What is Geotargeting? How It Works + Expert Strategies

Geotargeting is the method of delivering personalized content or ads based on geographic location, such as country, city, or ZIP code. When done right, this targeting method helps businesses improve relevance for local audiences and boost campaign performance.

Looking to craft an effective advertising strategy? Don’t forget to implement geotargeting.

This broad location-based targeting method allows marketers to craft tailored messaging based on their target audience’s location.

Discover everything you need to know about geotargeting to incorporate it into your marketing strategy for maximum ROI.

What is geotargeting?

Geotargeting is a digital marketing strategy that involves delivering tailored content or advertisements to people based on their geographic location.

With geotargeting, marketers can target audiences in specific countries, regions, states, cities, or neighborhoods and include localized ad copy or ad elements like addresses, phone numbers, and business hours.

How geotargeting works

Geotargeting relies on a user’s location data — like GPS coordinates, IP addresses, device settings, or Wi-Fi connections — to deliver location-specific ads or content.

Apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats rely on self-reported real-time location, while others use information from the GPS in your phone.

Geotargeting can be used by a variety of advertising platforms, including:

• Google Ads (including YouTube Ads): By country, city, ZIP code, or radius around a location
• Meta Ads (Facebook and Instagram): By location, down to specific neighborhoods or addresses
• TikTok Ads: By country, region, or city
• X Ads (formerly Twitter Ads): By country, state, metro area, or ZIP code
• LinkedIn Ads: Based on user profiles and IP data
• Snapchat Ads: Based on GPS and device data for precise geotargeting

Types of geotargeting

Curious how this technology could work for your business? Let’s look at three types of geotargeting.

1. Radius targeting

With radius targeting, you can reach potential customers within a certain distance (e.g., 5 miles) from your business.

Also called proximity targeting, this type of geotargeting is particularly helpful for local businesses or brick-and-mortar stores that want to attract more foot traffic with a lower customer acquisition cost (CAC).

2. Geofencing

Geofencing involves creating a virtual “fence” around a specific location, like a store or event venue. When someone enters or exits this “fence,” they receive targeted messages or offers (like ads or push notifications).

One way to use geofencing is to define a boundary around a competitor’s store, office, or venue. Then, deliver ads to their local prospects or customers, with the goal of encouraging them to shift their loyalty.

Geotargeting vs. geofencing

While the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, geofencing is a specific type of geotargeting:

Geotargeting targets users based on their broader geographic location (such as a city or region), whereas geofencing is more precise and engages people based on their exact location.

“Using geotargeting, you can choose a radius around cities or ZIP codes, but the minimum size of that radius is 1 mile,” says search engine marketing expert Luca DelPiccolo.

“That is why you would use geofencing to target one specific store.”

3. Weather targeting

Weather targeting lets you deliver ads to geographic locations during weather-related events like thunderstorms, blizzards, or heat waves.

By delivering ads based on real-time events, you can increase relevance and, as a result, drive more conversions or more clicks at a lower cost.

“The potential to trigger ads based on real-time events in a geolocation (e.g., a sudden rainstorm prompting ads for rain-specific products) is a trend worth watching,” shares Stefan Valentin, ads specialist at Irresistible Me.

It’s important to note that no major ad platform has built-in weather data or targeting capabilities. To use this tactic, you’ll need a third-party data feed.

What are the benefits of geotargeting?

Geotargeting has many benefits for marketers looking to increase their marketing campaigns’ effectiveness, including:

1. Relevance

Geotargeting allows you to deliver highly relevant marketing messages and capture the viewer’s attention.

2. Engagement

Location-based targeting increases user engagement by offering promotions or information that directly relates to their immediate surroundings or interests.

3. Conversions

Geotargeted ad campaigns often yield higher conversion rates as they target users more likely to take action due to their proximity or specific needs.

4. Cost efficiency

You can optimize ad spend by focusing your resources on specific geographic areas where your target audience is most likely to be.

5. Data insights

Lastly, geotargeting provides valuable data on user behavior and preferences based on location, allowing for more informed marketing decisions.

Geotargeting marketing strategies

Geotargeting allows you to refine your strategies and connect with your audience by leveraging personalized content.

