TL;DR
The most common cause is confusing People location with Company location.
Company Location targets where the business operates; People Location targets where the individual lives.
For nearly all B2B use cases, use Company Location only.
Filtering by both simultaneously can unintentionally exclude strong decision-makers who live abroad.
When you'd use this / Why it matters
If your results include companies or leads outside your intended geography, the fix is almost always about which location filter you're using, not a data quality issue.
Company Location vs. People Location
Company Location targets where the business is headquartered or operates. This is what almost all B2B searches should use.
People Location targets where the individual personally lives, based on their profile. Remote work means this frequently doesn't match the company's location at all.
Why this causes unexpected results
If you only set People Location (or set both without realizing the interaction), you can:
Exclude decision-makers who live in a different country than their company's HQ
Miss remote employees entirely
End up with a smaller, less accurate list than intended
Conversely, if you only intended to target company geography but didn't touch People Location, you may see individual profiles located elsewhere, but the company still matches your intended geography. This is expected: the company operates where you targeted, even if a specific employee lives elsewhere.
How to fix it
In Companies or People search, open the filters and scroll to the People Location and Company Location sections
Check whether Company Location, People Location, or both are set
For standard B2B targeting, remove People Location and rely on Company Location only
Re-run your search
When both should be used
Only combine Company and People location filters if your offer has both a business-location requirement and a personal-residency requirement (rare, typically licensed professional services).
Quick decision guide
Your offer | Use |
Marketing, SaaS, consulting, remote services | Company location |
Local lawyer, licensed professional, in-person service | People location |
Unsure | Default to Company location |
Why People location is unreliable: many people don't list a usable location, remote work separates personal location from company HQ, and profiles often say only "Remote" or "Global".
Expected outcome
You should now be able to:
Diagnose whether a location mismatch is coming from People vs. Company filters
Correctly scope your search to the geography that actually matters for your offer
Avoid unintentionally shrinking or distorting your list
Troubleshooting / FAQs
My list still looks off after fixing location. What else could it be?
If you used City, check for name variations (for example "Los Angeles" vs "Greater Los Angeles Area"). Also check your Employees range. Ranges are directional and may be pulling in unexpected company sizes. See How do I filter by company size and revenue?
Should I ever filter People Location for standard B2B?
Almost never. Only when residency itself is a requirement of your offer.
Does Company Location cover multi-location businesses accurately?
It reflects the primary headquarters/operating location as available in the data.