What is the Location Intent setting in Microsoft Ads?
The Location Intent criterion in Microsoft Ads lets you choose who sees your ads in relation to geographic locations. The options include:
People in your targeted locations only
People in, searching for, or viewing pages about your targeted locations (sometimes called “Locations of Interest”)
By default, many campaigns are set to include users who aren’t physically in your targeted areas, but have shown interest in them online.
Why should I turn it off?
Including non-local interest-based audiences can cause several issues:
Your ads appear to people not physically in your service or delivery areas, such as those just researching information about those locations.
You may attract irrelevant clicks from outside locations where you don’t offer products or services.
It blurs geographic targeting precision, potentially inflating metrics like reach while lowering conversion relevance.
Even though you exclude locations, ads can still serve to users who've shown interest in those areas.
How does this Improvement work?
Opteo detects campaigns using the “People in, searching for, or viewing pages about your targeted locations” intent setting and flags them for review.
You’ll see how long the setting has been active, e.g., “This campaign was first found to have location intent set to include interest-based viewers 47 days ago.”
With a single click in Opteo, you can set the intent to “People in your targeted locations” only, guaranteeing your ads reach users located where your business actually operates.
When is this setting most harmful?
Local businesses or services that operate in a specific city, region, or service area only. You likely don’t want clicks from users outside who are just browsing.
E-commerce with country-specific offers. People browsing info about another country may not represent conversion potential.
Strict campaign geography (e.g. policy, legal, or logistics limitations). Ads meant for a defined region can end up being seen by uninterested or unreachable users.
Tight budgets. Impressions from outside-interest users dilute spend on truly relevant potential customers.
When might it be acceptable to leave it on?
Awareness or brand-building campaigns targeting regional interest (e.g. tourism ads).
National campaigns with no shipping/service boundaries - the location element may be less critical there.
If it makes sense to leave it on, feel free to dismiss this Improvement.
However, if precision or budget efficiency matters, apply the Improvement to switch to targeting" People in your targeted locations”, for stronger alignment.