"Will it play in Peoria?" is an old saw meaning, how will an ad, song, politician appeal to mainstream America? (Peoria, by the way, is in central Illinois.) Chances are, ads for a Manhattan pizzeria would play poorly there, hence, geographic targeting (or geotargeting) in paid search. As Bing Ads describes on its blog, geotargeting is a key feature on ad platforms that allows you to show your ads (or not show them) in specific regions, helping you optimize your spending and boost your click-through and conversion rates.
Bing Ads has simplified geotargeting such that users need not select areas to include; they can select a large area (like the entire US) and exclude geographies within that area.
For example – you sell edged weapons like katana swords and throwing stars. A good many states (including Massachusetts, New York and California) restrict such shipments. So you may target your ads to the entirety of the US, but exclude those three states, as Bing Ads is configured.
Or perhaps you want to show offers, messages, and benefits to just a few regions in a larger targeted area. Bing Ads offers this example: You sell real estate across the state of Washington, but want to showcase apartment rentals in Seattle and Bellevue, and houses for sale in Redmond. You can create one ad group targeted to the state of Washington but excluding Seattle, Bellevue and Redmond; a second ad group targeted to Seattle and Bellevue; and a third targeted to Redmond.
Here's How
Bing Ads offers this quick tutorial for geotargeting, which is available at both the campaign and ad group level (see graphic):
- Click the Location link to expand location targeting options
- Click on the Exclude link within selected cities, metro areas, state/provinces, and countries/regions option while searching or browsing for a location.
- Click the Map link to view the included and excluded locations on the map.
