Multilingual Google Ads, with each language judged on its own numbers

What this service is

On the Search Network, Google says it uses the language of the search term, the user's language settings and preferences to work out which languages a person understands, then tries to show an ad in one of them. The same page notes that, from September 2026, the campaign-level language setting is being removed for Search campaigns and ads will match on the language of the ad text.

Put simply, as of October 2026, your ad's words are your language targeting. An English ad competes for English-language searches; a properly written Traditional Chinese ad competes for searches in that script. That is why we build each language as a separate ad group with its own keywords, written by a translator rather than run through a machine.

Who it is for

This suits Richmond businesses that already have a reliable way to answer enquiries in the target language, and a service with enough margin to support paid clicks. Good candidates include renovation, landscaping, cleaning and moving companies, specialist retailers, tutoring and education services, and professional service firms whose staff can consult in Cantonese or Mandarin.

It is a poor fit if nobody can answer a non-English call within a working day, or if your average sale is so small that a single click costs more than the margin. In those cases local search is the better first investment.

What is included

• Account structure by language and service. One campaign or ad group per language per core service, so reports answer "which language paid?" without guesswork.
• Location settings checked. Google lets you target people located in an area or also those showing interest in it; its help page explains that the default option combines physical presence and interest. For a Richmond storefront or a crew that won't cross the Fraser, we usually tighten this to presence.
• Translator-written ad copy. We write the English brief; a qualified translator writes the version in each language; we check character limits and calls to action.
• Matching landing pages. An ad in Chinese should land on a page in Chinese. If you don't have one yet, we flag it and price it under multilingual websites.
• Call and text tracking per language. Separate tracked numbers or labels, so a Mandarin enquiry is counted as one.
• Monthly report. Spend, enquiries, cost per enquiry and booked customers, per language.

Timeline

Weeks one and two: account audit, structure and translator briefs. Weeks three and four: translation, review, landing page checks and launch. Months two and three: weekly bid and keyword adjustments, with the first keep-cut-adjust decision for each language at day 90.

How results are measured

Each language gets one ceiling: the most you can pay per enquiry and still make money, worked out from your average sale, margin and close rate. If a language beats the ceiling, it gets more budget. If it stays above the ceiling for two months after reasonable fixes, we recommend cutting it, in writing. The full method is in our census language data guide.

Mistakes to avoid

• One ad group with mixed languages. You can't see which version works, and Google can't match cleanly either.
• Machine translation with no human review. Wrong tone, wrong script or a literal phrase that reads oddly costs trust before the click.
• Chinese ads pointing to an English page. Visitors leave, and you pay for the click anyway.
• No language label on enquiries. Without it, you will never know whether the second language is paying.

See how this fits with the other services on the services hub, check plan prices, or call, text or email to ask whether your business is a fit.