Why is it a problem if one agency runs Google Ads for two agents in the same suburb?

Because Google Ads is an auction: the two agents chase the same top spot and the same vendors, they split the enquiries, and every optimisation made for one client is made against the other. XLR8 Media avoids the problem by working with one agent per suburb anywhere in Australia, written into each client's Product Details as an Exclusive Position.

Is suburb exclusivity common among Australian Google Ads agencies?

Not universal. Many agencies run campaigns for several agents in the same Australian area, so it is worth asking any agency directly. XLR8 Media's Exclusive Position (suburbs plus keywords for one agent) is defined in its terms and applies to Google search campaigns.

Can I hold more than one suburb with XLR8 Media?

Yes. An Exclusive Position can cover several suburbs, and neighbouring suburbs can be added while they are available. XLR8 Media checks each suburb separately, quotes each on its own Australian search volume and competition, and the same renewal rules apply to every suburb in the position: renewal is never automatic and a suburb cannot be held without an active campaign.

Does XLR8 Media's suburb exclusivity apply to regional towns?

Yes. The one-agent rule applies to any suburb, town or locality in Australia in the same way as it does in Sydney or Melbourne: the first XLR8 Media client to take the town holds it for as long as their campaign is active.

Suburb Exclusivity in Google Ads Explained

Published 21 July 2026, updated 31 October 2026 by XLR8 Media

"One agent per suburb" is the shortest description of how XLR8 Media works, and it is the one agents ask the most questions about. This article explains why the rule exists, how it works, how renewal and holds work, and what exclusivity does not cover.

Why two clients in one suburb is self-defeating

Google Ads sells ad positions by auction, one auction per search. Google ranks the eligible ads by Ad Rank, a combination of bid, ad quality and context (Google Ads Help), and the price each advertiser pays depends on the ad below it. Now suppose one agency runs campaigns for two agents in Chatswood, both on "real estate agents Chatswood". The two agents are chasing the same top spot and the same vendors, and they split the enquiries between them. Every decision the agency makes for one client is, by definition, made against the other.

An agency in that position cannot work wholeheartedly for either client, and its reports cannot say which client's ad won which enquiry.

The only way to avoid it is to refuse the second client. XLR8 Media does.

What the Exclusive Position is

Your Exclusive Position is the suburbs in your Product Details and the keywords for them. While your campaign is active, no other XLR8 Media client can buy that combination, and we will not run a competing campaign in your suburb.

How availability is checked

Before anything is signed, you tell us the suburb or suburbs you want. We check them against existing client positions and reply with availability, the Google search volume for the suburb and the pricing of a campaign there. If the suburb is taken, we say so and tell you which neighbouring suburbs are open; neighbouring suburbs can be added to your position while they are available. The check is free and it does not commit you to anything.

Renewal, lapses and holds

Exclusivity has to be enforced evenly or it means nothing, so the renewal rules are strict and they apply to everyone.

Renewal is never automatic. Before your renewal date we contact you to ask whether you want to continue, and the services do not continue unless you say so. Nothing beyond the initial term is invoiced unless you agree.
The 10 business day window. If you have not confirmed within 10 business days of us contacting you about renewal, your Exclusive Position is forfeited and becomes available to the market.
No holds. A position cannot be kept on hold at the end of a campaign to continue later. To retain it, a consecutive campaign must begin within 10 business days of the renewal date.

The no-holds rule is the one agents sometimes wish away, and it is the one that protects them most. Without it, an agent could pay for one short campaign and then sit on a suburb for a year to keep a competitor out. With it, the agent who holds the suburb is always the agent who is advertising in it.

What exclusivity does not cover

Exclusivity is a promise about XLR8 Media's clients. It cannot be a promise about the auction, because nobody controls the auction. Other agencies can bid on your suburb. The portals bid on agent searches. Franchise head offices can run their own campaigns. What we promise is that none of those bidders will be another client of ours, and that the campaign we run for you is built to win the auction: in 2025 our clients' ads held the number one position on Google 55.18 percent of the time on average across all our client campaigns.

Checking an agency's exclusivity promise

If another agency offers exclusivity, two questions test it. Is it written into the contract, with the suburbs and keywords named, or is it a line on a website? What happens at renewal, and can a position be held without a campaign running? XLR8 Media's answers are that the Exclusive Position is in the Product Details and defined in the terms, and that renewal is never automatic and holds are not possible. An agency that cannot answer both in writing is offering a preference, not exclusivity.

What it means for your results

Optimisation serves one client, so every bid change and every line of ad copy is decided for you. Add the first-page guarantee for the campaign term, and the question is only whether your suburb is still open. Find out through the suburb availability check.

One agent per suburb: how exclusivity works in Google Ads