Here are some common ways that marketers use geotargeting:

1. Localized marketing

If your business has multiple brick-and-mortar stores, you can use geotargeting to promote store-specific offers, events, and promotions. This will help you to drive foot traffic and increase sales at each location.
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“One of the most impressive things about geotargeting is how it improved our local marketing efforts,” says Max Maybury, co-founder of AI Product Reviews.

“We were able to target specific regions to promote tech events, deals, and product launches. This resulted in a huge boost in event attendance, website traffic, and conversion rates.”

2. Event promotion

If you’re hosting an event, you can target potential attendees by geofencing the event venue.

People in the area will receive real-time updates and exclusive offers, which can boost your event attendance.

3. Ecommerce personalization

Your online ecommerce platform can use geotargeting to display products and promotions relevant to a user’s location.

4. Restaurant delivery services

A food delivery service can use geotargeting to display restaurants that deliver to a person’s location. This makes it more convenient for customers to order their favorite meals.

5. Travel and tourism

Geotargeting is a great tool for businesses in the travel industry. Hotels, airlines, and tour operators can target potential travelers with location-specific offers and recommendations.

How to implement geotargeting by platform

All major advertising platforms allow geotargeting, but they all work a little differently. Here’s your guide to getting started with each one.

Google

With Google Ads location targeting, you can reach potential customers in specific areas or use radius targeting.

To get started, open your Google Ads account and navigate to the “Locations” panel in any campaign.

By default, Google Ads typically applies what’s known as broad geo targeting. In other words, the platform targets people with a “Presence or Interest” in the location you’ve set.

For most search campaigns, this setting will help you reach the most people while optimizing your ad spend. If you need to restrict who you reach, use the “Presence” setting instead.

Then enter the country, state, city, neighborhood, postal code, or designated market area (DMA) you want to reach. Make sure to select either “Target” or “Exclude” for each location.

To target by radius, choose locations by following the steps above. Once you’ve published the campaign, open the “Audiences” tab and click to edit.

Select “Radius” and enter the location where you want to place the center of the radius. Adjust the size and click “Save” to apply.

LinkedIn

While LinkedIn doesn’t support radius targeting, it does allow you to reach people based on their presence in countries, states, counties, cities, and metro areas.

To adjust these settings, open LinkedIn Campaign Manager and look for the “Audience” panel at the campaign level.

To change the default location targeting, first confirm the type of location data you want to use.

For example, you may want to target LinkedIn members based on permanent locations if you’re advertising an evergreen product or service.

For a time-sensitive event or conference, audience targeting based on recent locations is likely to be a better choice.

LinkedIn also supports excluding geographic areas, which is helpful for fine-tuning where you want your ads to appear.

Meta

To run geotargeted Facebook or Instagram ads, use Meta Ads Manager to reach individual or bulk locations.

Meta supports targeting consumers based on country, state, city, postal code, or DMA. Note that Meta’s geotargeting now applies to people living or recently in the location you select.

To change these settings, go to the ad set level of your campaign setup and look for the “Audience Controls” panel. Remove the default location and enter the region you want to target.

Then adjust the radius from 10 to 50 miles as necessary. Typically, the setting defaults to a 25-mile radius.

Any location you enter here automatically gets included in your targeting. If you want to avoid reaching target users based in this region, use the dropdown menu to select “Exclude” instead.

If you want to target more than a handful of locations, use the bulk option. Select the location type first, and then input the list of locations you want to reach.

Snapchat

Snapchat Ads Manager also allows targeting single or bulk locations.

Start by going to the ad set level of the campaign and looking for the “Locations” panel. From the list, choose the country you want to target. Then click “Target Locations on Map” to get specific.

To add a longer list of locations, click “Upload Locations in Bulk.” Choose whether to upload states, postal codes, or DMAs. Confirm whether you want to include or exclude the locations, and then input the data.

X (formerly Twitter)

Using X Ads Manager, you can apply radius targeting or input location data to reach people in specific areas. No matter which approach you choose, you’ll find the settings at the ad group level in Ads Manager.

Look for the “Demographics” panel for your ad group. By default, most X ad campaigns are set to target the entire country where your business is based.

You can remove this broad targeting and input more specific cities, states, or ZIP codes instead.

Alternatively, click the “Bulk Upload” link to add a long list of locations. Be sure to select the right type of location before inputting your data.

