Running Google Ads for your laundromat should make things easier, not more confusing. But if you’ve ever looked at your ad performance and thought, “Why is this showing up for people two states away?” or “Why isn’t anyone clicking?” you’re definitely not alone. Targeting problems are one of the most common frustrations business owners face with Google Ads. Even with plenty of tools available, it’s easy for a few small choices to derail an entire campaign and waste your budget before you even realize what’s happening.

For laundromat owners in Ohio trying to reach local customers, targeting issues can create even more headaches. Whether your ads are showing in the wrong areas or reaching people during times of year when laundry demand drops off, poor targeting can lead to confusion, fewer clicks, and lower foot traffic. The good news is you don’t need a brand-new campaign to fix this. A few simple adjustments can get your ads back in front of the right people at the right time.

Understanding How Google Ads Targeting Works

Before changing anything, it helps to understand the basics of how targeting works in Google Ads. There’s more to it than picking a few keywords and naming your city. Ads work best when every setting is tuned to match your specific audience and goals. This is especially true for laundromats that serve a small local area and rely on steady walk-ins from nearby customers.

Here are three main ways to control who sees your Google Ads:

1. Location targeting: You can choose cities, zip codes, or even set a precise radius around your laundromat. If this targeting is too wide, your ad could show to people far outside your service range who will never stop by.

2. Keyword targeting: This decides which search terms will bring up your ad. Using keywords that don’t match how locals actually search leads to wasted opportunities and missed visibility.

3. Audience targeting: This lets you reach people with certain interests or behaviors. But if it’s too general or not aligned with people in your market, your ads could end up in front of folks who aren’t likely to use a laundromat.

Precise targeting makes a big impact because most people searching for laundry services need something nearby and now. If your ads don’t match those expectations, your competition may win instead. For example, if you only use the term “laundromat” without local modifiers, you risk drawing clicks from outside your area, which wastes your budget.

Once you understand how the tools work, it becomes much easier to find and fix the issues.

Common Targeting Problems That Affect Laundromats

When ads aren’t generating walk-ins or phone calls, a targeting issue is often to blame. Here are some of the most common missteps we’ve seen affecting laundromats in Ohio:

1. Ads Showing Outside Your Service Area: Maybe you set your targeting to all of Ohio, even though your laundromat is just on the east side of Columbus. If someone in Toledo sees your ad, they’re not going to drive hours just to do laundry. That’s money spent with zero return.

2. Wrong or Generic Keywords: Too broad, and you end up with people who aren’t looking for your service. Too narrow, and you miss nearby folks using different terms. For example, “drop-off laundry service” might hit fewer people than “wash and fold near me,” even if they’re looking for the same thing.

3. Audience Too Wide or Unrelated: If your campaign is set to reach anyone interested in “home life” or “organizing,” it may not connect you with people who need laundry done today. Those users might not be your customers.

4. Not Adjusting for Season: Laundry demand isn’t the same year-round in Ohio. Maybe it slows in colder months or changes during school breaks. Ads that don’t adjust for seasonality may pull fewer clicks even if they’re well-targeted in other ways.

Some of these problems go unnoticed because ad settings carry over from previous campaigns or rely too much on automation. While automation makes setup easier for broad services, laundromats benefit more from custom adjustments that consider locality and customer habits.

What makes all this manageable is that none of these problems are permanent. With just a bit of attention to detail and regular adjustments, your campaign can get right back on track.

Steps to Fix Google Ads Targeting Problems

Ready to clean up those campaigns? Here’s a step-by-step look at how to improve your targeting and reach more of the right people across Ohio.

1. Review Your Current Settings Thoroughly: Dive into your account and inspect everything. Check the locations, keywords, and audience segments. Look for anything generic or too wide. Are your settings leftover from a past campaign with different goals? That’s a red flag.

2. Refine Geographic Parameters: If your laundromat is in Cleveland Heights, set your ad to focus on nearby neighborhoods, not the whole Cleveland metro or the full state. Tightening your area ensures your ad spend goes toward people who can actually visit you.

3. Use High-Performing Keywords: Start with terms your customers are actually using. Check your current keyword performance, explore variations, and test multiple options. “Laundry pickup Cleveland Ohio” might work better than “laundry service” by itself. Think like a customer who needs a quick wash today.

4. Adjust Audience Settings: Your reach should mirror your actual customer base. Use behaviors and interests tied to small-family households, busy professionals, or college students if those are your most common visitors. Cut out settings that don’t apply.

5. Monitor and Adjust Regularly: The work doesn’t stop once changes are made. Watch your metrics weekly. Click-through rates, cost per click, and conversions can all tell you where things are improving or if something is still off. Campaigns perform better with routine attention and small course adjustments.

Benefits of Correcting Google Ads Targeting

Fixing your targeting doesn’t just improve the numbers—it improves your reputation, your profit, and your day-to-day peace of mind. Here’s what you can expect when your ads finally start reaching the right crowd:

• Better Returns on Ad Spend: Your dollars go further because your ads stop appearing for people who aren’t in your area or in need of laundry help.
• Higher Engagement and Conversion: Clicks matter, but what happens after the click matters more. Proper targeting gets more people to interact meaningfully, whether they call, visit, or schedule a pickup.
• Improved Local Visibility: Ads tailored to Ohio locals help your laundromat stand out when someone searches nearby. You’ll start to become the go-to spot for the neighborhood.
• Happier Customers: When people see relevant, helpful ads at the right time, they have a smoother experience overall that makes them want to come back and bring others with them.

Getting Your Ads in Front of the Right Customers

Finding success with Google Ads as an Ohio laundromat means spending less time guessing and more time seeing results. When you fix targeting problems, you’re giving your ads a real shot at reaching people who need exactly what you offer.

That means folks in your neighborhood searching for “coin laundry near me” will find your business first. And that’s exactly what you want. Small shifts in your ad settings today can lead to big gains tomorrow. If you’re tired of wasted clicks and quiet phones, it might be time to pause and reassess. Better targeting is the fix—and it’s within reach.

Mastering the art of laundromat Google ads can truly make a difference in attracting local customers and maximizing your ad spend. If you’re ready to take the guesswork out of your advertising and make a lasting impact, check out how LaundroBoost Marketing can help optimize your campaigns. Discover the strategies that ensure your efforts bring in positive results by learning more about laundromat Google ads.