Create & Manage Location Groups with My Locations

Emily Truong

November 02, 2026 19:00

Overview

My Locations is your central hub in Ads Manager to create, organize, and manage location groups (LG). This dedicated workspace allows you to build and maintain reusable location lists for targeting and measurement independently of campaign creation.

A location group is a saved collection of business addresses or points of interest (POIs) that can be leveraged across campaigns for radial targeting, on-premise targeting, visit measurement, and location-based audiences.

💡 Account-Level Hierarchy: Ads Manager follows a Tenant → Organization → Account structure. Location groups are stored strictly within the individual Account where they are created and do not automatically share across different Accounts.

Ways to Use My Locations

Targeted Group Creation: Build custom location sets tailored for a specific client, brand, geographic region, or custom set of venues.
Flexible Ingestion: Add locations individually by entering addresses or manage large footprint lists via bulk spreadsheet uploads.
Verified Inventory Search: Discover existing venues by brand, category, saved location group, or individual Point of Interest (POI).
Quality Control: Manage location accuracy by reviewing Blueprint statuses, resolving suggested address matches, and submitting unmapped venues for review.
Audience Generation: Unlock advanced targeting tactics by enabling groups for past-visitor Location Audience and Neighborhood Targeting.

Key Terms 🔑

Term	Meaning
Location Group	A saved collection of locations stored within an Account.
Location or POI	An individual Point of Interest (such as a store or restaurant), identified in GroundTruth's database by a unique POI ID.
Blueprint	GroundTruth's proprietary polygon-mapped boundary associated with a location, used for on-premise targeting and foot-traffic measurement.
Blueprint Status	The operational or review state of an individual location (e.g., Blueprinted, Radial, Needs Review, Rejected).
Enable for Targeting	A permanent group-level setting that unlocks the location group for behavioral audience building and neighborhood targeting.

Accessing My Locations

Sign in to GroundTruth Ads Manager.
Confirm your target Tenant, Organization, and Account using the account selector in the left navigation.
From the main navigation menu (hamburger icon in the top left corner), select Location Manager.
The homepage displays all saved groups in that Account, including total location counts, status breakdowns (Accepted, Needs Review, Rejected), and targeting status indicators.

🔍 Can't find an existing group? Check your selected Account and clear any search filters. Location groups are isolated to the Account where they were created and do not share across accounts.

Creating a Location Group

To build a new location group, click Create Location Group on the My Locations homepage. Choose from three entry methods based on your source data.

Method	When to Use It	What You Provide
Add manually	You have one or a few locations to search or submit.	Business address and business details.
In bulk	You have a large footprint or list to import at scale.	Completed .csv or .xlsx file following template headers.
Select from our system	You want to target pre-verified brands or business categories.	Brand, category, existing location group, or POI selections with geographic filters.

Option 1: Add Manually

Recommended when adding 1 to 5 individual business addresses.

Enter the business address into the location search field.
Review the suggested matches and select the correct entity.
Inspect the map preview and polygon boundary to verify mapping accuracy, especially in multi-tenant parcels (e.g., strip malls).
If no match is found:
1. Select Submit as a new location.
2. Enter the required Business Name and Phone Number (retaining the address entered).
3. Click Save. (Note: Submitting routes the location to mapping QA; it does not mean the Blueprint is immediately approved).
Click Add more to enter additional locations, or click Continue.

Option 2: Upload in Bulk

Recommended for importing larger regional or national store lists via spreadsheet.

Select In bulk and click Download to acquire the official spreadsheet template. Always use the platform-provided template without altering the header columns.
Populate the columns: Business Name, Address, City, State, ZIP.
Save the file as .csv or .xlsx.
Upload the file into Ads Manager and click Save Locations.

⚠️ Important Bulk Upload Rules:

Upload vs. Approval: A successful file upload confirmation does not mean the locations are immediately Blueprinted. Always check the status tabs post-upload.
Validation Failures: If an upload fails, check that required columns are not blank and headers match the original template. Correct errors and re-upload.
Partial Errors: If a file contains both valid and invalid rows, resolve or exclude invalid entries as prompted. Do not assume all rows were processed simply because the file uploaded.

