# Google Ads location targeting for Edmonton-area businesses

By Banish Angural · Published September 25, 2026 · Updated November 9, 2026

> For Edmonton-area service businesses, target the towns and neighbourhoods you actually serve, set location options to "Presence: people in or regularly in your targeted locations", and adjust bids by area based on results. Use separate campaigns for towns with different job values or competition, and exclude places you never travel to.

Wrong location settings are one of the quietest ways to waste ad spend. Here is how we set them up for trades serving Edmonton and the region.

## Presence, not interest

By default, Google can show ads to people who are interested in your location, even if they are elsewhere. For a local service, switch to **Presence: people in or regularly in your targeted locations**.

## Towns or radius?

- **Towns and postal areas** match how people think ("St. Albert", "Sherwood Park") and make reports easy to read.
- **Radius** suits businesses that drive a fixed distance. It can include areas you do not want, so check the map.

## Bid by area

Once you have data, raise bids where jobs are bigger or closer, and lower them where travel eats the margin. If a town such as [Leduc](https://banishmedia.com/service-areas/leduc/google-ads) or [Spruce Grove](https://banishmedia.com/service-areas/spruce-grove/google-ads) needs different ads or budgets, give it its own campaign.

## Exclude what you don’t serve

Add exclusions for areas inside your radius you will not travel to.

## Show your location

Link your Google Business Profile to use location assets, which can show your address and distance in ads.

## Running ads across the Edmonton region?

We build campaigns by town for home-service businesses in Edmonton, [St. Albert](https://banishmedia.com/service-areas/st-albert/google-ads), [Sherwood Park](https://banishmedia.com/service-areas/sherwood-park/google-ads) and beyond. A [free audit](https://banishmedia.com/free-audit) shows where your clicks really come from.

## Sources

- [Target ads to geographic locations](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/1722043), Google
- [About location assets](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/2404182), Google

## Questions readers ask

### Should I use presence or interest targeting?

For a local service business, presence: people in or regularly in your area. Interest targeting can show ads to people far away.