Google Ads needs no introduction. It’s the first name on your GTM plan team sheet, every time, your go-to channel for generating leads, locally or internationally.
All of us performance marketers have heard the famous phrase about reaching “the right people, in the right place, and at the right time”. However, how you approach these people is an important question to answer as well.
According to recent data, 60% of all Google searches now result in zero clicks—meaning users find answers directly in search results without visiting a website. With the rise of AI Overviews and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), ensuring your content appears in localized search results in native languages has become more critical than ever. Users expect immediate, relevant answers in their preferred language.
In this post, we'll help you capture this growing multilingual audience, by effectively mastering the Google Ads localization process for your team.
Quick takeaways for Google Ads localization success:
It’s simple. By localizing your Google Ads, you can:
Let’s look at some examples.
Cryptocurrency search in Sweden – more than 3x higher search volume in native language:
Travel insurance in Spain – more than 4 x higher search volume in native language:
And it's not just about the B2C segment:
Collaboration tools in France – 17x higher search volume and noticeably lower estimated bid:
Now that you have the proof, let’s get you started right away.
Start by analyzing markets that already show organic demand for your product or service.
Before starting off in a new market, conducting proper research is essential.
Start by reviewing which markets are already working for you. Check the current purchasing behavior for a specific market (conversion rates, total revenues), search intent, and traffic volumes to identify the existing market’s potential. This is where localization could bring new qualified volumes because demand for your product or service is there already.
Next, use Google Market Finder – it is a great tool to explore new markets further. Besides insights to help narrow down which markets to target, there are a lot of tips around operational topics you may want to consider.
Last but not least, perform competitor analysis. There are different players involved in different markets – and you want to know everything about them.
Create native keyword lists from scratch using local search behavior data, rather than translating your English keywords.
Localizing keywords into the native language of the markets you want to target is tricky. A straight translation of the full keyword lists won’t work for multiple reasons:
A proper localized keywords research is important for both – paid search and international seo. So, spend some time carefully reviewing your approach as it would benefit both channels.
Start by translating only the top volume keywords. Then, use them to build your unique list of localized keywords for a selected market with the tools that are meant for this purpose:
Traditional keyword research tools:
AI-powered keyword research tools:
Modern AI tools have transformed keyword research by analyzing search patterns, user intent, and semantic relationships at scale. Consider using:
Pro tip: Combine AI suggestions with traditional tools. Use AI to generate a broad list of keyword ideas based on cultural context, then validate search volume and competition using Google Keyword Planner. This hybrid approach catches opportunities that purely manual research might miss.
If you were targeting your campaign to the selected markets already, you may also want to check your search terms report. Even if there were only English keywords in place previously, the actual search terms may include localized keywords as well.
Lastly, perform a sample search in the local Google engine and look for related searches to enrich your list. Pay special attention to Google's "People Also Ask" sections and auto-complete suggestions, which reflect real user search patterns in that market.
Build and maintain a comprehensive negative keyword list in each target language to prevent wasted ad spend on irrelevant searches.
As the old saying goes: “One key to a highly targeted campaign is choosing what not to target.” Negative keywords let you exclude irrelevant searches from your campaigns, so you only spend money on keywords that matter.
First, translate irrelevant terms that you want to exclude in all languages. You can easily use machine translation to perform this task – it’s fast and cheap (or even free).
Then continue topping up your list of negatives whilst you build your keyword list (using tools mentioned in the point above) – you’ll always find new irrelevant terms in the new market on the way.
Bear in mind that you need to add all the different versions of an irrelevant term, including:
Negative keywords require a regular update, so your localized campaign’s search terms report is something to keep a close eye on.
Performance Max (PMax) campaigns use AI to automatically optimize ad delivery across all Google channels—Search, Display, YouTube, Discover, Gmail, and Maps—making them ideal for testing localized campaigns at scale.
Performance Max campaigns have become the go-to solution for advertisers looking to maximize reach across Google's entire advertising ecosystem. Unlike traditional Search or Display campaigns, PMax uses Google's AI to automatically serve your ads across all available channels based on performance signals.
