Expanding your Google Ads campaigns to international markets sounds exciting – until you realize just how many settings can make or break your results.
If you assume that what works in your home country will work everywhere, think again. From currency mismatches to targeting mishaps, international PPC comes with a unique set of challenges.
To avoid costly mistakes, here are the key Google Ads settings you need to check before launching or optimizing an international campaign.
1. Location Targeting: Are You Reaching The Right Audience?
This may seem like a no-brainer, but many advertisers forget to refine location settings properly.
By default, Google Ads includes users who “show interest in” a location – meaning people outside your target country might see your ads.
What to do: Change your location targeting to “Presence: People in or regularly in your targeted locations” if you only want to reach users physically present in your chosen market. This helps avoid wasting spend on irrelevant clicks.
2. Ad Scheduling: Does It Align With Local Time Zones?
Your ad schedule may be perfectly optimized for your home market, but time zones shift everything when running internationally.
What’s peak conversion time in New York might be the middle of the night in Paris.
What to do: Set your ad schedule based on the local time zone of the targeted market, ensuring your ads run during business hours or when your audience is most active.
Another best practice is to keep your international PPC campaigns in their own ad account, which can be nested underneath an MCC account.
That way, you can set your time zone at the local time zone at the account level and not have to do complicated time zone conversions if they were to all be in the same ad account.
Trust me, a separate ad account will save you so much time in the long run!
3. Currency And Conversion Tracking: Are Your Numbers Making Sense?
Imagine checking your return on ad spend (ROAS) and thinking you’re crushing it, only to realize later that you’ve been calculating revenue in USD while spending in GBP. Ouch.
What to do: Make sure your Google Ads billing currency matches your reporting metrics. Also, confirm that your conversion values reflect the correct currency to avoid misleading performance insights.
This is another case in point for having a separate Google Ads account for international PPC campaigns, instead of housing every campaign under one ad account.
4. Language Settings: Are Your Ads Reaching The Right Speakers?
Google’s language targeting doesn’t translate your ads. It only determines who sees them based on their browser settings.
If you’re targeting users in Spain but only using English keywords, you’re missing a huge chunk of potential customers.
What to do: Set up separate campaigns for different languages within a region, using properly localized ad copy and keywords that match how people search.
5. Keyword Match Types: Are They Performing Well Across Markets?
Search behavior varies by country. A broad match keyword that works in the U.S. might trigger irrelevant searches in Germany. Even worse, direct translations of keywords can change meaning entirely.
What to do: Research local search behavior before deciding on match types. Use exact and phrase match strategically to control spend in new markets, and analyze search term reports frequently.
Have a solid negative keyword strategy in place at the start to mitigate any keyword match types going rogue.
6. Bidding Strategies: Are They Aligned With Market Conditions?
Bidding strategies that work in one country might not translate well to another due to competition levels, cost-per-click (CPC) differences, and conversion rates.
For example, say you’re using a Target Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) bid strategy for your United States campaigns, and the CPA is set at $50.
It would be unwise to set that same CPA target on international PPC campaigns without knowing purchase behaviors in the region you’re targeting.
There may be less competition in those areas, so you may want to start with a lower CPA target to avoid overspending.
What to do: Start with manual or “Maximize Clicks” to understand market dynamics before switching to automated bidding.
If using Smart Bidding, give the algorithm time to learn and adjust based on local performance trends. Understanding your international markets is key when getting started with Smart Bidding.
7. Product Feed Optimization: Is Your Shopping Feed Localized?
For Google Shopping campaigns, simply adding a product feed to a new country isn’t enough.
Product titles, descriptions, and even pricing can impact how well your ads perform.
But localization goes beyond just translation – it’s about using the terminology and structure that aligns with how local shoppers search.
For example, a “sneaker” in the U.S. is a “trainer” in the UK, and European shoppers may prioritize brand and material in product titles more than U.S. shoppers do.
Additionally, some countries have strict rules on tax and shipping display, meaning incorrect settings could lead to product disapprovals.
