Measuring Geographic (GEO) success in Australia, as of December 2025, largely relies on utilising location-based data within digital marketing platforms, primarily Google Ads and Meta Ads Manager, to track campaign performance segmented by Australian postcode, region, or state.
Both platforms now include advanced location targeting and reporting features. Google Ads, currently, leverages its location extensions and location-based bidding strategies. Reporting dashboards display impressions, clicks, conversions, and cost per conversion, broken down by geographic area. Meta Ads Manager offers similar functionality, utilising location targeting based on user-reported location data and ‘local awareness’ campaign objectives. In December 2025, both platforms are compliant with Australian privacy regulations, including the Privacy Act 1988 and the Online Privacy Act, requiring user consent for location tracking. Google’s Privacy Sandbox initiatives, rolling out in 2026, will further refine location data usage. The platforms also integrate with third-party attribution tools, allowing businesses to correlate online ad spend with offline conversions, such as in-store visits, using techniques like store visit conversions (Google) and website custom audiences based on proximity to physical locations (Meta). Data accuracy is continually improving with the rollout of more precise location signals, though discrepancies can still occur due to GPS limitations and user privacy settings.
Ultimately, these platforms function by collecting and analysing user location data to provide marketers with granular insights into campaign performance across different Australian geographic areas.
