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4 Minute Read | August 18, 2020

Marketers: Improve Your Google Ads CTRs with Geo Ads Customizers

There are several advanced features in Google Ads that are likely overlooked by most marketers. One of those features is called “Geo Ads Customizers,”  which allows the advertiser to dynamically insert a user’s location in the ad copy. 

This type of feature can be very useful in certain situations. For example, if you own a custom gifts company that has next day shipping to select cities throughout the U.S., it would be beneficial to run a dynamic text ad only to those select locations and include the name of the location in the ad copy. When a user searches for “custom gifts” and they are in Jackson, Wyoming, for example, the ad could read: “Custom Gifts | Next Day Shipping to Jackson | Shop Today.” The applications for this technology are vast and will likely improve your click through rate, as your ads are now more relevant to the end consumer.

Another example of when this ad type would be useful is if you are a manufacturer and have dealers in many locations throughout the U.S. that you are trying to drive traffic to.  You might ask, “why not just set up a different ad group with a different location for every dealer throughout the U.S.?” The answer is two-fold; one, because if there are more than about a dozen dealers, it can become cumbersome to set up, manage, and optimize all of those ad groups. The other is that Google optimizes better with volume, and grouping fragmented audiences together when applicable can allow for better optimized results in the long run.

Examples and Resources for Setup

Check out this article from Metric Theory with tips for setting up your geo-targeted campaigns.

You can also look at some of Google’s resources on ad customizers here

Also, this YouTube video does a great job of explaining how to set up dynamic location insertion, aka geo ad customizers. You can check out the link here

Location Types to Target

Once you get an understanding of how to set up your ad customizers in Google Ads, the next question becomes: which locations do you want use as “geo targets”? Google gives a pretty extensive list of all the “Target Types” that you can include in your ads. The list below is taken from here.

  • Airport
  • Autonomous Community *
  • Borough
  • Canton *
  • City *
  • City Region
  • Congressional District *
  • Country *
  • County *
  • Department *
  • District
  • Governorate *
  • Municipality *
  • National Park
  • Neighborhood
  • Okrug
  • Postal Code
  • Prefecture *
  • Province *
  • Region *
  • State *
  • Territory *
  • TV Region *
  • Union Territory *
  • University

*Supported in TargetingIdeaService

You may be wondering what some of these terms mean and when you might use them. We made a chart breaking down each location type with examples and short definitions to help you out. 

Target Type
Example Taken From Google's Active Geo Targets in 2020
Number in U.S.
Use Case Examples
Definition
Notes
Airport O'Hare International Airport 173 Targeting people traveling at the beginning or end of a trip.  Could be useful to catch their attention.    
Autonomous Community       Political and administrative division Used in Spain
Borough Manhattan, New York 23 Use alongside neighborhood campaigns An incorporated municipality smaller than a city  
Canton         Used in Switzerland
City New York, New York 16,404 Likely one of the most useful geo targets in the United States.  This allows marketers to create a very relevant text dynamically around the United States or World.   An inhabited place of greater size, population, or importance than a town or village  
City Region South Los Angeles 1 Not very useful in the U.S. Metropolitan area and hinterland Commonly used in Australia, Pakistan, and other parts of the world.
Congressional District AZ-1,Arizona,United States 436 Political campaigns an electoral constituency that elects a single member of a congress  
Country          
County Summit County, Colorado 3,098 Useful alongside City campaigns    
Department  *Not an option in USA       Exists only in Bolivia
District Foggy Bottom, District of Columbia 1   An area, region, or section with a distinguishing character  
Governorate *Not an option in USA 0   An administrative division of a country. Exists in Egypt, Kuwait, Oman, Lebanon, Jordan, Yemen, Tunisia 
Municipality Leland Township, Michigan, United States 128 Use alongside "city" campaigns A city or town that has corporate status and local government  
National Park Hawaii Volcanoes National Park 57 Targeting people interested in outdoors, conservationalists, while they may be vacationing etc. A scenic or historically important area of countryside protected by the federal government for the enjoyment of the general public or the preservation of wildlife  
Neighborhood Pebble Beach, California 1,504 To target at a higher level than in a city.  If you have multiple locations within a city and want to be relevant to customers - this may be the best option. A district, especially one forming a community within a town or city  
Okrug *Not an option in USA     Roughly "area" "district" or "region" Exists only in Russia
Postal Code 90210 31828   Locations defined for the purpose of sorting the mail  
Prefecture *Not an option in USA 0     Exists only in Japan and Central African Republic
Province *Not an option in USA 0   A principal administrative division of certain countries Exists all over the world outside of the U.S. 
Region Silicon Valley 2     Mostly an option outside of U.S.
State Alaska, United States 51     Not the most useful geo target option
University University of Colorado Boulder 169 To create relevant ads to college students.  This could be useful for any company trying to target this demographic.    

