For most local service businesses covering several suburbs or regions, the best Google Ads structure is service first, area second: build one campaign per main service, target your service areas through location settings, and only split campaigns by region when areas are clearly separate or have very different costs and demand. This keeps budgets controllable by what each service is worth, stops your busiest suburb swallowing all the spend, and avoids splitting a small budget so thinly that nothing gets enough data to learn from.
TL;DR:
- Organise by service first. Each service has its own value, urgency and cost per click, so it deserves its own budget.
- Choose one of three area options: all areas in one campaign, one campaign per region, or priority suburbs plus a catch-all.
- Small budgets should stay simple. Too many campaigns split your money so thinly that none learn.
- Check your location setting. Google's default "Presence or interest" also reaches people interested in an area, not just those in it.
- Split budget by profit, not equally, and track enquiries by area.
Why Does Campaign Structure Matter for Multi-Area Businesses?
Structure decides how your budget is spent. Google Ads lets you target countries, regions, cities, postcodes, a radius around a point, or groups of locations,1 but the way you organise campaigns decides whether you can control spend by service and area, or whether your biggest area quietly takes everything.
Costs also vary hugely by service. Keyword Planner data published by iSonic for Brisbane shows top-of-page bid estimates ranging from roughly $1.19 to $2.97 for "car detailing brisbane" up to $21.07 to $59.92 for "emergency plumber brisbane".2 Lumping cheap and expensive services into one campaign means the expensive one usually wins the budget, whether or not it is your most profitable work.
Step 1: Start With Your Services
Create campaigns around what you sell before you think about where. For a plumber, that might be:
- Emergency plumbing
- Hot water repairs and replacements
- Blocked drains
- Bathroom renovations
For an electrician:
- Emergency electrician
- Switchboard upgrades
- Lighting and power points
- Solar and EV chargers
Each of these has a different job value, urgency and cost per click, so each should have its own budget and its own ads.
Step 2: Decide How to Handle Your Areas
There are three common ways to handle multiple areas. Pick the one that matches your budget and how different your areas really are.
| Option | Structure | Best when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | One campaign per service, all areas inside | Areas are close together and the budget is small | Busy areas can dominate; check location reports |
| B | One campaign per service per region | Regions are clearly separate (for example Sydney's north and west) with different budgets | Doubles campaign count; needs enough budget for each |
| C | Priority suburbs get their own campaigns, plus a catch-all | A few suburbs are worth much more, or cost much more | Too many campaigns thins out data quickly |
For small budgets, start with Option A or B. Splitting a modest budget across ten suburb campaigns usually means none of them get enough clicks or conversions to learn from. If you are on a tight budget, see What's the Best Google Ads Bidding Strategy on a Small Budget?
Step 3: Set Your Locations Carefully
Location settings decide who sees your ads, and the default may not suit a local service business. Google's documentation explains that the broad "Presence or interest" option can reach people who are in your targeted locations and also people who have shown interest in them.1 For a plumber or physio, someone researching a suburb from another city is rarely a customer.
Use Google's advanced location options to target people who are in, or regularly in, your chosen areas.3 Then:
- Exclude areas you do not serve, especially suburbs just outside your travel range.
- Use radius targeting around your depot or clinic if that matches how you work.
- Check the locations report monthly to see where clicks and conversions actually came from.
Step 4: Match Keywords to Your Areas
You can include suburb names in keywords ("plumber Penrith"), but you do not need them for every keyword. Many people search "plumber near me" or just "plumber", and Google uses their location. A sensible mix:
- Core service keywords with location settings doing the targeting
- A few high-value suburb keywords in their own ad groups, where search volume justifies it
Add negative keywords for places you do not cover and for searches such as jobs, courses and DIY, and keep them in a shared negative keyword list applied across campaigns. Our guide to negative keywords for local service businesses has a starter list.
Step 5: Write Ads and Pages That Match the Area
An ad that mentions the searcher's area tends to feel more relevant than a generic one. Where your structure allows:
- Put the suburb or region in a headline ("Plumber in Penrith", "Serving the Hills District")
- Mention a local reference people recognise
- Add a call asset so people can ring in one tap
Then send clicks to a page that matches. If the ad is about hot water in Blacktown, the landing page should talk about hot water and Blacktown, not just show your home page.
Step 6: Split Budget by Profit, Not Equally
Divide budget based on what each service and area actually earns you. Review these by area every month:
- Cost per enquiry
- Number of enquiries
- Close rate (which areas turn into paid jobs)
- Average job value
Move budget towards the combinations that bring profitable work. If you use automated bidding, make sure each campaign has enough conversions to learn from; Google says Smart Bidding relies on conversion tracking data as it learns.4
Step 7: Track Enquiries by Area
Google's reports show where clicks came from, but not always which area produced paying work. Close the gap with simple methods:
- Separate call tracking numbers by campaign or region
- A suburb field on your contact form
- Asking every caller which suburb they are in, and noting it
What Does a Sensible Structure Look Like in Practice?
Here is an example structure for a Sydney electrician covering the Inner West and North Shore on a moderate budget:
| Campaign | Locations | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency electrician | 20 km radius from depot | Higher bids, runs 24/7 only if calls are answered |
| Switchboard upgrades | Inner West and North Shore | Dedicated landing page |
| Lighting and power points | All service suburbs | Lower budget, test performance |
Common mistakes to avoid: one giant campaign for everything, dozens of tiny campaigns with no data, targeting a whole city when you only cover part of it, one landing page for every service, and never opening the locations report. For the wider setup, see Google Ads for Tradies: The Complete Guide.
Write down your main services and the areas you cover, then sketch how many campaigns that creates. If it is more than your budget can fund properly, simplify. If you would like an expert to build it, OZ Media Digital's Google Ads management service structures accounts for Australian businesses covering several suburbs, with location settings, negatives and tracking set up from day one. Book a free session and we will map your services and areas into a campaign plan.
FAQ
Should I create a separate Google Ads campaign for each suburb?
Usually not. For small budgets, one campaign per service covering all your areas, or one per clearly separate region, works better. Too many suburb campaigns split the budget so thinly that none gets enough data to learn from.
What is "Presence or interest" in Google Ads location targeting?
It is Google's broad location option, which can reach people in your targeted locations and people who have shown interest in them. Local service businesses often switch to targeting people who are in, or regularly in, their areas.
Should I put suburb names in my keywords?
Use them selectively. Location settings handle most targeting, and many people search "near me" or just the service. Add suburb keywords in their own ad groups where search volume and job value justify it.
How should I split my Google Ads budget across areas?
By profit, not equally. Track cost per enquiry, close rate and job value by area, then move budget towards the services and areas that bring profitable work.
How do I exclude areas I don't service in Google Ads?
Add them as excluded locations in your campaign settings, and add their names as negative keywords. Check the locations report monthly to catch any areas that still slip through.
Can I use radius targeting for a local service business?
Yes. A radius around your depot, clinic or shop works well if it matches your real travel time. Check the locations report to make sure clicks are coming from areas you can actually serve.
