Imagine searching for a new doctor after relocating to Mexico. You speak some Spanish, but medical terms feel tricky. Every ad and search result is in Spanish, you’re unsure, second-guessing every word. Then, one ad appears in clear English. Instantly, it feels easier, more trustworthy. You click, confident you’ll be understood. That’s the value of multilingual PPC: removing friction and helping users choose faster by speaking their preferred language, even if they speak more than one.
Despite its impact, multilingual PPC is often underrated or overlooked, especially by businesses operating solely in the U.S. But it shouldn’t be. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 1 in 5 people in the U.S. speaks a language other than English at home,1 and almost 10% of the total U.S. population speaks English less than “very well.”2 Ignoring this audience means missing out on real growth. Multilingual PPC isn’t just a nice addition, it’s a strategic necessity in a diverse market.
In this article, whether you’re a U.S. based business planning to advertise in other countries or looking to reach new markets within the U.S., we’ll explore how to run multilingual PPC campaigns successfully, sharing helpful tips and key things to watch out for along the way.
The Playbook for Multilingual PPC Success
At VSSL Agency, we’ve built solid experience in planning and executing multilingual campaigns, understanding not just the language matter, but how the cultural nuances of your target audience influence search behavior. When approached thoughtfully, these campaigns can unlock new markets and drive meaningful growth. Paying attention to the right details, can turn a good campaign into a great one.
Separate Campaigns by Language
Never mix languages within the same campaign. The reason is simple: the language setting is applied at the campaign level, and including multiple languages can result in your ads being shown to the wrong audience. This setting determines who can see your ads based on the user’s device language, their search queries, and the language of the websites they visit.3 If you include more than one language in a single campaign, your ads may be shown to users who don’t speak the intended language, hurting your brand’s image and wasting spend. Setting the campaign’s language to match your ads ensures you reach the audience they were built for.
Set the Right Location Targeting
When running multilingual PPC campaigns, setting the right location targeting is just as important as selecting the right language. Inexpert advertisers overlook this step and leave the default location option in place, which can result in ads being shown to the wrong audience and lower campaign performance.
By default, Google Ads selects:
“Presence or interest: People in, regularly in, or who’ve shown interest in your targeted locations (recommended)”
While this may work for some campaigns, it’s not ideal for multilingual or geo-specific targeting. Instead, we recommend switching to:
“Presence: People in or regularly in your targeted locations”
This setting ensures that your ads are only shown to users who are physically located in your chosen regions, not just people who searched for or showed past interest in them. This is especially important when you’re aligning language with geography.
Accents Matter, Sometimes
While accents aren’t an issue in English, they’re essential in languages like French, Spanish, Italian, and many others. Misplacing or omitting an accent can completely change a word’s meaning. Let’s take Italian, for example: writing “papà” (with the accent) means dad, but dropping the accent—“papa”—means pope. One accent, big difference.
So, should you include accents in your keywords? After testing both versions, we found that keywords without accents often outperformed those with correct accenting, at least in the context of Spanish. There’s no official rule, but based on our results, omitting accents can sometimes improve reach and performance, as long as it doesn’t significantly change the meaning of the search.
That said, always be careful when writing ad copy, accents still matter for clarity and professionalism in visible text.
Consistency Builds Trust
Language consistency across the entire customer journey is essential. If your ad is in a certain language, your keywords, landing page, and customer-facing services should be in that same language as well. It’s not just about translation, it’s about delivering a seamless, credible experience. If the language changes mid-journey, users may lose trust. But when everything aligns, your brand comes across as trustworthy, professional, and reliable.
Multilingual PPC Isn’t a DIY Playground
Running multilingual PPC campaigns is about far more than just translating text, changing a campaign’s settings, and avoiding grammar mistakes. The real challenge lies in understanding both language and culture, because the two are deeply connected, but not the same.
Different cultural groups respond to different tones, values, and messaging styles, even when they speak the same language. A Spanish-speaking user from Mexico may respond very differently than one from Spain. That’s why word-for-word translations rarely perform well in paid media.
To create campaigns that truly resonate, you need more than just a translator. You need a native-language paid media expert who understands the audience’s mindset, cultural context, and how to speak their language in a way that truly connects and drives action. It’s about connection, not just comprehension, and that’s something no automated tool can help you deliver yet.
Keyword Selection: Align with Regional Search Behavior
Effective keyword selection in multilingual PPC campaigns also requires more than direct translation. It demands a localized keyword strategy that accounts for regional language variations and user behavior.
Even within the same language, terminology can vary significantly by country or cultural group. For instance, a user in Spain searching for a car may use “coche,” while a user in Mexico is more likely to search for “carro.” Failing to account for these nuances can result in missing your audience entirely.
To build an effective keyword list, start by identifying how your target audience naturally refers to your product or service in their local context. Incorporate insights from native speakers, customer data, and search behavior trends. Then validate those terms using tools such as Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush to assess search volume, competition level, and keyword intent.
Make Multilingual PPC Work for You: A Strategy-First Approach
As you begin mapping out your multilingual PPC strategy, give yourself the space to explore, not everything needs to be perfect from the start. Focus on clarity first: who are you speaking to, how do they search, and what makes them trust? Build from there.
With each step, choosing the right keywords, structuring your campaigns by language, refining your tone, you’ll start seeing patterns, insights, and results. The more intentional your setup, the easier it becomes to scale without losing relevance.
Multilingual PPC isn’t just a tactic, it’s a shift in how you think about reaching people. Start small, stay thoughtful, and let the results guide you forward. And remember: real success comes from cultural relevance, not just translation. That’s where your competitive edge lies.
Struggling to plan or optimize your multilingual PPC campaigns? We can help you reach the right audience.
Sources:
1 https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2022/12/languages-we-speak-in-united-states.html
2 https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/people-that-speak-english-less-than-very-well.html
3 https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/1722078