address, open/closed status, business match, phone verification) in Business Profile and/or site, then appeal or wait for re‑review. |
Location asset requirements Fix ads with policy violations Check the review status of an ad or asset |
| Wrong associations or “No location assets” selected | Location assets may be added at one level (account, campaign, ad group) but overridden at another, or a campaign/ad group may explicitly use “No location assets,” preventing serving. | Go to Assets → Associations, filter to Location, and review the association level for each campaign and ad group. | Attach the correct account‑, campaign‑ or ad‑group‑level location assets and remove unintended overrides that set “No location assets.” |
About location assets About location groups and filtering |
| Empty or mis‑configured location groups | An empty location group behaves the same as having no location assets; mis‑applied groups can also exclude the locations a campaign should use. | In Assets → Associations, filter to Location and inspect location group assignments; cross‑check the contents of each location group in Location manager. | Populate the relevant location groups with the right stores or remove location group filtering if you intend to use all locations. | About location groups and filtering |
| Business Profile not properly linked or recently edited | If the wrong profile is linked or changes were made recently (name, address, phone), Google Ads may not yet have up‑to‑date location data. | Check which Business Profile Manager account is linked in Location manager and compare locations and details to what shows in Business Profile. | Link the correct Business Profile, fix any data issues, and allow up to a full day for new links and edits to sync into Google Ads. |
About location assets Common issues when linking your Google Ads and Business Profile |
| Locations closed or inaccurate in Business Profile | Locations marked temporarily or permanently closed, or with incorrect address/phone information, are not eligible to serve as location assets. | Compare each location’s open/closed status and business details in Business Profile with what you expect to advertise. | Update the business status, address and phone in Business Profile (or other source) and wait for those changes to sync to Google Ads. | About location assets |
| Misleading “it’s not showing for me” checks | Manual searches are influenced by your own physical location, history and settings; if you are outside the targeted area or using very narrow targeting, you may not reliably see your own ads or assets. | Use the Ad Preview and Diagnosis tool instead of live Google searches to check ad and asset serving for specific locations, devices and queries. | Rely on diagnostic tools and performance data rather than repeated manual searches; adjust targeting only when diagnostics indicate real delivery issues. |
Target ads to geographic locations Find your ad status |
| Low Ad Rank / weak predicted performance for location assets | Even eligible assets can rarely show if the ad consistently clears only minimal Ad Rank thresholds or performs poorly relative to alternatives. | Compare campaigns where location assets show frequently vs. rarely, looking at average position, impression share and asset performance metrics. | Improve relevance and expected CTR, refine keywords, strengthen ad copy and landing pages, and ensure bids or bid strategies can win higher‑quality auctions. |
About location assets Check the review status of an ad or asset |
| Phone number verification issues in location assets | Phone numbers attached to locations may be unverified or inconsistent with on‑site information, limiting or blocking serving until verification succeeds. | In Location manager and Assets, check Status and Policy details for phone‑related limitations on location assets. | Ensure the same phone number appears in plain text on the landing page and matches the business being promoted; then allow a few days for verification status to update. |
Location asset requirements Check the review status of an ad or asset |
| Overly narrow or misaligned location targeting | Location targeting is based on multiple signals and is not perfectly precise; very small radiuses or micro‑targets can cause intermittent or no serving, making manual checks unreliable. | Review each campaign’s location targeting settings and compare them with where your actual customers are; check performance by geographic report rather than one‑off searches. | Broaden overly tight targets, align them with real demand, and then evaluate performance and asset serving via reports rather than manual queries. |
Target ads to geographic locations Location target types by country |
| Wrong location asset type (owned vs. affiliate) | Accounts set up for the wrong location asset type (for example, owned locations vs. affiliate locations through retailers) can run into disapprovals or confusing eligibility issues. | Review the location asset type in the location asset setup flow and confirm whether you’re using your own stores or retailer partners. | If you’re a manufacturer using retailers, configure affiliate location assets instead of owned locations so that locations and policies match your business model. | About location assets |
| Not grounding troubleshooting in statuses & policy details | Changing settings repeatedly without checking Status and Policy details can mask the real blocker and prolong issues. | In Ads and Assets tables, enable the Status and Policy details columns and hover each status to see exactly why delivery is limited or blocked. | Base changes on what Status and Policy details report (for example, “Eligible (limited)” reason, disapproval type) and address that root cause once instead of guessing. |
Find your ad status Check the review status of an ad or asset Fix ads with policy violations |
Let AI handle
the Google Ads grunt work
Location extensions (now called location assets) don’t appear in every auction, even when they’re set up correctly: Google only shows them when your ad clears the necessary Ad Rank and the system predicts the asset will help performance, so lower positions often show fewer assets. It can also be due to campaign and inventory limitations (some formats show them differently), linking and syncing issues with your Google Business Profile (including filters, recent edits, or the wrong profile linked), disapproved or “Eligible (limited)” locations or phone numbers, or simple setup overrides like selecting “No location assets,” using the wrong association level, or applying an empty/misconfigured location group. Finally, manual “I can’t see it” checks are often misleading because results vary by user location and settings, so it’s better to validate in Google Ads using Asset reports, Location manager statuses/policy details, and the Ad Preview & Diagnosis tool; if you want help staying on top of these checks across accounts, Blobr connects to Google Ads and runs specialized AI agents that continuously monitor asset eligibility and performance signals so you can spot blockers and fixes faster without guesswork.