 

At first, geo targets may seem overwhelming, and hopefully our chart helps to clarify some questions you may have about Google’s available Target Types. Ultimately, the regions you target and the customized message you send is up to you. Good luck!

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<p>There are several advanced features in Google Ads that are likely overlooked by most marketers. One of those features is called &ldquo;Geo Ads Customizers,&rdquo;&nbsp; which allows the advertiser to dynamically insert a user&rsquo;s location in the ad copy.&nbsp;</p> <p>This type of feature can be very useful in certain situations. For example, if you own a custom gifts company that has next day shipping to select cities throughout the U.S., it would be beneficial to run a dynamic text ad only to those select locations and include the name of the location in the ad copy. When a user searches for &ldquo;custom gifts&rdquo; and they are in Jackson, Wyoming, for example, the ad could read: &ldquo;Custom Gifts | Next Day Shipping to Jackson | Shop Today.&rdquo; The applications for this technology are vast and will likely improve your click through rate, as your ads are now more relevant to the end consumer.</p> <p>Another example of when this ad type would be useful is if you are a manufacturer and have dealers in many locations throughout the U.S. that you are trying to drive traffic to.&nbsp; You might ask, &ldquo;why not just set up a different ad group with a different location for every dealer throughout the U.S.?&rdquo; The answer is two-fold; one, because if there are more than about a dozen dealers, it can become cumbersome to set up, manage, and optimize all of those ad groups. The other is that Google optimizes better with volume, and grouping fragmented audiences together when applicable can allow for better optimized results in the long run.</p> <h2>Examples and Resources for Setup</h2> <p>Check out&nbsp;<a href="https://metrictheory.com/blog/localize-your-ppc-improve-ctr-with-geo-ad-customizers/" linktype="3" target="_blank">this article from Metric Theory</a> with tips for setting up your geo-targeted campaigns.</p> <p>You can also look at some of Google&rsquo;s resources on ad customizers <a href="https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6072565?hl=en" linktype="3" target="_blank">here</a>.&nbsp;</p> <p>Also, this YouTube video does a great job of explaining how to set up dynamic location insertion, aka geo ad customizers. You can check out the link <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcNr-Jhp7GI" linktype="3" target="_blank">here</a>.&nbsp;</p> <h2>Location Types to Target</h2> <p>Once you get an understanding of how to set up your ad customizers in Google Ads, the next question becomes: which locations do you want use as &ldquo;geo targets&rdquo;? Google gives a pretty extensive list of all the &ldquo;Target Types&rdquo; that you can include in your ads. The list below is taken from <a href="https://developers.google.com/adwords/api/docs/appendix/geotargeting" linktype="3" target="_blank">here</a>.</p> <ul> <li>Airport</li> <li>Autonomous Community *</li> <li>Borough</li> <li>Canton *</li> <li>City *</li> <li>City Region</li> <li>Congressional District *</li> <li>Country *</li> <li>County *</li> <li>Department *</li> <li>District</li> <li>Governorate *</li> <li>Municipality *</li> <li>National Park</li> <li>Neighborhood</li> <li>Okrug</li> <li>Postal Code</li> <li>Prefecture *</li> <li>Province *</li> <li>Region *</li> <li>State *</li> <li>Territory *</li> <li>TV Region *</li> <li>Union Territory *</li> <li>University</li> </ul> <p>*Supported in TargetingIdeaService</p> <p>You may be wondering what some of these terms mean and when you might use them. We made a chart breaking down each location type with examples and short definitions to help you out.&nbsp;</p> <div class="DataTable"> <table border="1" cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <h5>Target Type</h5> </td> <td> <h5>Example Taken From Google&#39;s Active Geo Targets in 2020</h5> </td> <td> <h5>Number in U.S.