Today, Google released advanced geo-targeting options for its SEM advertising platform, Adwords. This platform allows SEM managers to more accurately geo-target their Google advertising campaigns. Google uses two methods to geographical target ads. One, by the actual physical location of the searcher. Two, by search intent, meaning it is done by the keywords a user searches with (ie. Kansas City lawyer). In the past, SEM managers were forced to build campaigns that utilized both search intent and physical location targeting simultaneously. Now we can opt-in or out of either one.
This is a powerful new feature for certain advertisers.
Example:
The metro area of Kansas City covers two states, Kansas and Missouri. Lets say I am building an SEM advertising campaign for a community college in Kansas City, Missouri. I do not want to target Kansas residents because they do not get instate tuition. I set up the campaign to only target the Missouri side of Kansas City. However, Kansas residents may use keywords like “Kansas City community colleges.” In the past, my ad would probably show up for Kansas residents using this keyword because Google thinks it has a Kansas City, Missouri search intent. With these new options, I can opt out of search intent and truly only target Kansas City, Missouri residents.
