How Our Ad Platforms Determine Location

When Global Positioning Systems coordinates are not available, we target users based on how their computers, TVs, and smart speakers declare their location.

Location signals from mobile devices provide the most reliable location information for ad targeting.

By John Davis

Wednesday, July 24, 2024 at 11.08 a.m.


We prefer to target advertising based on the precise GPS (latitude/longitude) locations provided by a smartphone or other mobile device. When Global Positioning Systems coordinates are not available, we target users based on how their computers, TVs, and smart speakers declare their location. This is typically based on the IP (Internet Protocol) address assigned by an Internet Service Provider (for example, AT&T or Comcast) for a home or workplace. Our ad platforms map IP addresses to geographies and then target users accordingly. An IP address is a string of numbers that your Internet Service Provider uses to route Internet traffic to your device. When we leverage IP addresses, it is always anonymous.


Web Analytics: Google Analytics (GA4) and other website analytics solutions are typically reliable in locating your website visitors. We also use alternative analytics providers, like statcounter.com and Microsoft Clarity, to confirm locations for website visitors.


Below are perspectives on the accuracy of geotargeting from some expert sources:

Beware Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) & Mobile IP Addresses

  1. IP Address-Based Location Tracking: Google Analytics primarily uses IP addresses to determine a user’s location. This method effectively identifies the country, and often the city or region, from which a user is accessing your website. However, the exact precision can vary.
  2. Limitations of IP Geolocation:
    1. VPNs and Proxies: Users employing VPNs or proxy servers can appear to be accessing your website from locations different from their actual physical location.
    2. Mobile Networks: For users on mobile devices, the location data can be less accurate due to the dynamic allocation of IP addresses by mobile service providers.
    3. ISP Factors: The location data might reflect the location of the user’s Internet Service Provider (ISP) rather than their actual physical location, especially in rural areas or with certain ISPs.
Source: Analytify LLC

Ad Servers Throw Out Invalid Traffic (IVT) But GA4 Includes It

Google Analytics gives you full visibility on everything that happens on your website, while Google Ad Manager gives you a filtered view of your data (and doesn’t include invalid clicks in the reports). So, if there is a difference, it could be because of invalid activities on your website.
Source: Headerbidding.co

Google Says Expect 20% Variances

When an ad server delivers line items hosted by a third party, reporting discrepancies between the two systems occur, and campaign variances of up to 20% are common…. Different ad servers map IP address location data differently, which can lead to significant discrepancies….Each third-party ad server can lead to campaign variances of up to 20%. If one third-party server points to yet another third-party server, the expected discrepancy increases.
Source: Google Ad Manager Help

GA4 Derives Location From IP Addresses

Analytics does provide coarse geo-location data by deriving the following metadata from IP addresses: City (and the derived latitude, and longitude of the city), Continent, Country, Region, Subcontinent (and ID-based counterparts).
Source: Google Analytics Help

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