Most online store owners are keenly aware of the source of their business. Not only in terms of venues (paid traffic, organic search results, e-mail marketing, etc), but also which geographic regions provide revenues. Northern states may snap up winter products much faster than Florida and Texas, while coastal shoppers might be more likely to buy beach gear than those in the middle of the country. If you ship internationally, you may find that a good percentage of your sales are coming from different countries and even different continents. In fact, if you’re using Pay-Per-Click advertising to market your business, you can leverage this information right inside your own accounts.
Geo-targeting is a powerful way to market directly to your best customers as well as to reach out and test new audiences. If a product performs below par in paid search, but you know it’s one of your top movers, geo-targeting may be a way to make it profitable. If your organic rankings in international search engines are low, geo-targeting your PPC ads can increase your exposure in key countries.
Google, Yahoo! & MSN all offer some form of geo-targeting. While the particulars for each engine may differ, the best practices for setting up geo-targeted Pay-Per-Click ads remain the same. First, find out what regions you should be targeting. If you have geographic information available inside your store itself, you can start looking for trends there.
There are a variety of online tools available that can provide further insight into international search and buying patterns. Google Trends (trends.google.com) explores the interest level in search terms around the world. Plug in some of your core keywords and you’ll see the top countries and cities that are searching those keywords.
You can obtain more personalized results by installing an analytics tool on your website. Google Analytics is free, which makes it a great fit for many e-commerce store owners. Not only will you get the geographic specific data you need for your PPC ads, but you’ll gain a wealth of information to help you make informed decisions about your business.
Once you’re armed with the proper data, there are a couple of ways to set up your geo-targeted campaign, depending on your needs. First, you can have it target regions within your current market. Take high-end products that don’t convert well and directly target affluent neighborhoods. Create special promotions and target those ads directly to your top markets. Just be sure to create a separate campaign so you can clearly monitor the targeted ads.
Once you get your feet wet, expand your ads to include other countries. A good first test is to target Canada, if you aren’t already. English speaking countries are a safe bet for this first round of testing. Don’t be surprised to find that your top keywords aren’t driving as many sales internationally. Go back to your tools and look for keywords that have already driven sales and expand from there. Try creating country specific ad text that lets searchers know you ship internationally. In addition, check to see if the keywords you’ve chosen translate the same in different countries. Even within the English language, different cultures call the same products different names (e.g. a diaper in America is called a “nappy” in England). If you’re extra daring, try translating ads & landing pages into different languages and add those to your geo-targeting arsenal.
Remember to test, test, and test some more! Like any well developed Pay-Per-Click campaign, it takes time to gather data and make informed decisions. Geo-targeting isn’t an option for every advertiser, but if you have the time and budget to try it, you might just discover an entirely new venue for reaching potential customers.
By Jean Lloyd
jeanl@ebizinsider.com