Option 3: Select from Our System

Recommended for building location sets from GroundTruth's verified database.

Search by Brand, Category, existing Location Group, or individual POI.
Apply geographic filters (State, City, DMA, County, or ZIP Code) to narrow your scope (e.g., search a franchise brand and filter by city).
Verify city and state details carefully when locations share similar names.
Click the POI count estimate to preview the venue list. Remove any specific locations that should not be included.
Click Add Locations to commit the selected set to your group.

Location Group Settings

Configure final group properties in the confirmation screen before saving:

Name & Description: Enter a recognizable naming convention (e.g., Brand Name | Northeast Stores | 2026) and optional description.
Combine Entry Methods: Click Add more if you wish to blend manual additions, spreadsheet uploads, and system POIs into the same group container.
Enable for Targeting Toggle: Turn this toggle ON if you intend to use this group for past-visitor Location Audiences or Neighborhood Targeting.
Click Create location group to complete setup.

⚠️ Permanent Action: Once Enable for Targeting is turned ON, it cannot be turned off. You can safely leave it disabled during creation and enable it later from the group settings workspace.

Location Statuses & Management

Inside any saved location group, addresses are separated into 4 primary tabs:

Status Tab	What It Means	Required Action
All	Complete overview of every location submitted to the group.	General management and status audits.
Accepted	Locations validated for active campaign use (includes Blueprinted, Radial, and Pending states).	Ready for campaign deployment. Inspect boundaries via the eye icon.
Needs Review	Locations where input addresses matched multiple entries or require verification (combines former Conflict and Invalid states).	Compare inputs to system suggestions; pick Best Match, Keep Original, or edit the address.
Rejected	Venues excluded due to sensitive location privacy policies, closures, or non-retail premises.	Review the rejection note. Submit an appeal via the comment icon if inaccurate.

"Accepted" Locations

Blueprinted: A polygon boundary is fully active. Click the Eye icon to view the mapped footprint.
Radial Xm: Active with a radial buffer (X meters) because exact structural building polygons could not be isolated (e.g., kiosks inside shopping malls).
Radial pending blueprinting: Temporarily active using a radial buffer while the polygon is queued for production.
Pending blueprinting: Awaiting initial Blueprint mapping review.
Radial limited use sensitive: Active with radial targeting, but subject to specific privacy policy restrictions.

💡 Placement in the Accepted tab does not guarantee every campaign tactic is permitted. State regulations or category privacy rules may still restrict visitation measurement or behavioral audience collection for sensitive venues. Review [GroundTruth Privacy & Location Targeting Guidelines]

"Needs Review" Locations

Open the location group and navigate to the Needs Review tab.
Compare the original User Input against system suggestions. When an exact candidate is available, Best match is selected by default.
Single Resolution: Select the correct match (or choose Keep original or Submit as a new location) and click Save. Use the inline pencil tool to modify typos or bad address data.
Bulk Resolution: Click Select best matches to apply system suggestions to all eligible rows, or select individual checkboxes, and click Save all.

📌 Selecting a suggested match replaces the raw input with the verified POI. Keeping the original submits it to mapping QA as a net-new venue request.

"Rejected" Locations

Navigate to the Rejected tab.
Click the Information icon (i) on any row to review the specific exclusion rationale.
If an exclusion appears incorrect, click the Comment icon to submit a correction ticket with documentation to the mapping team.
If the location is out-of-scope or permanently closed, select the checkbox and click Delete. Sensitive category restrictions cannot be overridden by resubmitting.

Editing, Sorting, and Deleting Locations

Edit Name / Description: Click the pencil icon next to the title on the group workspace, update details, and click Save changes.
Add More Locations: Click Add locations at any time to append addresses via manual input, spreadsheet import, or system search.
Sort & Filter: Reorder rows by Name, Category, Address, City, State, or Phone. (Only one active sort filter applies at a time).
Remove Locations: Select individual location checkboxes and click Delete.

