Why are my Google Ads calls from the wrong area?

Q: Where is the location option in Google Ads?

Campaign then Settings then Locations, then expand 'Location options'. Set Target to 'Presence' and leave Exclude on 'People in your excluded locations'.

Q: How do I check a change worked without biasing my data?

Use Tools then Ad Preview and Diagnosis with a location set inside and outside your area. Don't search for your own ad in a normal browser, as it adds impressions without clicks and skews your stats.

Updated 31 Oct 2026 · By Ibrahim Choubassi, founder of Leadman

Nearly always it is one setting: your campaign's location option is on Google's default, "Presence or interest", which shows your ads to people outside your area who have merely shown interest in it. Switch it to "Presence" — people actually in or regularly in your targeted locations — and the out-of-area calls stop.

The main cause: the location option

Every Search campaign has a location target (the suburbs, postcodes or radius you serve) and, separately, a location option that decides who counts as being "in" that target. Google offers two:

Source: Google Ads location options; targeting guidance in Leadman's internal Google Ads playbook (campaign build §5.1, "Location options").
Setting	Who sees your ad	Use it?
Presence or interest (Google's default / "recommended")	People in, regularly in, or who have shown interest in your targeted locations — including people physically elsewhere	No — this is the usual cause of wrong-area calls
Presence	Only people in or regularly in your targeted locations	Yes

Because "Presence or interest" is the default and is labelled "recommended", most accounts are left on it by accident. Someone in Melbourne researching your Sydney suburb can trigger your ad, click your call button, and ring you about a job 800 km away — a paid click for a call you can never service.

Fix it, step by step

Open the campaign's location settings. In Google Ads go to your campaign → Settings → Locations. (Google Help: target locations.)
Expand "Location options". Under Target, choose "Presence: People in or regularly in your targeted locations". Under Exclude, keep "Presence: People in your excluded locations". (Google Help: location options.)
Check your targeted area is right. Prefer postcodes or named suburbs over a radius — they give Google a clearer, more predictable area. A radius that is too wide pulls in neighbouring regions.
Make sure you are not excluding your own area. Targeting a suburb and also excluding it (or a radius that overlaps an exclusion) is a common self-inflicted error — it can stop ads entirely or scramble who sees them.
Check call-ad and call-asset routing. If the wrong-area calls are to a call extension or call ad, confirm the forwarding number and the campaign are the ones you expect, so you are not routing a region's calls to the wrong line.
Verify with Ad Preview & Diagnosis. Use Tools → Planning → Ad Preview and Diagnosis, set a location inside your area and one outside it, and confirm the ad is eligible in-area and not out-of-area. Never test by Googling your own ad — it adds impressions without clicks and can bias your data. (Google Help: Ad Preview & Diagnosis.)
Read the setting back and wait. Confirm it saved as "Presence", then give it a day or two and re-check your call locations in the Locations report (where the user was) rather than the geographic target.

One change at a time. Change the location option on its own and note the date, so you can tell whether it fixed the problem before touching bids, keywords or budget.

Other things that cause out-of-area calls

Radius too wide. A large radius around your base reaches towns you do not service. Tighten it, or switch to postcodes.
Broad keywords without geo intent. Broad match plus "Presence or interest" is the worst combination for area drift. Add tighter match types and location-qualified terms.
No area in the ad copy. Naming your city/suburb in headlines helps put off out-of-area callers before they click.
Call-only or call-asset leakage. If only your call ads misroute, check those assets' settings specifically, not just the campaign location.

What this fix won't do: the "Presence" setting controls where the person is, not every word they type. Someone standing in your area can still search for another suburb; use negative keywords and location-qualified terms for that. It also will not fix calls caused by a wrong forwarding number — that is a routing check, not a location setting.

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FAQ

What is the difference between Presence and Presence or interest?

'Presence' shows ads only to people in or regularly in your targeted locations. 'Presence or interest' — Google's default — also shows them to people elsewhere who have shown interest in your area, which is what causes wrong-area calls. Use 'Presence'.

Where is the location option in Google Ads?

Campaign → Settings → Locations → expand 'Location options'. Set Target to 'Presence' and leave Exclude on 'People in your excluded locations'.

Should I target by radius or by postcode?

Prefer postcodes or named suburbs. They give Google a clearer, more predictable service area; a radius is easy to set too wide and pull in neighbouring regions.

How do I check a change worked without biasing my data?

Use Tools → Ad Preview and Diagnosis with a location set inside and outside your area. Don't search for your own ad in a normal browser — it adds impressions without clicks and skews your stats.

Could the wrong-area calls be a forwarding problem instead?

Yes. If only call-ad or call-asset calls misroute, check the forwarding number and which campaign the call asset belongs to. A location setting won't fix a mis-pointed phone number.