Another option is using X radius targeting. Select “Radius Around a Location” and enter the address you want to target. Then adjust the radius between 1 and 50 miles. Note that you can add just a single radius to each ad group.

Keep in mind that X geotargeting relies on users’ recent location data. That means it’s helpful for targeting people in or passing through specific locations.

Geotargeting best practices

Follow these best practices and expert strategies to get more out of your geotargeting efforts.

1. Define clear objectives

Set specific goals for your geotargeting campaigns. Whether it’s increasing foot traffic to your store or driving online sales in a specific region, these kinds of clear objectives will guide your strategy.

For example, a clothing retailer with physical stores and an online presence may set a clear objective to increase foot traffic by 20% in New York and Los Angeles stores within three months.

2. Experiment with more detailed geotargeting

“Advertisers often miss the micro-levels,” advises Bavishi. “They target cities, not neighborhoods or ZIP codes. This is a glaring error.”

To ensure your ads deliver consistently, make sure the target audience meets the minimum threshold for the platform. If the audience is too small, the platform may not be able to provide cost-effective delivery.

3. Use location insertion

Google Ads’ location insertion adds the user’s location to the headline automatically. This dynamic keyword insertion works with responsive search ads. To set it up, create a search campaign and follow the steps above to adjust your location targeting.

When you write the ad copy, type “{” to prompt a dropdown menu. Choose “Location insertion” and select the location level that you want to display in the ad (country, state, or city).

You can also choose default text to show when the prospect’s location isn’t available.

4. Use geo-exclusion when necessary

In certain cases, it can be equally important to exclude different locations from your campaigns as to include them.

For example, if you offer a service that is only relevant to your target locations, such as snow removal, you will want to exclude certain areas that don’t get much snowfall.

5. Stay compliant with regulations

Be aware of privacy and data protection regulations that govern geotargeting.

Ensure you comply with laws such as GDPR (if you are targeting audiences in Europe) or CCPA (if you are targeting audiences in California) to protect user data.

6. Conduct A/B testing

Experiment with different messaging and offers to identify what resonates best with each location. A/B testing helps refine your approach over time.

For example, a travel agency promoting vacation packages could test two variations of ad copy: one that highlights adventure activities for nature lovers and the other focusing on cultural experiences for urban travelers.

By analyzing the performance data, they can determine which resonates better in specific locations and put more budget into the one that performs well while also benefiting from new audience insights.

“In addition to the standard best practices, it is essential to ensure you are working with a partner that will A/B test these campaigns and track results in a granular fashion to ensure a high ROAS,” recommends Rambod Yadegar, co-founder and president of HawkSEM.

7. Experiment with augmented reality (AR)

“If there’s one trend I’m excited about, it’s the integration of [augmented reality] and geotargeting,” shares Maybury.

“AR apps can overlay info and offers on people’s real-world environments. This means advertisers have a ton of potential.”

“For example, if you’re a tech store, you can use AR to show people where they’re closest and give them real-time deals. Plus, with advances in machine learning, predictive geotargeting is getting more accurate, so you can predict what people will do and offer them relevant content before they even look for it.”

5 common geotargeting mistakes

It’s essential to avoid the common pitfalls of geotargeting to make sure you don’t waste your campaign dollars.

Here are some mistakes to avoid and how to fix them.

1. Overlooking data accuracy

Mistake: Relying on outdated or inaccurate location data can result in ineffective targeting.

Have you ever taken a vacation to Cancun, Mexico, and continued to get ads for restaurants in the city weeks after you returned home? Well, that’s exactly what you want to avoid.

Solution: Regularly update your location databases and ensure data accuracy by using reputable sources.

2. Neglecting your audience segmentation

Mistake: Failure to segment your audience based on specific locations and being too wide in your targeting can lead to generic messaging that doesn’t resonate. Focus on user experience rather than blanketing your audiences with a broad message.

Solution: Create distinct audience segments based on geographic criteria and personalize your content accordingly.

3. Poor timing

Mistake: Sending location-specific promotions at the wrong time can miss the mark.

For example, if you sell winter clothing and have a new line to promote for the coming winter, launching your geotargeting campaign for a region that experiences harsh, snowy winters in August would be irrelevant and even off-putting.