⚠️ Container Deletion & Global POI Impact:

Removing an address from a group deletes it from that specific list only; it does not delete the POI from GroundTruth's master database.
Once a location group is created, the group container itself cannot be deleted. However, you can remove all locations inside it and repurpose the empty group for future campaigns.

Blueprint Status Notifications

Creating a location group automatically enrolls you in daily digest notification emails detailing Blueprint progress, match updates, and operational changes. You can opt out at any time by clicking Unsubscribe next to the group row on the My Locations homepage.

Using Location Groups in Campaign

Target by Location: During ad group creation, select your saved group under location filters to serve ads on-premise (via Blueprints) or within radial distances around each store.
Target by Audience / Neighborhood: Ensure Enable for Targeting is active. Audience profiles compile within ~24 hours (progressing from Building to Ready) using a rolling 90-day lookback window.
Visit Measurement: In campaign measurement parameters, link the group under Store Visits or Drive Visits to track real-world physical foot-traffic attribution.

⚡ Creating Groups Directly in Campaign Setup: You can select Create location group directly inside the ad group creation workflow without visiting the My Locations page first. The group automatically saves to your Account for ongoing management.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I use location groups in my campaigns?

Once created, select your location group directly in the ad group targeting setup under Target by Location (for radial or on-premise reach) or under Target by Audience / Neighborhood (to reach historical visitors). You can also select the location group within the Measurement step to track foot-traffic visits.

Do I need a physical storefront or brick-and-mortar location to use Ads Manager?

No. Ads Manager can be used to deliver KPIs that align with your business regardless if you have a physicla store. E-commerce, digital brands, and non-storefront service providers can advertise by targeting designated market areas, radius perimeters, or behavioral audiences, and measure online activity using the GroundTruth Web Pixel.

What countries can I target within Ads Manager?

GroundTruth Ads Manager supports location targeting and advertising campaigns across the United States and Canada. Please note that as of September 2023, Quebec implemented a privacy law that prevents GroundTruth from running advertising campaigns in the Quebec province. Review [GroundTruth Privacy & Location Targeting Guidelines] for more information.

Do I need an active campaign before I can create a location group?

No. You can build, review, and organize location groups in My Locations well in advance of scheduling any campaigns.

Can I share a location group with another Account?

No. Location groups are strictly isolated to the Account where they are created. If managing multiple Accounts under one Tenant, you must create or upload the location list separately in each Account.

Can I combine manual entries, a bulk file upload, and brand searches into the same location group?

Yes. Add locations using your first method, then click Add more on the confirmation review screen to add locations via other methods before saving.

What is the lookback window for location group audiences, and can it be adjusted?

Location group audiences utilize a rolling historical lookback window of approximately 90 days. The lookback duration cannot be customized, and there is no minimum visit frequency threshold required for a device to qualify.

Can newly blueprinted locations include visits from before the Blueprint was created?

No. A POI must have an active Blueprint inside a location group for GroundTruth to observe and collect foot-traffic visitation data.

Does enabling targeting unlock Audience and Neighborhood targeting at the same time?

Yes. Activating the Enable for Targeting toggle unlocks both Location Audience and Neighborhood Targeting simultaneously. This action is permanent.

Can multiple Location Groups have overlapping audiences?

Yes. If consumers visit locations across different groups, they can qualify for multiple audience lists. To isolate performance, assign each group to its own distinct ad group.

Does submitting a new location or feedback approve it immediately?

No. Submissions and appeals route to the mapping team for manual polygon generation and review. Use the status tabs and subscribed digest emails for progress updates.

Need Help?

For additional support and to ensure your campaign is set up for success, please reach out to your dedicated GroundTruth representative, or contact our Self-Serve team directly at selfservehelp@groundtruth.com.