Setting your language targeting ensures your ads are shown to potential customers who use Google products and visit websites in the languages they understand. This is critical for making your ad copy relevant.

Language targeting is managed at the Campaign level.

Step-by-Step Guide to Changing Language Targeting

Step 1: Navigate to Campaign Settings

1. Sign in to your Google Ads account.

2. In the left-hand navigation menu, click Campaigns and select the specific campaign you want to modify.

3. Click Settings.next to the campaigns

Step 2: Access the Language Section

1. On the Settings page, scroll down until you find the Languages section and click it.

Step 3: Add or Remove Languages

1. In the search box, start typing the name of the language you want to target (e.g., English, German, Polish).

2. To Target a Language: Select the language from the dropdown list and click the check box next to it.

3. To Remove a Language: If a language is already listed, click the ‘x’ next to its name to remove it.

Step 4: Save the Changes

1. Once you have selected all the languages you want to target, click the Save button.

Expert Notes and Advice

1. Language Alignment is Crucial

• You should always ensure that the languages you select for targeting match the language of your ad copy and your landing page.

• Example: If your ad copy and landing page are in English, your language targeting should be set to English (and any other languages that you have correctly translated ads for). Targeting a German-speaking user with an English ad can harm your Quality Score and conversion rate if the user doesn’t comfortably speak English.

2. How Google Detects Language

Google does not rely only on the language of the search query. For the Search Network, Google uses multiple signals to determine a user’s language, including:

• The user’s Google Account settings.

• The user’s browser settings.

• The user’s recent search and browsing history.

• Impact: A user who is in the UK and searches in English might still see an ad targeting Spanish if their browser is set to Spanish and they regularly interact with Spanish-language content.

3. The “All Languages” Option

• In the past, many advertisers were told to target only the language of their ads. However, some experienced marketers now recommend leaving the targeting set to “All languages” if you have confidence in your keyword targeting and are running automated bidding (like Target CPA).

• Google’s AI has become very good at predicting language understanding. Setting it to “All languages” prevents you from missing out on a valuable conversion simply because a bilingual user’s browser setting was set to a secondary language. Test this carefully in your own campaign!