Selecting the right strategy and tactics for your PPC efforts can determine the success or failure of your campaigns. Choosing incorrect targets, settings, goals and not having an all around cohesive geo-targeted strategy can be very costly. In an web-based world we are no longer bound by geographic restrictions to reach our audience. Learning the key elements of geographic targeting can be the key for success. Contact: http://twitter.com/michaelschott http://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelschott

1. Michael Schott | @michaelschott
Director of Online Marketing | OpenEnglish
Where in the world is…
Leveraging Geography for PPC Success

2. 2015 Agenda 2
Agenda
What’s happening today!
• Intro
• Strategic
Overview
• Settings &
Tactics
• Reporting &
Optimization

3. 2015 Intro 3
Intro
Favorite quote: “Can’t manage what you don’t measure”
Worked with brands like:
• Over 9 Years in Performance Digital
Marketing
• Managed campaigns in markets across
US, LATAM, APAC, EMEA
• Passionate about learning & teaching
@michaelschott
www.linkedin.com/in/michaelschott
michael.schott@openenglish.com

4. A Strategic View
Knowing the who, where & what to target

5. Strategy 5
Going Geo & Local
Why should I care about geography for PPC?
What is at risk ?
Reaching the wrong audience
MONEYTIME
&
Follow the 80/20 Rule
20% tactics80% strategy

6. Strategy 6
It’s all about control
Be a Control Freak! Don’t let Google, Facebook or Bing control your targeting!
Selecting the right geographic locations is a key component to the
success of any PPC campaign!
– Audience
• Where is my audience? Where do they hang out?
• The message: Ads, landing pages, website, video…
– Deliver relative content to the users search, whether its
physical or interested in your location
– Cost & Performance
• Optimize you bids & budgets based on location performance
• Demand of your product or service varies
• Control performance per location (ROI)
– Time, Location & Device
• What time zone are they in?
• Operational:
– Call centers in different location than my user,
warehouse for delivery, local stores
• Is my customer mobile & close to my location?

7. Strategy 7
When should I go Geo/Local?
ALWAYS! the question is...
How targeted should I go?
International, Country, State, City, Zip Code?
• Accounts
• Campaigns
• Bid adjustments
• All of the above? A hybrid…
Things to consider:
– Scalability of your account & team
– Type of business
• Where is my customer located?
– Retail store, restaurants, local consulting practice?
– Online: physical or digital product
– Demand for my product/service from one location to another
– Shipping & taxes
– My time zone & customer’s time zone

8. Strategy 8
Types of geographical business:
Quick Examples of Businesses affected by geography!
Local Business
• Restaurants & Food Delivery
• Services: Handyman, Plumbers,
Electricians, Car Wash, Mechanics,
Airports, Doctors, Lawyers
National
• Airlines
• Hotels
• Car Rental
Multinational / International
• Ecommerce
• International brands:
• Coke
• McDonalds or BK
• Large Hotel Chains
• Nike
• Car Companies

9. Strategy 9
Know before you go!
If you aim at nothing you will hit it every time –Zig Ziglar
Research before setting up your Account / campaigns
Common tools of the trade:
• Keyword tool & AdPreview Tool
• Google Trends
• Competitive Tools: iSpionage, SEMRush, Spyfu
Other marketing channels for research:
• Google analytics
• SEO
• Emails
• TV
• Display/programmatic data
• Database or CRM
• AdWords: search query report
• Market research: Addressable market size, competitors, market
penetration & saturation
Ready, Fire, Aim!

10. Strategy 10
Start your keyword research
Google Keyword Tool with & without location settings

11. Strategy 11
Match your KWs with target location
All keywords & locations are not created equal all
Same set of keywords – difference between locations US English vs British English
Ex. in Spanish: Auto, Automovil, Coche, Carro, Vehiculo
Google TrendsGoogle Keyword Planner

12. Strategy 12
Competitive Research
Who am I up against?
• Who is bidding on your keywords?
• What is the keyword overlap?
• Are they competitor local or global?
• Are you missing keywords?
• Are they missing keywords?
Local Search in Miami Local Search in London
https://adwords.google.com/apt/AdPreview

13. Strategy 13
Build local targeted keywords
Expand your keyword list to all target locations…
www.ubersuggest.org
www.ranks.nl/keyword-combinations
www.keywordlizard.com/
www.wordstream.com/keyword-generator
www.keywordmachine.com/

14. A Tactical View
Tips, Tricks & Best Practices

15. Tactical 15
Choosing An Account Structure
Start from the top
Is the business local today…How about 5
years from now?
Risks of a poor account structure:
• Lose historical data
• Lose performance (QS, History, CTR)
• Control the message
• High cost of restructure
• Management of accounts
PRO CONS
• Local Messaging,
Ads, Landing Pages,
Keywords
• Scalability
• Performance &
Efficiency
• Goals & ROI
• Data loss & shared
across different
accounts or
campaigns
• Same message for
everyone
• Generic keywords
• Team or one
person: A lot of
work
Ideal structure for local business

