How Can MSPs Running Google Ads Stop Ads From Showing in Other Countries?
Key Points
- Google Ads can be an extremely effective way to reach new customers and grow your business. Like any tool, it needs to be used correctly.
- Excluding countries and states is an important way to focus your advertising spending and ensure that you're only targeting customers who are likely to convert.
- When creating a new campaign, exclude any countries or states you don't want to target.
As an MSP, targeting and excluding locations in Google Ads is a valuable tool that allows you to direct your ads and budget toward the users you want to reach. Just targeting a specific country could still result in unwanted traffic from other sources, especially if you use location targeting options that permit it.
Advanced Location Targeting
Advanced location options in Google Ads give you more control over who sees your ads. You can target ads to specific cities, towns, countries, and even zip codes. You can also choose to exclude certain locations from seeing your ads. This can be a useful tool to direct your ads and budget towards areas that are more likely to result in conversions.
How Do I Know Where My Google Ads Are Showing?
Is there a way to see where your ads are being served? Yes! Just select locations on the left-hand menu of the Google Ads console and choose the geographic report you want from the drop-down menu above the world map. You'll be able to see where your ads are being served and their corresponding CTRs and conversion rates. This data is vital in understanding your customers and determining which markets are most responsive to your ads.
The geographic report shows you where your ad impressions, clicks, and spending are coming from on a country level. The user location report goes into more detail, showing your ads' performance on a state or province level. If you want to see even more detailed information, you can select the user location report and click on the "view by city" option. This will give you a breakdown of your ad performance on a city level.
Can I Exclude Certain Locations From Seeing My Ads?
You can exclude specific locations from seeing your ads if you don't want to target them. For example, you may wish to exclude locations that are irrelevant to your business or have a low likelihood of conversion. To do this, simply select the "exclude" option when choosing your locations in the Google Ads console. You can also target or exclude specific zip codes, areas, or points of interest. To do this, select the "advanced search" option when choosing your locations in the Google Ads console. This will allow you to enter specific locations you want to target or exclude.
The following list of countries available for targeting in Google Ads can assist you in rapidly setting up targeting or exclusion of countries en masse to ensure you're getting the most out of your PPC paid search investment.
List of All World Countries MSPs Can Target in Google Ads
Here is a list of all the countries that you can target with your ads:
- Albania
- Afghanistan
- Algeria
- American Samoa
- Andorra
- Angola
- Anguilla
- Antarctica
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Bahamas
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Barbados
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Belize
- Benin
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Brazil
- The British Virgin Islands
- Brunei Darussalam
- Bulgaria
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Canada
- Cape Verde
- The Central African Republic
- Chad
- Chile
- China
- Taiwan
- Christmas Island
- Cocos Islands
- Colombia
- Comoros
- Congo-Brazzaville
- Congo-Kinshasa
- Cook Islands
- Costa Rica
- Cote d'Ivoire
- Croatia
- Cuba
- Cyprus
- Czechia
- Denmark
- Djibouti
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- El Salvador
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Estonia
- Ethiopia
- Falkland Islands
- Federated States of Micronesia
- Fiji
- Finland
- France
- French Guiana
- French Polynesia
- Gabon
- The Gambia
- Georgia
- Germany
- Ghana
- Greece
- Greenland
- Grenada
- Guadeloupe
- Guam
- Guatemala
- Guinea
- Guinea Bissau
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Hungary
- Iceland
- India
- Indonesia
- Iraq
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Jamaica
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Kiribati
- Kosovo
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Macedonia
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mali
- Malta
- Martinique
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Micronesia
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Myanmar
- Namibia
- Nauru
- Nepal
- Netherlands
- New Caledonia
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Niue
- Norfolk Island
- Norway
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Palau
- Palestine
- Panama
- Papua New Guinea
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Qatar
- Romania
- Russia
- Rwanda
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Samoa
- San Marino
- São Tomé and Príncipe
- Saudi Arabia
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Solomon Islands
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sri Lanka
- St. Vincent and the Grenadines
- Suriname
- Svalbard and Jan Mayen
- Swaziland
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- United Arab Emirates
- Togo
- Tonga
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Turkmenistan
- Tuvalu
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Uruguay
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
- Vatican City
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
- Wallis and Futuna Islands
- Western Sahara
- Yemen
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Need to Know: You can use this same strategy for states to ensure your ads only show to people within your local targeting.
List of All States MSPs Can Target in Google Ads
Here is a list of all the states that you can target with your ads:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia, United States
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Need To Know: If you write "Georgia" as a single word, it will come up as the country Georgia. To avoid this, use "Georgia, United States" so that you are clearly referring to the state in the U.S.
Using Negative Keywords in Your Google Ads Campaign
Negative keywords are a vital part of any PPC campaign, and Google Ads is no different. Negative keywords help you avoid showing your ads to people who are not likely to convert, saving you money. You can use negative keywords to prevent your ads from appearing in specific states. This will help you to avoid irrelevant clicks and boost your campaign's performance.
Need To Know: Only exclude searches that contain state names, using double quotations for two-word state names.
Here is a list of all the states that you can use as negative keywords in your Google Ads campaign:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- "New Hampshire"
- "New Jersey"
- "New Mexico"
- "New York"
- "North Carolina"
- "North Dakota"
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- "Rhode Island"
- "South Carolina"
- "South Dakota"
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- "West Virginia"
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
State Abbreviations in Google Ads
You don't have to include all state abbreviations in your Google Ads campaign if you're not targeting all 50 states. You can use Google Ads to target ads specifically to certain states. However, if you want to avoid targeting people outside of your intended area, you can add negative keywords for states you don't want your ad shown.
Need To Know: Some state abbreviations are more common than others, and you may want to consider adding negative keywords for these. For example, "IN" and "OR" are both common words, so including them as negative keywords will prevent your ad from showing up for phrases like "Managed IT Services "IN" Nashville. Therefore, those abbreviations are not included in the list below.
Here is a list of all state abbreviations and how they should be used in Google Ads campaigns:
- AL
- AK
- AZ
- AR
- CA
- CO
- CT
- DE
- FL
- GA
- HI
- ID
- IL
- IA
- KS
- KY
- LA
- ME
- MD
- MA
- MI
- MN
- MS
- MO
- MT
- NE
- NV
- NH
- NJ
- NM
- NY
- NC
- ND
- OH
- PA
- RI
- SC
- SD
- TN
- TX
- UT
- VT
- VA
- WA
- WV
- WI
- WY
Wrapping Up
When using broad match types, remember that your ads may be shown to users who are not relevant to your campaign. To avoid wasting your budget on irrelevant clicks, monitor the locations where your ads are being shown, and clicks are coming from. Only target locations that perform well for your campaign.
At Ulistic, we love helping our clients with their Google Ads campaigns. Why worry about this when we can just take care of it for you? Contact us today to get started!
| 
