Using Geo-Targeting in Google Shopping Campaigns

Do you have a product that sells well in certain regions and not in others or wonder how you can reach audiences in a specific area? Using geo-targeting, you can specify the locations where you want your campaigns to display (or not display,) so you can reach your intended audience.

Google Shopping campaigns allow advertisers to improve ROI by targeting only the desired searchers by geographic location.  By using geo-targeting, you can better ensure that your ads are reaching audiences that are more relevant to your website and likely to need your business. Geo-targeting can be set to target audiences by country, areas within a country (using cities or zip codes), or around a radius.

To change the region you are targeting in your AdWords account, go to:

(1) Campaigns > (2) Settings >  (3) Edit (next to Locations)

Enter the country, city, or zip code you want to target with your campaign. When targeting a city, be sure to include state or country name so that you don’t accidentally target an area that you have no intention of reaching.

To target a radius, go to:

(1) Campaigns > (2) Settings > (3) Edit (next to locations) > (4) Advanced search > (5) Radius targeting

Enter the address where you want to center your targeting, then select a unit of measurement for your radius. Using the map, make sure that your target is in the right area, and click “Add” to create your targeting radius. You can narrow this location further by excluding specific areas with the “Locations within this target” list (Google). Don’t be afraid to exclude certain locations in your targeting – excluding areas with poor leads can help devote your campaign budget to where it is needed most.

Once you set your campaigns to target specific locations, you can improve campaign performance through a variety of advanced options. You can adjust your bids according to audience using location extensions, target mobile audiences, or even adjust bids according to weather. For more information on these advanced geo-targeting techniques, read Search Engine Watch’s Geo-Targeting Techniques.