If you're running Google Ads for a local business, you're probably using Location Assets (formerly called location extensions). These allow your ads to show directly on Google Maps and in local search results with your business's address, phone number, and hours of operation, just like a regular Google Business Profile.
But here's the key difference: when shown as part of your ad campaign, these listings appear with a "Sponsored" label. That's why many marketers call them "map ads." They look organic, but they're powered by your ad spend.
This visibility is powerful, but tracking leads that come from your Location Asset isn't straightforward.
What Google Ads Will (and Won't) Show You
Google Ads does offer some tracking for the Location Asset. Specifically:
✅ It will show you how many calls were driven by your Location Asset.
❌ It will NOT show you who called. You won't see names, phone numbers, call recordings, or lead quality.
That means you'll know the quantity of leads coming from your "map ads," but not the quality, and definitely not which specific leads turned into customers.
How to Set Up Call Tracking for Location Assets
The good news is you can set up call tracking specifically for your Google Ads Location Asset by accessing the advanced settings in your Google Business Profile. This video shows you exactly how:
Why This Matters
If you can't tie specific leads to the Location Asset, you lose visibility on performance. That's a problem if you want to:
Match leads to closed sales
Understand lead quality
Measure ROI for location-based ads
Optimize campaigns based on real customer data
Without this, you're stuck guessing whether your Location Asset is bringing in high-value customers or just generating low-quality calls.
Location Assets (aka "map ads") are one of the most effective tools for local businesses advertising on Google. They get your business in front of high-intent searchers at exactly the right time.
But without proper tracking, you'll never know which leads came through your map ad and whether they were worth it.
Google Ads will show you the number of calls, but call tracking tools are what let you see who those callers were, what they wanted, and whether they turned into paying customers.