For localization, this means:
Best practices for localized Performance Max campaigns:
When to use Dynamic Search Ads (DSAs) instead:
Dynamic Search Ads remain useful for specific use cases. All you need is – at least 1 localized landing page, and a couple of description lines to get you started.
DSAs work best when:
There are just two key things to keep in mind:
Localize every visible asset—not just ads and landing pages, but also sitelinks, callouts, price extensions, structured snippets, and image captions.
It may sound too obvious to mention, but too often I have seen advertisers only translating the key ad elements. Landing pages, ad copies, but also sitelinks, callouts, price extensions – are all part of a successful Google Ads localization strategy. Make sure you localize them all to maximize the performance of your campaign.
Don't forget to localize:
Translation quality improves dramatically when translators understand where and how text will be used—provide screenshots, character limits, tone guidelines, and campaign objectives.
Translation quality matters, and there is nothing more important in improving the quality than providing the right context to your translation team.
Going back and forth with translations in multiple languages to explain the intended meaning is a common pain point. Missing contextual details is the primary challenge when you have to address multiple questions – from different meanings for the same word, to where and how these phrases will be used together, etc.
Lokalise offers a variety of different options to provide context measures. The crucial point to note is that you only need to provide these once, and all the translators working on different languages will have access to them. This means you won't have to answer the same question repeatedly and get stuck in going back and forth over multiple emails or files (even thinking about spreadsheets gives me creeps) for every single language.
Here are those that would be relevant for Google ads:
Visual context is often considered the most important type of context because it provides additional information that cannot be conveyed through words alone. This way translators can gain a better understanding of the intended meaning, and in return – you get better copy to run in your campaigns.
Transcreation blends translation, creativity, and copywriting to recreate marketing messages that resonate culturally while maintaining campaign objectives.
How to make sure the original copy resonates in different languages? Especially when it comes to staying within very strict character limits and still keeping the main campaign’s goals in mind? Transcreation helps exactly with that. In simple terms it is a mixture of translation, creation and copywriting.
Transcreation is more flexible, allowing translators (or transcreators) more play with the message than literal translation would allow.
Overall for advertising localization oftentimes it is about approaching a new market not with a translated copy, but with a recreated copy from scratch. There are just too many aspects to consider – from cultural to business, with new offerings, currencies, and different buying decisions.
Let’s look at Amazon ads in the UK and the Netherlands.
They both use “low prices and large selection” in their headline, though in a different order. Plus, each ad focuses on location specific delivery services and offers.
Communication styles, types of offers, and even call to actions work very differently in different markets, so you want to take your marketing localization strategy very seriously.
Having worked with brands from various verticals, travel, beauty, fashion, mobile apps, and many others, I have seen all-inclusive offers work best for one market vs. a variety of activities for another, or free delivery for one vs. a new collection for another. Even low prices may sound good in one market, but indicate a low quality in another.
Listen to local experts, keep researching and testing to find the best approach to the new market you enter.
Give translators flexibility to adapt copy length while maintaining the core message—and leverage AI tools like Lokalise AI to automatically shorten translations that exceed character limits.
This links to the above point, but does require separate attention. Staying within the character limit for headlines, descriptions, and callouts is already a challenge for an English copy. Translating the copy into Spanish, French or German may lead to further 20%-35% text expansion.
The advice here would be to give translators the freedom to change the copy or recreate the copy, but so that it still delivers the whole ad’s objective.
Let’s look at an example.
[ENG] Free next day delivery – 22 characters
[SP] Entrega gratuita al día siguiente – 33 characters
[SP] Entrega gratis en menos de 24h – 30 characters (Free delivery in less than 24h)
Request back translation (translating localized text back to the source language) whenever translators significantly modify copy to ensure the core message remains intact.
Whether it is about staying within the character limits or simply recreating the copy to better resonate with the audience – ask for back translation. This will ensure the new copy still delivers the right message and is not misleading. Below is a good example when it did not work – “less development” is not exactly the same as “less work for developers”, right?
Create and maintain a glossary of brand terms, product names, industry jargon, and target keywords to ensure consistency across all localized campaigns.