Why your location extensions (now “location assets”) aren’t appearing
1) Your location asset can be eligible, but still not show in every auction
One of the biggest misconceptions I still see (even in seasoned accounts) is assuming that adding a location extension guarantees it will appear. In reality, Google Ads assembles the “final ad” in real time, and assets only show when the system predicts they’ll improve performance and when your ad clears the required Ad Rank thresholds for showing assets. If your ad is showing in a lower position, there may simply not be enough space (or expected incremental benefit) to add your location asset on that impression.
2) The campaign type and inventory matter more than most people realize
Location assets can show across Search, Maps, Display, and YouTube, but not all inventory works the same way. For example, Display inventory support is constrained (it’s not “anything goes”), and certain formats require specific campaign types/goals. If you’re expecting location assets to show on Display the same way they do on Search, that expectation mismatch alone can look like a “broken extension,” when it’s actually a placement/campaign eligibility issue.
3) Your locations may not actually be synced (or are being filtered out)
When location data is coming from a linked Business Profile, syncing is not instant. Linking and edits can take up to 24 hours to reflect in Google Ads, and if you’re using account-level filters (business name/labels) it’s possible to accidentally filter out locations you expected to use. This commonly happens when teams add label-based filtering later and suddenly “lose” locations in Ads.
4) Your location (or phone number) can be disapproved—even if your ads are fine
Location assets are subject to policy and integrity checks. If a location is not recognized, is marked closed, doesn’t match what’s being advertised (for non-affiliate setups), or is missing required verification elements, it can be disapproved or limited. Also, if your location asset includes a phone number that can’t be verified for the business being promoted, it can block serving until verification succeeds (and updates can take time to propagate).
A systematic troubleshooting flow (the fastest way to find the real blocker)
Step 1: Confirm the location asset is actually associated where you think it is
Start in the Assets area and switch to the Associations view, then filter to Location. This is where you confirm whether the location asset is attached at the account, campaign, or ad group level. The most common “setup” issue I see is someone adding location assets at one level, then unintentionally overriding them elsewhere (or setting a campaign/ad group to “No location assets”).
- If you’re using location groups: verify the location group isn’t empty. An empty group behaves the same as “No location assets,” meaning nothing can serve for that campaign/ad group even though everything looks “configured.”
- If you’re running multiple brands/regions: confirm you didn’t apply an account-level filter (business name/labels) that excludes the locations you’re trying to advertise.
Step 2: Check approval status at the location level (not just at the ad level)
Next, use Location Manager to review each location’s Status. This is where you’ll catch issues like a specific store being disapproved (and therefore never eligible to show), even while the rest of your ads and keywords are running normally. If a location is disapproved, you’ll typically be able to hover for details and appeal after correcting the issue.
Step 3: Validate Business Profile linking and sync timing
If your locations come from a linked Business Profile, confirm you actually have access to the profile that contains the locations. Then allow time for sync. If you just linked accounts or edited address/name fields, give it a full day before you conclude it’s not working.
Step 4: Make sure the location itself is eligible to appear (open/active and accurate)
If a location is marked temporarily or permanently closed in Business Profile, it won’t show as a location asset in your ads. Also, if you notice incorrect address or phone information, correct it at the source that feeds the location data so it can flow into Ads after syncing.
Step 5: Eliminate “it’s not showing for me” false negatives
If you’re searching your own keywords to see whether the location extension appears, you can easily misdiagnose the problem because your physical location, search behavior, and settings influence what you see. If you’re targeting areas where you’re not located, you may not be able to reproduce the ad experience reliably by searching normally—use the platform’s diagnostic approach instead of repeated manual searches.
How to increase the chances your location assets appear (without chasing ghosts)
1) Improve the two levers that actually control asset serving: Ad Rank and predicted performance
If your location asset is eligible but rarely appears, treat it like an Ad Rank/position problem first, not a “broken extension” problem. Assets require a minimum Ad Rank to show, and higher positions get the first opportunity to serve with more prominent asset combinations. Practically, this means tightening relevance (keywords → ad copy → landing page), improving expected CTR, and ensuring bids/bidding strategy are competitive enough to earn the positions where assets tend to serve.
2) Fix phone number verification issues proactively (they’re silent killers)
If your location asset includes a phone number, make verification easy. Ensure the same phone number is present in plain text on the website used in the ads (not only as an image), and consider domain verification methods (for example, via recognized site ownership signals) if you have complex setups. After you fix an unverified phone number for location assets, it can take up to 3 days for the verification status to automatically update—so build that delay into your troubleshooting expectations.
3) Align your location targeting with how location signals work in practice
Location targeting uses multiple signals and is a best-effort system; it isn’t perfectly precise. If you’re targeting extremely small areas (like tight radiuses), ads may show intermittently or not at all, and your ability to reproduce the experience will be inconsistent. Make sure your targeting matches real demand and reach, then use performance data (not one-off searches) to judge whether location assets are functioning.
4) Double-check you chose the right location asset type (owned vs affiliate)
Accounts can be set up for owned locations or affiliate locations (for brands that sell through retailers they don’t own). If the wrong type is selected, you can run into disapprovals and confusing “why won’t it show?” situations even though everything looks connected. If you’re a manufacturer/brand using retail partners, ensure you’re configured for the affiliate use case rather than trying to force owned-store logic onto a retailer network.
5) Keep your troubleshooting grounded in statuses (not guesses)
When something doesn’t appear, resist the urge to keep changing settings. Instead, verify whether the asset (and the underlying location) is Approved/Eligible, whether it’s associated at the correct level, and whether your ad is earning the positions where assets typically show. Use the Status and Policy details fields in the interface to confirm what’s actually limiting serving so you can fix the real constraint once, rather than “toggle-and-hope.”
