Google Expands International Targeting In AdWords

Google has tweaked how location targeting works for international searches. It’s a change that allows ads to be seen across countries, not just within countries, when the search query has local intent.

According to today’s announcement, advertisers that use either the “default” or “location of interest” setting will be able to target their ads based on

• the location that people are search for, and
• the location that people are searching from

Here’s how Google explains it:

For example, let’s say you own a hotel, and you are currently targeting Paris with the keyword “Paris hotels.” Previously, only people searching on Google.fr or Google.com from France could see your ad. Starting the week of November 11, your ads will be eligible to show to people searching for “Paris hotels” from anywhere in the world — for example, someone who lives in New York City who is booking a vacation in Paris.

In other words, ads may begin to show to searchers in places where your ads weren’t showing before. Google says this may result in an increase in impressions, and advertisers that want to narrow their location settings can still do so using advanced location options and/or by excluding geographic locations.