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Why Google Search Ads Show in the Wrong Melbourne Suburbs
You set up Google search ads to reach people in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, so it is frustrating to find clicks arriving from places you do not service. Each of those clicks costs the same as one from a customer around the corner, and none of them can become a job. It is an easy way for a local campaign to lose money, and it usually comes down to how location settings work and not to anything you did wrong.
This guide explains how Google decides where your ads appear, why they drift into the wrong suburbs, and how to check and tighten your own account.
How Google Search Ads Decide Who Sees Them
Google search ads appear when someone searches on Google and your ad matches what they typed. Two separate controls decide whether your ad is shown. Your keywords control what people search for, and your location settings control where those people are.
Many advertisers assume that putting a suburb in a keyword, such as plumber Preston, keeps the ad within that suburb. It does not. The keyword only helps match the search. Where the searcher actually is, or where they are interested in, is decided by your location targeting.
Why Ads Reach the Wrong Suburbs
Several things can cause this, and they often overlap.
| Cause | What happens |
|---|---|
| The default location setting | Ads can show to people who are interested in your area as well as people who are in it |
| Shared suburb names | Epping, Preston and Brunswick are also names of places elsewhere, so searches can come from outside Melbourne |
| A radius that is too wide | A circle drawn around one point can take in suburbs you do not service |
| Targeting set to all of Melbourne | A keyword mentioning one suburb can still show to people across the city |
| No one checking the results | The account keeps spending until someone looks at where the clicks come from |
The first of these is easy to miss. As Google explains in its guide to advanced location options, location targeting by default includes people in your chosen areas and people who have shown interest in them. Switching to the Presence option limits your ads to people who are in or regularly in those areas.
Melbourne’s Northern Suburbs Need Their Own Setup
Melbourne’s north runs from inner suburbs such as Brunswick and Coburg through Preston and Reservoir to outer areas such as Thomastown, Epping, Craigieburn and Mernda. Inner and outer suburbs tend to involve different kinds of work and different searches, so treating them as a single area can hide which parts are actually producing enquiries.
A single radius drawn from one point can also cover both the inner and outer north, and take in suburbs on the edges that you would rather leave out. Choosing the suburbs you actually service, and grouping them sensibly, gives you much more control than one large circle. Google also advises targeting where your customers are and not where your business is located, as its guide to targeting ads to geographic locations explains.
How to Check Where Your Ads Are Showing
You can find out where your ads are really reaching with a short review.
- Open the location reports in Google Ads and look at where your clicks and enquiries come from
- Compare the cost of an enquiry in each area, not just the number of clicks
- Check your location options and confirm they are set to reach people in your areas
- Look through the search terms for suburb names that belong to other places
- Exclude any areas that produce clicks without enquiries
Google’s guide to refining location targeting describes comparing performance by area, running separate campaigns for the areas that perform best and excluding those that do not convert. For a business in the northern suburbs, that means paying close attention to the edges of your service area, where wasted clicks are most likely to appear.
What Good Google Ads Management Looks Like for Local Targeting
Setting the location once is not enough, because service areas change and so do search patterns. Good management means the location settings are chosen deliberately at the start and then reviewed regularly against the results. It also means separate campaigns where areas behave differently, so you can set a budget and message for each and see what each area costs per enquiry.
Google search ads are only one way customers find you locally. They sit alongside your normal listings in Google, which are built through SEO, and the two work best when they are aimed at the same suburbs.
Questions About Google Search Ads in Melbourne
Why are my Google ads showing in suburbs I do not service?
The most likely cause is that your location setting includes people who have shown interest in your area and not only people who are in it. Shared suburb names and a radius that is too wide can add to the problem, so check each of those in your account.
Should I put suburb names in my keywords or rely on location targeting?
Use both for different jobs. Keywords that mention suburbs help match how people search, while location targeting controls who is actually shown the ad. Neither replaces the other.
Can I run different ads for different northern suburbs?
Yes. You can group suburbs into separate campaigns or ad groups and write messages that suit each area. This also lets you set a budget for each and see which areas produce enquiries.
How often should I review my location settings?
Review them regularly, and any time your service area changes. A quick look at where clicks and enquiries come from will usually show whether the settings still match the areas you want.
Keep Your Google Ads Within the Suburbs You Serve
Legacy Media is a Melbourne agency that works only with builders and trades and manages Google Ads campaigns for them, covering keyword research, bid management, ad creation, optimisation and reporting. If you want a second set of eyes on your location settings, our team can take a look, and we can talk you through how we would set your campaigns up around the suburbs you actually service.