Solution: Analyze your audience’s behavior and preferences and regional specificities, such as weather events and holidays, to determine the best times to deliver messages and offers.

4. Overlooking competitive analysis

Mistake: Neglecting to analyze your competitors’ geotargeting strategies can put you at a disadvantage and lead to missed opportunities.

Solution: Regularly monitor your competitors’ geotargeted campaigns. Analyze their messaging, offers, and audience segments to identify areas where you can differentiate and improve your campaigns.

5. Inadequate message localization

Mistake: Translating content without considering local dialects, idioms, or colloquialisms can lead to misunderstandings and make your messaging feel out of touch.

If you run campaigns for an international business, you will need to think about how your audiences in different regions speak.

“Never forget the importance of regional and cultural differences. Ignoring these variations once cost us a 10% drop in campaign performance,” shares Selman Seref, Head of Digital at tectrain.

Solution: Invest in proper content localization by engaging native speakers or localization experts who can adapt your messaging to align with the local language.

7 examples of geotargeted ads and why they work

Use these examples as a guide for your own geotargeted ads:

1. Google ads for a holistic health center

HawkSEM’s PPC consultants worked with Nava Health, a mid-Atlantic holistic health center, to improve lead generation and acquire more qualified leads. Geotargeting was a key component of the campaign’s success.

“By utilizing geotargeting campaigns, HawkSEM’s digital marketing strategies, and ConversionIQ, we were able to garner a whopping 588% more form submissions for Nava Health,” shares HawkSEM co-founder and CEO Sam Yadegar.

“In addition to ensuring a high ROAS by A/B testing and tracking results of geotargeted campaigns, with ConversionIQ, we are able to extract customer data from the conversions and use that data to get more of the same results, even across marketing channels.”

2. Facebook ads for local pizza delivery

Here, Hungry Howie’s ad targets customers in and around Tempe, Arizona.

The copy calls out the business location and includes both a local phone number and a custom website. The ad also uses a “Call Now” call-to-action (CTA) to connect customers with the local pizza shop.

3. Google ads for nearby restaurant reservations

When you want to target local audiences, small changes to the ad copy can make a big difference.

Adding city or neighborhood names and pointing prospects to local resources can significantly improve click and conversion rates.

For example, the OpenTable ad above appeared in a search for “restaurants with reservations.” The ad copy speaks to this query and mentions the city to attract attention.

The search ad also includes a link to “Top Nearby Restaurants,” a resource that factors in the location.

4. Google ads for nearby exercise classes

Do geotargeted ads always have to include localized ad copy? Not necessarily. Platforms like Google Ads can insert localized assets to make ads relevant to your target location.

For example, the Orangetheory ad above includes copy that’s likely to appeal to most fitness-minded prospects across the United States.

However, the assets that appear below the ad are customized based on location, giving prospects an easy way to call or visit a nearby fitness center.

5. Google ad campaign for a local fitness store

Google Ads can plug a variety of local business information into your search ads to appeal to certain customer segments.

In addition to addresses and phone numbers, it can also display business ratings and hours for nearby customers.

For example, the Fleet Feet ad above says “local running shop,” which is relatively generic yet still appears relevant to potential customers.

Below the headline and description, the ad calls out the retailer’s nearest store and opening time, adding a localized element to the ad.

6. LinkedIn ad campaign for a nearby tech conference

If you’re marketing in-person events and conferences, you have to be strategic about the locations you target. That doesn’t necessarily mean you can only target people in the local area.

“We used geotargeting for our cybersecurity courses, and guess what? Thirty percent more enrollments from tech-heavy regions,” says Seref.

For example, the Techonomy ad above highlights a tech conference taking place in Orlando, Florida. In addition to targeting potential attendees based on interests and behaviors, the advertiser uses profile locations to reach people in specific areas.

The takeaway

From social media to search engines, geotargeting adds relevance to PPC campaigns, giving potential customers clear and compelling reasons to click and convert.

As a result, campaigns that use this type of location-based marketing can boost clicks and conversions while improving return on ad spend (ROAS).

Ready to get started? Connect with our PPC experts for a free consultation and learn how geographic targeting options can benefit your business.

This article has been updated and was originally published in November 2023.