Google Ads location targeting allows your ads to appear in the geographic locations that you choose: countries, areas within a country, a radius around a location, or location groups, which can include places of interest, your business locations, or tiered demographics.
Location targeting helps you focus your Google Ads campaigns on areas where you'll find the right customers and restrict them in areas where you won't. This specific type of targeting could help increase your return on investment (ROI).
When it comes to advertising on Google Ads, consider the real estate adage: "Location, location, location!" Regardless of how great your ad is, it probably won't perform as well if it doesn't appear in the right places. Reach your customers where they are and where your business can serve them by using Google Ads location targeting. You can set and then adjust your location targeting settings at any time.
Targeting the right locations for your business
Get guidance on choosing the location targets that are most appropriate for your business.
Compare location target types: countries, areas within a country, or radius
See more details below about each location targeting level and the types of businesses that could be a good fit.
| Location target |
Description |
Types of businesses that could benefit |
Types of businesses that might not benefit |
| Countries |
Targeting your ads to a country or multiple countries can be a good idea if you provide products and services to those large areas. Targeting entire countries allows you to receive more ad exposure than you would by targeting a few individual cities or regions within a country. |
- A national business serving an entire country
- An online retailer shipping worldwide
- An international business selling to several countries
|
A business that doesn't serve all regions or cities. In this case, you might target individual regions or cities instead. |
| Areas within a country |
Consider using more precise targeting if your business doesn't serve all regions or cities, or you'd like to focus your advertising efforts on certain areas within a country. Depending on the country, you can target regions, cities, or postal codes. |
- A business that serves a local neighborhood
- A business with special offers in selected locations
- A business selling products in selected regions or cities
|
A business that is trying to reach most of the regions in a country, with just a few exceptions (say, all of the U.S. except for Alaska). In this case, it might be better to target the whole country, and then exclude the other areas. |
| Radius around a location |
Radius targeting (also known as proximity targeting or "Target a radius") allows you to choose to show your ads to customers within a certain distance from your business, rather than choosing individual cities, regions, or countries. |
- A business that delivers within a selected radius
- A local business whose customer base is within a radius around the business
|
A business that only wants to reach specific cities, regions, or countries. |
Tips for choosing the right locations for your business
What to consider when choosing your location targets:
-
Be sure to target the locations where your customers are—which isn't necessarily the same place that your business is located. For example, if you own an e-commerce company, target all the locations you ship to, not just where your business is physically located.
- If you target an area where your business isn't located, you won't be able to see your ad when you search on Google.com. However, you can use the Ad Preview and Diagnosis Tool to find your ad.
- If you target a small radius, your ads might only show intermittently or not at all. That’s because small targets might not meet our targeting criteria.
- It's also a good idea to keep your language and location targeting settings consistent. For example, if you're targeting English-speaking users in England, remember to target the English language, and be sure that your ads are written in English.
Example
Adrian wants to advertise his hotel in Spain to English-speaking customers who live in England. He targets his ads to England and writes his ads in English.
Set up location targeting
Click an option below for location targeting instructions. Keep in mind that available location target types vary by country.
Suggested time for task: 5-7 minutes
Google Ads only permits targeting for locations that adhere to minimum privacy thresholds where minimum area and minimum user counts are met. If your desired location target does not adhere to these privacy thresholds, then you will not be able to target in the Google Ads interface.
How to reach audiences in entire countries
- Sign in to your Search Ads 360 experience.
- Navigate to a Google Ads client account.
- From the page menu on the left, click Campaigns.
- Click the name of the campaign that you'd like to edit.
- From the page menu on the left, click on the Audiences & content drop down.
- Click Locations.
- Click the blue pencil icon
.
- Enter the name of the country that you'd like to target.
- Click Save to add the location.
How to reach audiences in areas within a country
- Sign in to your Search Ads 360 experience.
- Navigate to a Google Ads client account.
- From the page menu on the left, click on the Audiences & content drop down.
- Click Locations.
- Click the name of the campaign that you'd like to edit from the top campaign drop down.
- Click the blue pencil icon .
- Enter the name of the location that you'd like to target. If you're entering a city name, add the country name as well. You don't want to target Paris, France, if you're trying to sell cowboy hats to customers in Paris, Texas.
- Click Save to add the location.
How to target a radius around a location
Selecting a radius
When you target a radius, it's worth keeping in mind that selecting a small radius could mean that your ads might only show intermittently or not at all. That’s because small targets might not meet our targeting criteria.
- Sign in to your Search Ads 360 experience.
- Navigate to a Google Ads client account.
- From the page menu on the left, click on the Audiences & content drop down.
- Click Locations.
- Click the name of the campaign you wish to edit from the top campaign drop down.
- Click the blue pencil icon , then select the Radius button.
- In the search box, enter the address of the location you'd like to use for the center of the radius. Enter the radius that you'd like to target and select a unit of measurement from the drop-down menu.
- Check the map to make sure you're targeting the correct area. When you're ready, click Save to add the radius target.
- Click Save.
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