Should You Run Non-English Language Ads in Google Ads?

Hey all, I’m back with another blog post in our Google Ads series, this time about Keywords in alternate languages. Placing ads in any language besides english can be quite difficult but also highly beneficial depending on your situation. Just to create them, you either need to be fluent in the target language or have a good translator that can select keywords and write your ads and landing page for you. This step is crucial because people will be turned away by the ad if your phrasing isn’t grammatically correct and your language isn’t in the correct local dialect. But alternate languages can help a company expand into new markets, both domestically and internationally. The Google Ads platform works extremely well placing ads in other languages, so if done correctly, alternate language ads can bring additional customers to your company or brand.
 

Getting Started

Getting started with ads in another language is as simple as starting a new ad campaign. As you go through the customization options, simply pick which language you want to target. Note: it is highly beneficial to only have one language selected per campaign you are running. This is because you want to have the option to compare the target language ads against English ones, or even against ads in an entirely different language.
 

Strategies

Strategies with alternate language ads will vary largely by country and language, but there are a few things to do that help. First of all, if there are English speakers in the area you are targeting, it is good to run an English campaign in addition to the target language. Then, you can compare the two and see how one performs compared to the other, which can help you refine your strategy.
Another thing to keep in mind is that your alternate language ads need to redirect to a corresponding landing page in the matching language. If you are an English speaker, and clicked on an ad that took you to a landing page in Chinese, you would immediately click away. This is no different for users who speak other languages. It is not necessary to build an entire website in the target language, but having a landing page and a path to conversion in the language is a must. Another consideration is to build 5 or 10 pages in the target language to answer some of the main questions a user might have.
 

To Use Or Not To Use?

Despite the great native support in Google Ads, ad campaigns in other languages are very situational in their usage. It all depends on how easy it will be to translate your content, your website situation, as well as your potential customer base. Even if your product is only sold in the United States, there are many people who either don’t speak English or are more likely to click on an ad in their native language. Alternate language ads can be labor intensive to create, but there is also a huge potential benefit for this work.