Ads getting clicks mostly from unexpected locations

Sometimes platforms test unexpected locations to find hidden pockets of cheaper conversions not just clicks.
 
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sometimes even one open setting like worldwide targeting or no exclusions, can shift most traffic to cheaper regions.
 
Yes, this is fairly common. Ad platforms don’t always use exact GPS-level targeting—they often rely on IP-based location data, which isn’t always perfectly accurate. Also, factors like mobile networks, roaming users, or shared IPs can cause clicks to show up from nearby or even completely different regions. As long as the majority of your traffic aligns with your target location, it’s usually not a major issue.
 
Yes it can happen if traffic source is not clean. I usually filter countries and monitor reposts, after that clicks become more relevant.
 
Google and Meta often include “people interested in” your location, not just physically there. You need to switch to strict presence targeting and exclude unwanted regions.
 
Nah, that's pretty common actually. Could be folks using vpns or even google's 'interest' targeting sometimes catches people outside your immediate zone but still interested in it, so it's probably not a big targeting screw-up
 
That usually happens due to broad targeting, try narrowing your location settings and exclude unwanted countries.
 
I faced this when targeting is too broad. platforms shows ads in random goes, I just narrow locations and exclude bad ones , fixes it mostly.
 
I think it is normal sometimes due to vpn or google showing ads to nearby areas, just tighten location settings and exclude unwanted regions.
 
I seen this happen when location targeting is set too broad or includes “interested in” instead of only “in that location”, so i usually switch to strict location targeting and exclude irrelevant regions to fix it
 
I had this problem when the network expands traffic automatically. some platforms push ads to cheaper goes to get clicks I usually tighten targeting and turn off expansion options to control it better.
 
I faced this when my audience settings were too loose. platform started testing random regions on its own I fixed it by locking targeting and checking advanced settings like audience expansion.
 
This usually happens because ad networks like Google and Meta Platforms expand targeting automatically or bots use VPNs, so your ads end up showing in random locations.
 
I had this when auto placements were on, platform started sending traffic from random cheap regions. I turned off auto targeting and set manual locations, that fixed most of it.
 
That’s totally normal and usually just the Google algorithm being a bit aggressive with its expansion settings. Just double-check your location options to make sure you've selected presence instead of interest, otherwise, it’s just bot traffic or vpn users doing their thing.
 
This is a common issue caused by Google's default settings. To fix it, you need to switch from "Interest" targeting to "Presence" targeting.




Go to Campaign Settings > Locations > Location Options and change the selection to:

"Presence: People in or regularly in your targeted locations."

By default, Google uses "Presence or Interest," which allows your ads to show to anyone globally who has simply searched for your target location, even if they aren't physically there. Changing this ensures your budget is only spent on users actually located in your target area.
 
Check your settings and set it to "presence" only, google often shows ads to people interested in the location too.
 
I seen this happen when audience expansion is on. platforms tries to find cheaper clicks from other regions. I usually disable expansion and stick to exact locations to control it better.
 
Yes, it can happen sometimes due to VPNs, proxies, or platform attribution quirks, not always a targeting issue.
 
Sometimes it happens due to location detection limits or users masking their IPs, not necessarily a targeting issue.
 
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