</h5> </td> <td> <h5>Use Case Examples</h5> </td> <td> <h5>Definition</h5> </td> <td> <h5>Notes</h5> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>Airport</td> <td>O&#39;Hare International Airport</td> <td>173</td> <td>Targeting people traveling at the beginning or end of a trip. &nbsp;Could be useful to catch their attention.</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Autonomous Community</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td>Political and administrative division</td> <td>Used in Spain</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Borough</td> <td>Manhattan, New York</td> <td>23</td> <td>Use alongside neighborhood campaigns</td> <td>An incorporated municipality smaller than a city</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Canton</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td>Used in Switzerland</td> </tr> <tr> <td>City</td> <td>New York, New York</td> <td>16,404</td> <td>Likely one of the most useful geo targets in the United States. &nbsp;This allows marketers to create a very relevant text dynamically around the United States or World. &nbsp;</td> <td>An inhabited place of greater size, population, or importance than a town or village</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> </tr> <tr> <td>City Region</td> <td>South Los Angeles</td> <td>1</td> <td>Not very useful in the U.S.</td> <td>Metropolitan area and hinterland</td> <td>Commonly used in Australia, Pakistan, and other parts of the world.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Congressional District</td> <td>AZ-1,Arizona,United States</td> <td>436</td> <td>Political campaigns</td> <td>an electoral constituency that elects a single member of a congress</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Country</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> </tr> <tr> <td>County</td> <td>Summit County, Colorado</td> <td>3,098</td> <td>Useful alongside City campaigns</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Department&nbsp;</td> <td>*Not an option in USA</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td>Exists only in Bolivia</td> </tr> <tr> <td>District</td> <td>Foggy Bottom, District of Columbia</td> <td>1</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td>An area, region, or section with a distinguishing character</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Governorate</td> <td>*Not an option in USA</td> <td>0</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td>An administrative division of a country.</td> <td>Exists in Egypt, Kuwait, Oman, Lebanon, Jordan, Yemen, Tunisia&nbsp;</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Municipality</td> <td>Leland Township, Michigan, United States</td> <td>128</td> <td>Use alongside &quot;city&quot; campaigns</td> <td>A city or town that has corporate status and local government</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> </tr> <tr> <td>National Park</td> <td>Hawaii Volcanoes National Park</td> <td>57</td> <td>Targeting people interested in outdoors, conservationalists, while they may be vacationing etc.</td> <td>A scenic or historically important area of countryside protected by the federal government for the enjoyment of the general public or the preservation of wildlife</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Neighborhood</td> <td>Pebble Beach, California</td> <td>1,504</td> <td>To target at a higher level than in a city. &nbsp;If you have multiple locations within a city and want to be relevant to customers - this may be the best option.</td> <td>A district, especially one forming a community within a town or city</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Okrug</td> <td>*Not an option in USA</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td>Roughly &quot;area&quot; &quot;district&quot; or &quot;region&quot;</td> <td>Exists only in Russia</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Postal Code</td> <td>90210</td> <td>31828</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td>Locations defined for the purpose of sorting the mail</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Prefecture</td> <td>*Not an option in USA</td> <td>0</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td>Exists only in Japan and Central African Republic</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Province</td> <td>*Not an option in USA</td> <td>0</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td>A principal administrative division of certain countries</td> <td>Exists all over the world outside of the U.S.