In a world where intelligent targeting efforts are hailed as the go-to for success, AdWords geotargeting occupies a special and prominent place. This is where we target Google ads to specific geographical locations, including countries, states, and cities, for higher clicks and conversion rates.
Depending on the nature of your business, this kind of approach can be seriously effective. Local businesses like restaurants, retail stores, and even delivery-based businesses can greatly benefit from this kind of geolocation strategy.
In fact, did you know that 75% of people who find local, helpful information in search results are more likely to visit physical stores?
In our post, we dive deep into tried-and-tested AdWords geotargeting strategies for improved ad engagement and conversion rates. You can thank us later.
.png)
Target locations effectively without restricting yourself too much
The art of AdWords geotargeting is a fine and subtle art - stretch too much and you run the risk of becoming too broad, hyper-localise your targeting and you may miss out on crucial audiences.
Doing this right comes down in no small part to how well you understand your business and its numbers. Beyond just foot traffic, it pays to know where your online traffic is coming from, especially if you operate online as well.
By using an IP geolocation reader, see from which locations visitors are coming in from and include them in your target audiences or create entirely new AdWords campaigns for them. Ultimately, make sure you’re not targeting massive audiences when you can refine your focus to smaller localities, like cities.
Excluding locations is just as important
It’s perfectly normal to wonder what the difference between actively targeting one location and excluding another is. What you need to remember, here, is that by excluding certain locations, you ensure that your ads don’t show up in an excluded location in the event that it overlaps you targeted territories.
For example, if you’re targeting a state like Melbourne but don’t want to target specific suburbs like Bundoora or Hawthorne, you can exclude these locations to ensure that your ad isn’t targeted to audiences in these localities.
This way, you improve your ad targeting and ultimately, your conversion rates. More importantly, you also manage your ad budget more effectively.
Use geolocation insights to optimise your AdWords campaigns
If you employ IP geolocation software for website redirection, tracking and content targeting, you can use the data from these tools to improve your AdWords geotargeting.
With this type of geolocation strategy and tools, you enjoy a better understanding of which products are most popular in certain regions, what time people are visiting your website, and other equally useful tidbits of data. Insights of this type are easily gleaned through the use of geolocation software that do not just provide you with this information but also personalise your site to specific groups of visitors.
Using this information, refine your AdWords geotargeting to a level that will feel highly personalised to vast swathes of separate, geo-targeted audiences.
Include and target regional or local keywords in your ads
Beyond targeting your campaign to certain geographical audiences on the backend, you also need to localise your ad to give viewers the confidence and certainty that your ads are meant for them.
Whether this is at the city or state-level, using local keywords will penetrate your audiences better compared to generic keywords. This will make them feel like your business is one they can trust - after all, there’s nothing more comforting than knowing a business you want to buy from is in your locality.
Refine your AdWords geotargeting strategies and improve your ad metrics
AdWords geotargeting can be a highly effective avenue for revenue generation if you know how to use geolocation data and are using the right tools.
By following some of the tips we’ve outlined in our geolocation strategy, improve the way you run your PPC campaigns and enjoy higher rates of clicks and boosted conversion rates.