Google. Search Location Simulator

Want to see how Google results change in another city, check results in another language or preview mobile search? The Google. Search Location Simulator module puts these settings right in the search bar. Choose a location, language and device profile — your settings will carry over to subsequent searches.

Who is this module for?

• PPC specialists researching search results in different regions.
• SEO specialists comparing search results across cities and languages.
• Freelancers and agencies working with projects in different countries.
• Business owners exploring the search landscape in another region.

How Google search location simulation works

The module passes your selected location and country to Google, along with optional language and reduced personalization settings. The device profile lets you request desktop or phone search results.

This is an approximate simulation of the search context. The module does not change your IP address or device geolocation, connect to a VPN or physically place your browser in the selected city. Google may still use your account, IP address and other signals, so results and ads may differ from what someone actually in that location sees.

Getting started

Key features

Find a country, city or region

Choose any location in a single field. The country is determined by the selected entry, so there is no need to set it separately. Full addresses in the suggestions help you distinguish cities and regions with the same name.

The location database is included with the extension and is based on Google Ads geographic targets. Search supports transliteration and some Russian place names. If you cannot find a location, try its English name or add the country to the city name.

Keep settings across searches

After applying your settings, you can change your query and move between results pages: the selected settings remain active. They are shared across all supported Google tabs in the same browser profile. Results already open in another tab will update when you run another search or explicitly apply the settings there.

Keep this in mind when comparing cities: you cannot assign a different location to each tab. Compare locations one at a time, applying the one you need before your next search.

Location history and favorites

“History” stores locations you have successfully applied. Applying a location again moves it to the top of the list without creating a duplicate. To save a location to “Favorites”, select it and click the star inside the location field.

Hover over “History” or “Favorites” to open the list beside the panel. Selecting an entry fills the location field; click “Apply to search” to update the results. You can remove favorites individually, or use “Clear history” and “Clear favorites” to empty the corresponding list.

Choose the Google language independently

The language is independent of the location. For example, you can select Almaty and compare Google searches in Russian, Kazakh and English. The “Automatic” option lets Google determine the language.

This setting does not translate your query or restrict results to pages in the selected language.

Desktop and mobile preview

The “Device profile” field offers two options:

• “Desktop · Windows / Chrome”
• “Phone · Android / Chrome”

When you select the phone profile and apply the settings, the module requests mobile results and displays them in a frame.

The controls beside the frame let you align it to the left or center and adjust its width from 360 to 768 pixels. The default width is 412 pixels; use the reset button to return to it. Your chosen width and position are saved for future use. In a smaller browser window, the available width is also limited by the window size.

The phone profile is an experimental tool for approximate previews. It does not reproduce every feature of a real Android device, so you should also check the final appearance on a phone.

Reduce personalization

The “Reduce personalization” checkbox adds pws=0 to the search. After you apply it, Google may display the message “Results are not personalized.”

This mode does not clear cookies or account history, sign you out of Google or enable Incognito mode. Location, language, device and query context may still affect the results.

Module settings in the extension

Click the gear icon on the module card in PPC Tools Extension settings. Here you can choose a device profile and reduced personalization, show or hide history and favorites, and set a separate limit for each list: 5, 10, 20 or 50 locations. By default, each list stores up to 20 entries.

Hiding a list keeps its data. Lowering a limit removes the oldest entries beyond the new limit. Hiding favorites also hides the star in the location field.

Changes to the device profile and personalization on the extension settings page immediately update open panels and active search results. When changing these options directly in the Google panel, use “Apply to search”.

Turn off location simulation

Open the panel and click “Turn off simulation”. The module stops maintaining your selected parameters and reloads the current results, removing the settings it added. The location field is cleared, while history and favorites are kept. To turn simulation back on, select a location and click “Apply to search”.

FAQ

Why can’t I see the button in Google?

Make sure the module is enabled and you have opened a results page on a supported Google domain. The button does not appear on the Google homepage. After updating or enabling the extension, reload the search tab.

Why is “Apply to search” unavailable?

Select a specific location from the suggestions, history or favorites. Typing a name alone does not select a location. You also need to select a location again after turning off simulation.

Can I get the exact results someone in another city sees?

No, an exact match is not guaranteed. The module sets some search parameters, but Google may still consider your IP address, account and other signals. Use it to research and compare results with these limitations in mind.

What if the settings are not applied?

Update the extension and refresh the search page. If the panel reports that it cannot reach the background service, reload the extension on your browser’s extensions management page. Then refresh the Google tab and apply the settings again.