Creative Formats & Assets

Lead Form Assets vs Location Assets: Capture a Lead or Show the Store

In short: Both assets add something to a search ad without requiring a new landing page, but they're built for opposite kinds of businesses. Lead form assets are for capturing contact details when the location of the transaction doesn't matter - it could happen anywhere. Location assets are for the opposite case, pulling address, map pin, and distance from a linked Google Business Profile so a searcher can find the nearest physical storefront. A lead form assumes the next step is someone calling or emailing back; a location asset assumes the next step is someone walking in. Chooser: use location assets when foot traffic to a real address is the goal, use lead form assets when the conversion is contact information regardless of where the searcher is.

By the AdFlint research team · Fact-checked against current Google and Meta platform behavior · Last reviewed July 2026

Lead Form Assets

Attaches a form directly to a Google ad so someone can submit contact details without visiting your site, formerly called lead form extensions.

Google shows a hosted form after the click, prefilled from the signed-in account, and you retrieve the leads by webhook or CSV download. It suits mobile-heavy searches where a slow landing page loses people. Two things trip advertisers up: leads never reach your CRM unless the webhook is wired and monitored, and the low friction that lifts volume also admits unqualified submissions, so qualifying questions matter.

Full definition

Location Assets

Pulls address, map pin, and distance from a linked Business Profile so a search ad can surface your nearest storefront.

The asset links your Google Business Profile to the ads account, and Google shows the branch closest to the searcher along with hours and a directions link, which can also feed store-visit reporting. Use it whenever the physical location matters to the purchase. The mistake is broken plumbing: unverified or mismatched Business Profile locations simply stop the asset from serving, silently, with no obvious error surfaced.

Full definition

Side by side.

The differences that actually change what happens in your account.

	Lead Form Assets	Location Assets
What it depends on	A form you build and host through Google - no external account needed.	A verified, linked Google Business Profile - it won't serve without one.
What it shows	A submittable form with the fields you've defined.	Address, map pin, distance from the searcher, hours, and a directions link.
What counts as success	A form submission, tracked as a conversion in Google Ads.	A visit, a call, or a direction request, sometimes measured through store-visit reporting.
Failure mode	Leads sit unread because the webhook or export isn't monitored.	The Business Profile is unverified or mismatched, so the asset silently stops serving with no obvious error.
Relevance to the business	Works for any business, physical or not.	Only useful if a physical location matters to the purchase decision.
Setup dependency	Self-contained inside Google Ads.	Depends on Business Profile verification staying current outside of Ads.
Multi-location handling	One form serves regardless of how many locations you have.	Automatically shows the branch nearest the searcher when you have several.

What actually separates them.

Location assets require a verified Google Business Profile to function at all; lead form assets are entirely self-contained inside Google Ads.

A lead form asset's failure is usually visible - a form that isn't converting shows up in the numbers - while a location asset can stop serving silently if the linked profile goes unverified or mismatched, with no clear error.

Location assets pick the nearest of several branches automatically for a searcher; a lead form asset is identical regardless of how many locations the business has.

The intended next action differs: a lead form asset produces a follow-up contact, a location asset produces a visit, a direction request, or a call to that specific branch.

Location assets can feed store-visit reporting that estimates in-person foot traffic, a measurement lead form assets have no equivalent for since nothing physical happens.

Which one should you use?

Use Lead Form Assets when

Your business doesn't depend on a physical location - services delivered remotely, or by phone.
You want contact information collected directly, without routing anyone to an address.
You operate from one office that doesn't need to be found by nearby searchers.
The next step should be your team reaching out, not the searcher walking in.

Use Location Assets when

You have one or more physical storefronts and want nearby searchers to find the closest one.
In-person visits, not phone or form submissions, are the real goal.
Your Google Business Profile is verified and kept current.
You want distance and directions visible in the ad itself, not just on a linked map page.

Common questions.

Why did my location asset stop showing with no warning?

The most common cause is the linked Google Business Profile losing its verified status or the address no longer matching between the profile and the ads account, and neither of these throws an obvious error inside Google Ads. Checking the Business Profile's verification status directly, outside of Ads, is usually the fastest way to catch this.

Can I use both a lead form asset and a location asset on the same ad?

Yes, they serve different purposes and Google can show both if there's room, letting one ad both display your nearest storefront and offer a way to submit contact details without visiting it. This suits businesses that want to capture leads from people not ready to visit in person while still showing the address to those who are.

Do location assets work for businesses with many branches?

Yes, once your Business Profile locations are linked, Google automatically shows the branch closest to each searcher rather than a fixed address, and this can also feed store-visit reporting across all your locations. You don't need a separate asset per branch.

Or stop choosing between them.

AdFlint picks the setting, writes the ads, and keeps optimizing inside the Google and Meta accounts you already own.

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