Local Campaigns

Local Campaigns were a Google Ads campaign type specifically designed to drive in-store visits and local actions (calls, directions) across Search, Maps, YouTube, and Display. As of 2023, Local Campaigns have been migrated into Performance Max campaigns, which now serve as the primary campaign type for local business promotion with store visit optimization.

Key Takeaways

• Local Campaigns were sunset and migrated to Performance Max in 2023
• They optimized for store visits, calls, and direction requests
• PMax now handles local promotion with store visit goals across all Google inventory
• Businesses must link Google Business Profile and meet store visit tracking requirements
• The local advertising functionality is preserved in PMax with expanded channel reach

What Were Local Campaigns

Local Campaigns were an automated Google Ads campaign type that used your Google Business Profile to generate ads promoting your physical store locations. They ran across Search, Maps, YouTube, and Display with a single objective: drive foot traffic.

Feature	Local Campaigns (Legacy)	PMax with Local Goals (Current)
Status	Sunset (2023)	Active
Channels	Search, Maps, YouTube, Display	All Google inventory + Maps
Optimization	Store visits, calls, directions	Store visits, calls, directions, + online conversions
Setup	Link GBP, provide assets	Link GBP, provide asset groups
Control	Minimal	Minimal (PMax automation)
Reporting	Basic store visit estimates	Improved PMax reporting

In the 2026 Google Ads interface, businesses wanting to drive local traffic create a Performance Max campaign and select “Store visits and local actions” as the campaign goal. This activates the same local promotion features that Local Campaigns provided, plus PMax’s broader channel coverage.

How It Works (PMax with Local Goals)

The modern local promotion setup through PMax works as follows:

1. Link Google Business Profile — your store locations, hours, and contact info feed into the campaign
2. Select store visit goals — choose “Store visits” as a conversion goal (requires meeting Google’s eligibility threshold for store visit measurement)
3. Create asset groups — provide images, videos, headlines, descriptions, and logos representing your local business
4. Set budget and bidding — typically Maximize Conversion Value or Target ROAS with store visit values assigned
5. Google promotes your locations across Maps, Search, YouTube, Display, Gmail, and Discover
6. Store visit estimation — Google uses anonymized location data from opted-in users to estimate store visits attributed to ad exposure

Store visit tracking eligibility requirements:

• Sufficient click and impression volume
• Multiple physical store locations (or a single high-traffic location)
• Google Business Profile verified and linked
• Location extensions enabled
• Privacy threshold met in your region

Practical Example

A regional restaurant chain with 12 locations runs a PMax campaign with store visit goals:

Metric	Monthly Value
Budget	$8,000
Impressions	2,500,000
Clicks	35,000
Direction requests	4,200
Phone calls	1,800
Estimated store visits	3,100
Cost per store visit	$2.58

Revenue analysis:

• Average check per visit: $28
• Attribution: not all 3,100 visits are purely ad-driven, but estimated incremental visits are 60% of total
• Incremental visits: 1,860
• Incremental revenue: 1,860 x $28 = $52,080
• ROAS: $52,080 / $8,000 = 6.5x

Channel breakdown (estimated from PMax insights):

• Maps ads: 45% of store visit attribution
• Search ads: 30%
• YouTube/Display: 20%
• Gmail/Discover: 5%

Maps is the dominant driver for local campaigns, which makes sense — users requesting directions or searching “restaurants near me” on Maps have the highest physical visit intent.

Why It Matters

Local advertising through Google remains critical for brick-and-mortar businesses:

• Foot traffic measurement — Google’s store visit tracking bridges the gap between online advertising and offline results. This was previously unmeasurable for most local businesses.
• Maps prominence — with local goals, your business receives prominent placement in Google Maps, the primary tool consumers use to find nearby businesses. Maps ads appear with directions, hours, and call buttons.
• Cross-channel local reach — a user might see your YouTube ad at home, then see a Maps ad when driving nearby. PMax orchestrates this cross-channel local journey automatically.
• Competitive necessity — as local search advertising becomes standard, businesses without a presence in Maps ads and local Search results lose visibility to competitors who invest in it

The main challenge is measurement accuracy. Store visit estimates are modeled, not precise counts. Google requires minimum thresholds and uses statistical modeling, which means small businesses may not qualify for store visit reporting. For businesses below the threshold, focus on direction requests and phone calls as proxy metrics for foot traffic. Always compare total revenue trends at the store level against advertising spend to validate impact through an MER-style analysis.