What to do: Optimize product feeds for each country you plan to run ads in. Ensure titles use local terms, pricing is in the correct currency, and required attributes (such as tax settings) are properly configured.
Also, check product imagery. Some countries have cultural sensitivities that may affect what’s acceptable to showcase.
8. Regulatory And Compliance Settings: Are You Following Local Laws?
Different countries have unique regulations for digital advertising, from GDPR in the EU to stricter ad policies in regions like China. Violating these can not only get your ads disapproved but could also lead to legal trouble.
For example, the EU’s GDPR rules require explicit user consent for data collection, meaning that cookie-based remarketing might require additional compliance measures.
Meanwhile, certain industries, like finance or healthcare, have extra advertising restrictions in countries like Canada and Australia.
What to do: Familiarize yourself with country-specific regulations and ensure your ads, landing pages, and data collection methods comply.
Google may also restrict certain industries or ad types in specific markets. Google’s advertising policies page is a good place to start, but consulting a legal expert in your target market is even better.
9. Payment Methods: Are You Aware Of Billing Differences?
Google Ads billing methods vary by country, and some regions have restrictions on payment types.
Not all credit cards or invoicing options available in the United States work in other countries.
This account setting is yet another reason why you should consider a separate Google Ads account per region that you plan to run ads in.
What to do: Before launching, check Google Ads’ payment options for each country and ensure your billing setup won’t disrupt your campaigns (if running international ads in the same account).
10. Audience Targeting: Are You Using The Right Signals?
Your U.S. audience lists might not translate well internationally due to differences in customer behavior and market dynamics.
If you’re using imported lookalike audiences or U.S.-based remarketing lists, they may underperform because user intent differs significantly between markets.
For example, an in-market audience for “luxury watches” in the U.S. may skew toward younger professionals. Whereas in Japan, that same audience might lean more toward older, high-income shoppers.
What to do: Build new audience lists for each market rather than relying on U.S.-based data.
Use Google’s audience insights to refine targeting based on regional behavior and test performance before scaling.
11. Ad Copy And Ad Assets: Have You Adjusted For Cultural Nuances?
A direct translation of your ad copy isn’t enough; cultural differences impact how messages resonate.
A phrase that works in one country could come across as awkward, or even offensive, elsewhere.
For instance, humor that performs well in U.S. ads may not have the same impact in Germany, where direct and factual messaging tends to work better.
Similarly, a “limited-time offer” urgency tactic in Japan could feel too aggressive, as consumers there often value trust and relationships over hard selling.
What to do: Localize your ad copy beyond just translation. Adapt messaging to fit local customs, humor, and expectations. Also, check that ad assets (like callouts or structured snippets) make sense in the market.
12. Competitive Analysis: Are Your Benchmarks Realistic?
While this may not be a direct Google Ads setting, I felt it was worth including because competitive analysis is crucial when launching in new markets.
CPCs, conversion rates, and ad competition vary significantly by country. If you assume costs and performance will mirror your home market, you might be in for a surprise.
What to do: Use tools like Google Ads Auction Insights, industry benchmarks, and other competitor analysis tools to set realistic expectations for performance in each country.
13. Landing Pages: Are They Properly Localized?
Again, this isn’t a Google Ads setting to check, but because your ads have to go to some sort of landing page, this is another crucial check before launching your international PPC campaigns.
Sending international users to a generic English landing page (or worse, an untranslated one) is a surefire way to tank conversion rates.
Even if the international region you’re targeting is an English-speaking country, they still may use localized language or phrases different from the United States.
What to do: Ensure landing pages are fully localized with correct language, currency, cultural references, and legal disclaimers. Even small details like using “shopping cart” vs. “basket” can impact conversion rates.
Get The Details Right Before Scaling
Running Google Ads internationally is more than just expanding targeting. It requires a deep understanding of regional differences in search behavior, competition, and user expectations.
A small oversight in settings can drain budgets fast, so double-checking these key areas ensures your campaigns run smoothly.
With the right approach, international PPC campaigns can unlock massive growth potential.
Just make sure Google Ads isn’t working against you because of pre-applied settings that don’t align with your new market.
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