&nbsp;</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Region</td> <td>Silicon Valley</td> <td>2</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td>Mostly an option outside of U.S.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>State</td> <td>Alaska, United States</td> <td>51</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td>Not the most useful geo target option</td> </tr> <tr> <td>University</td> <td>University of Colorado Boulder</td> <td>169</td> <td>To create relevant ads to college students. &nbsp;This could be useful for any company trying to target this demographic.</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </div> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>At first, geo targets may seem overwhelming, and hopefully our chart helps to clarify some questions you may have about Google&rsquo;s available Target Types. Ultimately, the regions you target and the customized message you send is up to you. Good luck!</p>
/Northwoods-2020/Hero-Images/Hiker-Looking-Out-Over-Mountains.pngHiker Looking Out Over MountainsMost marketers unknowingly overlook several advanced features in Google Ads. Find out if you're one of them here: https://bit.ly/2Q6KfIf @northwoods #GoogleAds #GeoAdCustomizersNorthwoods Team/Northwoods-2020/People/NWS-Bug-Grey.png?ThumbnailNorthwoods logo bughttps://ctt.ac/fevV0<script charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript" src="//js.hsforms.net/forms/embed/v2.js"></script><script>hbspt.forms.create({ region: "na1", portalId: "23630176", formId: "40c5bbae-05a2-42ea-94dd-1662181fd56e" });</script>/Northwoods-2020/Blogs/Social-Media-Cards/Blog---Marketers_-Improve-Your-Google-Ads-CTRs-with-Geo-Ads-Customizers.jpg?LargeMarketers: Improve Your Google Ads CTRs with Geo Ads Customizers2020-08-18T00:00:00/Northwoods-2020/Blogs/Social-Media-Cards/Webinar---Marketers_-Improve-Your-Google-Ads-CTRs-with-Geo-Ads-Customizers.jpg?ThumbnailMarketers: Improve Your Google Ads CTRs with Geo Ads CustomizersMost marketers unknowingly overlook several advanced features in Google Ads. One of those features is called “Geo Ads Customizers,” which allows the advertiser to insert a user’s location in the ad copy dynamically. Read on to learn how Geo Ads Customizers can improve your Google Ad strategy.3621620/People/Northwoods-TeamNorthwoodsTeamYour Trusted Digital Trail Guides<p>For more than 25 years, the digital experts at Northwoods have been helping clients improve their websites, software, and digital strategy and marketing. How can we help you meet your goals?&nbsp;</p> <p><a href="/Northwoods-2020/Services" linktype="2" target="_self">Learn more about our services</a>.</p>Northwoods Team/Northwoods-2020/People/NWS-Bug-Grey.pngAdd-In Type - NWS Data ModulesCategory - NWS Data ModulesCommittee - NWS Data ModulesDivision - NWS Data ModulesEvent Audience - NWS Data ModulesEvent Service - NWS Data ModulesEvent Type - NWS Data ModulesLocality - NWS Data ModulesModule - NWS Data ModulesNWS Data ModulesTopic - NWS Data ModulesPackage Type - NWS Data ModulesPersonID - NWS Data ModulesNorthwoods TeamProductVersion - NWS Data ModulesRecorded Webinar TopicsRegion - NWS Data ModulesSite Display - NWS Data ModulesSkillLevel - NWS Data ModulesTopic - NWS Data ModulesVideoAudience - NWS Data ModulesVideoClassification - NWS Data ModulesVideoStatus - NWS Data ModulesTeamAdd-In Type - NWS Data ModulesCategory - NWS Data ModulesCommittee - NWS Data ModulesDivision - NWS Data ModulesEvent Audience - NWS Data ModulesEvent Service - NWS Data ModulesEvent Type - NWS Data ModulesLocality - NWS Data ModulesModule - NWS Data ModulesNWS Data ModulesTopic - NWS Data ModulesDigital AdvertisingDigital MarketingPackage Type - NWS Data ModulesPersonID - NWS Data ModulesNorthwoods TeamProductVersion - NWS Data ModulesRecorded Webinar TopicsRegion - NWS Data ModulesSite Display - NWS Data ModulesNWS DigitalSkillLevel - NWS Data ModulesTopic - NWS Data ModulesVideoAudience - NWS Data ModulesVideoClassification - NWS Data ModulesVideoStatus - NWS Data Modules02024-02-20T12:35:07.20000