16. Tactical 16
Choosing An Account Structure
Start with an account today but plan for tomorrow…
Go fully international, an account by country?
Benefits:
• Granularity
• Better Control of targeting, message,
business units & P&Ls
• Need more hands on deck for
management
• Complexity
Naming Conventions
USA-Fl-MIA-GSN-Brand
• brand
• brand +1
USA-Fl-MIA-GSN-NB-RunningShoes
• running shoes
• mens running shoes
• women running shoes
• track running shoes

17. Tactical 17
Campaign settings - Adwords
Best practices will depend on your business…
In Adwords
Location & Language Targeting are required
How is location determined by Google?
• Domain TLD (Top-Level Domain) Extension
• Google.com vs Google.co.uk
• Users query: location + or + location / Previous Queries
• IP Address
• GPS, WIFI
• Cell Tower
• Mobile IP Address

18. Tactical 18
Campaign settings - AdWords
Best practices will depend on your business…
Main differences between settings
Things to consider:
• DO NOT LEAVE default settings
(recommended)
• Use exclusions to avoid overlap
depending on account structure
Campaign for Florida: Exclude Miami from campaign
Campaign for Miami: Exclude the rest of Florida, USA, Other Cities
Campaign for All Florida: Use bid modifiers to adjust your locations
Strategic Decision
up to your needs
1
2

19. Tactical 19
Setting the account up
Choose your locations - Advanced
There are three choices you
can click on for each
location:
Add (adds the location of
your intended target)
Exclude (prevent your ads
from showing to this location)
Nearby (generates a list of
nearby regions that you
might consider adding.)

20. Tactical 20
Setting the account up
Choose your locations - Advanced
There are three choices you
can click for location groups:
Places of Interest (airports,
universities, central
commercial areas)
Demographics (based on
income)
My Locations (Target ads
around your location feed.)

21. Tactical 21
Setting the account up
Choose your locations - Advanced
Bulk locations are very
valuable if you have a
database of current
customers
Pair online effort with OOH,
Magazine distributions,
Flyers or via an API

22. Tactical 22
Campaign settings - Facebook
Location settings on Facebook
Differences between Facebook & Google
• Homes or most recent location
• Home within location
• People who are around the area
• Traveling to selected area

23. Geo-targeted Ad Extensions
Ad Extensions will help with geotargeted relevancy
23Tactical
Location Extensions: specific retail locations
Call Extensions: Click to Call your location

24. Ad Extensions – Customize for localization
Ad Extensions that can be adjusted to location
Review: specific retail location & services
Call Outs: product offers, product highlights
Structured Snippets: events, amenities, products
Sitelinks: Different landing pages per location
24Tactical

25. Reporting & Optimization
Building a well oiled machine

26. Reporting - Dimensions
Ahhh, the good old days of dimensions
26Reporting & Optimization

27. Use AdWords Reports
Not a fan of Excel? Use Pivots in Adwords
27Reporting & Optimization

28. Create your own dashboards
Adwords has some nice graphs but not enough!
28Reporting & Optimization

29. Use Outside Help!
Use external tools if possible – SEM Management, BI & Visualization
29Reporting & Optimization

30. Bidding Adjustments
Location Bid Adjustment
30Reporting & Optimization

31. It’s not all about the platforms!
External factors are equally as important

32. Aside from settings
Key components to a successful geo-targeted campaign
• Geo-Specific Website &/or Landing Pages :
– TDL domain
– Keywords on URL
– Have a map on the page
– Hours of operation
– Driving Directions
– Local images: city skyline, key landmarks
– Copy about the location
– Coding: Title Tags, Meta Descriptions & hreflang
• Language & copy
– Ad Copy
– CTA: Come visit us, Come by today, Join us
– Geo keywords, local vernacular
– Testimonials & Reviews
– Local offers
– Currency
• GDN / display banners with local copy & images
32Supporting Roles
And the supporting
role goes to…
Higher Quality Score & User Experience

33. Conclusion 33
Conclusion
Tailor you campaigns, settings & ads to your business
Prepare & Set
• Set right structure
• Attention to detail on
settings
• Start with a baseline
Optimize & Bids
• Identify locations
with better
conversions
• Combine device &
location to maximize
reach
• Test, Test & Test
Research
• Know who & where to
target
• Who am I up against
• Find opportunities
Outside of
Publishers
• Landing Pages &
Websites
• The right message
• Make it relevant to
each location