Using Different Languages on Google Adwords

Printer-friendly version

In a recent campaign, I was working with a group that really wanted to push their Google Adwords campaign to an international level. This raised many questions about how Google works in different countries, especially when it comes to what language is displayed and if you need to type your own advertisement in the local language (or if Google will translate it for you). One thing that came up in our conversations was about ex-patriots in other countries. For example, if an American is resides in China, how do you make sure they see English? And then on the flipside, if someone who reads Chinese is searching Google in China, are they going to see your advertisement if it is in English?

Here are some answers to some of those questions, in case anyone else is curious:

1) Does Google translate your advertisements for you if you mark a country with a different language? The answer is no. If you want your advertisement to display in Chinese, then you need to type it in Chinese. Chinese is an interesting example, because it actually takes different characters, so I'll just tell you that Google Adwords accepts simplified and traditional Chinese. This probably seems obvious, but I just thought I would note that this means that if you are advertising in China and using English, you are only reaching people searching in English. That would be a much smaller market than you might have thought when you added 'China' to your geographic coverage. The same goes for any other country and whatever language they are speaking.

2) Can you type your advertisement in a different language? You probably figured out the answer from the previous question, but the answer is yes. Be sure to select that you are targeting a different language in the Google Adwords interface though. If you do want to target an international group though, this can be a great opportunity for you. As far as I can tell, competition for Adwords is lower on the international scene and therefore should be cheaper for you. And of course, your audience should appreciate your advertisement displaying in their native language. Just make sure your advertisement makes sense in that language!