A glossary is a list of commonly used terms, their definitions, and their translations. Typically, these include your brand or company-specific words or phrases, industry terms, non-translatables, abbreviations. For Google Ads, that may also include specific keywords that you want to target, and hence cover in your copies.
Building glossaries right from the start will save you a lot of time in the long run.
Create dedicated campaigns for each target language to ensure ad copy and keywords are properly matched—never mix languages within a single campaign.
With Google Ads, you can target one, multiple, or all languages in a single campaign. Besides migration and historical reasons, as global economic and cultural integration increases, we see more multiple languages spoken within a single country’s borders.
It is important to note that Google would not select your localized copy automatically, so you have to organize campaigns by languages, and there are also certain tests you may consider to implement.
Let’s take Switzerland as an example – you would have 3 campaigns, each targeting a different language.
Each running ads and keywords in their corresponding language. If you try to mix all 3 languages – your German ad might get served to a user that speaks Italian and vice versa. So, it’s a big no-no.
If your ads and overall approach does not differ between German in Switzerland and German in Germany, you may consider targeting both markets in the same campaign. This would help simplify the account structure and it’s definitely worth testing.
You may also test native vs. English ads for other languages spoken in the country.
For example, although German is the official language of Germany, there are many different other languages spoken in the country. If you are targeting this market, but have no resources to localize your keywords and ads in all the different languages, here is the idea to test.
It is obviously not ideal, but – better than nothing.
For keywords that are commonly used in English even in non-English markets (like "crypto" or "app"), run A/B tests comparing English ads against native language ads to determine which performs better.
Which ads to serve for a “crypto” search in Sweden (that by the way has higher search volume than its local version – “kryptovaluta”)? The answer is – test. Add these keywords to a separate campaign and test English vs. a native ad copy to see which works better. As simple as that.
What’s the best way to efficiently manage translations for my ad copy and landing pages?
Use a translation management system. Besides creating a single source of truth for all your translated content, you would also get access to all the tools to improve quality and productivity – from context sharing and translation memories, and more.
Use a professional translation service to ensure accurate translations. Professional translators have the expertise and cultural knowledge to effectively adapt the copy.
Have native speakers review translations to ensure they accurately convey the intended message.
What are some common mistakes to avoid when localizing Google Ads?
Failing to research the target audience: audience's language, culture, and preferences to ensure ad relevance and effectiveness.
Translating too literally. This can result in the loss of the original meaning and lost opportunities. For example, a clever play on words in the original language may not translate literally, but a skilled translator could come up with a creative alternative.
How do I approach multilingual markets where multiple languages are spoken in the same location?
Dedicate an individual campaign to an individual language. E.g. If you are targeting Canada, you would want to create 1 campaign targeting Canada in English and a separate campaign for Canada targeting French. Do not combine languages and ad copies in different languages in the same campaign.
How do I handle customer support and inquiries in different languages and cultures?
Use automated real-time chat translation and create a multilingual knowledge base.
Author
Since 2007, Inga has established herself as a versatile and accomplished marketer with extensive experience in working with prestigious global brands like Estee Lauder Group, Bulgari, Jimmy Choo, Silversea Cruises, and Shutterstock. Her career began in digital marketing agency, where she led teams of digital marketers with a primary focus on paid media.
In 2019, Inga joined Lokalise, broadening her expertise to encompass various marketing disciplines, including product, content, email, customer marketing, and brand strategy. Despite her expanded role, her passion remains rooted in performance marketing, demand generation, and account-based marketing (ABM).
As a full-scope digital marketer, Inga believes in the power of integrated strategies—no single tactic can achieve miracles. Her success is defined by the synergy of all marketing efforts working harmoniously. She is Demandbase certified and holds over 15 years of experience across platforms such as Google Ads, Meta, LinkedIn, Taboola, Reddit, and Quora, making her our reliable sidekick in taming the wild world of multi-channel campaigns—think of her as the friendly neighborhood marketer!
Based in Riga, Latvia, Inga is a devoted mother to three children and a dog. She enjoys traveling with her family and hosting gatherings for friends and loved ones.
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