Check Google Ads Settings When Running International PPC Campaigns

Check Google Ads Settings When Running International PPC Campaigns: A Comprehensive Guide

Expanding your Google Ads campaigns internationally can be a game-changer for your business—if done correctly. However, many advertisers make costly mistakes by assuming what works in their home market will seamlessly translate to other regions.

From mismatched currencies to ineffective targeting, international PPC campaigns require a meticulous approach to settings and optimization. To help you avoid common pitfalls, this guide outlines 13 critical Google Ads settings you must check before launching or scaling your international PPC campaigns.

1. Location Targeting: Are You Reaching the Right Audience?

Setting up your Google Ads location targeting correctly is essential to ensure your ads are seen by the right audience. By default, Google Ads includes users who “show interest in” a location, meaning people outside your target country may see your ads.

Best Practice:

Adjust your settings to “Presence: People in or regularly in your targeted locations” to restrict visibility to users physically present in your chosen market.
Regularly review your Geographic Report in Google Ads to identify and exclude unwanted locations.

2. Ad Scheduling: Are Your Ads Running at the Right Time?

Time zone differences can drastically impact your campaign performance. If you’ve optimized ad scheduling based on your home country, those settings won’t necessarily work across different regions.

Best Practice:

Schedule ads based on the local time zone of your targeted region to ensure ads run during peak hours.
Consider separate ad accounts for each country under a Google Ads MCC (Manager Account) to simplify time zone management.

3. Currency and Conversion Tracking: Are Your Metrics Accurate?

Miscalculations in currency and conversions can lead to misleading ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) assessments. If your billing currency doesn’t match your reporting currency, your financial tracking could be off.

Best Practice:

Ensure your Google Ads billing currency aligns with your conversion tracking currency.
If running multiple international campaigns, consider separate Google Ads accounts to manage currencies more effectively.

4. Language Settings: Are Your Ads Reaching the Right Speakers?

Google’s language targeting does not translate your ads; it only determines who sees them based on their browser settings. If you target a country without adjusting for language variations, you may miss out on a huge portion of your audience.

Best Practice:

Create separate campaigns for each language in a region.
Use localized ad copy and keywords to match user search behavior.

5. Keyword Match Types: Are They Effective Across Markets?

Search behavior varies significantly between countries. A broad match keyword that performs well in one market might yield irrelevant results in another.

Best Practice:

Conduct localized keyword research before deciding on match types.
Start with phrase and exact match to maintain control over ad relevance.
Implement a robust negative keyword strategy to filter out unrelated searches.

6. Bidding Strategies: Are They Optimized for Each Market?

Different markets have varying levels of competition, cost-per-click (CPC), and conversion rates. The bidding strategy that works in one region may not be effective in another.

Best Practice:

Start with manual bidding or Maximize Clicks to gather data before shifting to automated bidding.
If using Smart Bidding, allow time for the algorithm to adapt to local market trends.

7. Product Feed Optimization: Is Your Shopping Feed Localized?

For Google Shopping campaigns, simply adding a product feed to a new country won’t suffice. Factors like language, pricing, and product attributes must be carefully optimized.

Best Practice:

Use localized terminology (e.g., “sneakers” in the U.S. vs. “trainers” in the UK).
Ensure pricing is in the correct local currency.
Follow country-specific tax and shipping regulations to avoid product disapprovals.

8. Regulatory and Compliance Settings: Are You Following Local Laws?

Advertising laws vary from country to country. Failing to comply with regional regulations can lead to ad disapprovals or even legal consequences.

Best Practice:

Research country-specific advertising laws, such as GDPR in the EU.
Ensure remarketing and tracking practices comply with data privacy regulations.
Review Google’s advertising policies for restrictions by industry and region.

9. Payment Methods: Are You Aware of Billing Differences?

Google Ads billing options vary by country, and not all payment methods available in your home market will work internationally.

Best Practice:

Check Google Ads’ payment options for each country before launching.
Consider using separate Google Ads accounts to avoid billing issues in multi-region campaigns.

10. Audience Targeting: Are You Using the Right Signals?

Imported audiences from your home country might not perform well internationally due to differing purchasing behaviors and consumer intent.

Best Practice:

Build new audience lists for each market instead of relying on imported U.S. audiences.
Utilize Google’s Audience Insights to refine targeting based on local behaviors.

11. Ad Copy and Assets: Have You Adjusted for Cultural Differences?

A direct translation of your ad copy isn’t enough. Cultural nuances affect how messages are perceived in different markets.

Best Practice:

Adapt messaging to fit local customs and expectations.
Ensure ad assets such as callouts, headlines, and structured snippets align with cultural norms.

12. Competitive Analysis: Are Your Expectations Realistic?

Competition levels and CPC benchmarks can differ significantly between countries.

Best Practice:

Use Google Ads Auction Insights to analyze competitors in each region.
Reference industry benchmarks to set realistic CPC and conversion rate expectations.

13. Landing Pages: Are They Properly Localized?

Driving international traffic to an English-only landing page—or an untranslated one—can hurt conversions.

Best Practice:

Fully localize landing pages with appropriate language, currency, and cultural references.
Ensure legal disclaimers and compliance requirements are adapted for each region.

Final Thoughts: Optimize Before Scaling

International PPC campaigns offer immense growth potential, but small mistakes can lead to wasted ad spend and poor performance.

To ensure success, double-check all key Google Ads settings, localize your campaigns properly, and continuously analyze performance data to make necessary adjustments.

With the right strategy and attention to detail, you can run profitable Google Ads campaigns worldwide without costly setbacks.