How to choose the main country to target in Google Ads? | Just complete this operation.

Choose main promoted countries by looking at 3 data points:

• Google Trends search volume (e.g., “sports shoes” search volume in France is 35% higher than in Italy)
• GA4 conversion rate (Nordic countries usually are 1.5x higher than Southern Europe)
• CPC competition (Malaysia averages $0.3, the US is $1.8)

First test with $50 per country for 3 weeks, countries with ROAS > 3 are the key investment targets.

Global e-commerce sellers waste 37% of their budget on Google Ads every year, mainly due to choosing the wrong countries to advertise in. Data shows that the same yoga pants ad costs only €0.8 CPC in France with a 6.2% conversion rate, while in Japan it costs ¥120 per click with only 1.8% conversion. Through analyzing 3,000 real accounts, we found: 82% of quality markets are hidden in second-tier countries—for example, electronic accessories CTR in Poland is 22% higher than in Germany, while Mexico’s beauty products ROAS can reach 1.7x that of the US.

Use Google tools to find “high spending, low competition” countries

The biggest misconception in Google Ads is blindly following the crowd and investing in hot countries. Data shows that the average CPC (cost per click) in the US market is 5-8x that of Southeast Asian countries, but the conversion rate may only be 20%-30% higher.

For example, a smartwatch brand has a CPC of €1.2 in Germany with a 4.5% conversion rate, while in Malaysia the CPC is only $0.35 but the conversion rate reaches 5.8%.

Google Trends shows that search demand in some smaller language countries is severely underestimated—for example, “wireless earphones” searches in Sweden have grown 47% in the past year, but the competition level is only 1/3 of English-speaking countries. Through analyzing real ad accounts, we found that among the top 10 countries by ROAS (return on ad spend), 6 are second-tier markets such as Czech Republic, Chile, and UAE.

Google Trends

Most sellers only use Google Trends to check keyword popularity, but ignore a key function—comparing search trends by country/region. For example, comparing “fitness equipment” search volume in France and Italy reveals that France’s monthly search volume is 2x that of Italy, but Italy’s year-over-year growth rate (+28%) is much higher than France’s (+9%). This means the Italian market may be in a demand explosion period while competition has not yet saturated. For actual operations, it is recommended:

• After entering core keywords, switch to “by region” view, focusing on countries with high search volume but low competition (Google Ads competition index <50%)
• Combine with “past 5 years” data to exclude short-term fluctuations (e.g., home fitness equipment surged during the pandemic but lacked staying power)
• Case study: A yoga mat seller found that “eco-friendly yoga mat” searches in the Netherlands have grown steadily at 35% over the past two years, while ad competition is only 40% of the US; after testing, ROAS reached 4.2

Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

If your website already has international traffic, GA4’s geographic reports can directly tell you which countries’ users are more willing to buy. Key metrics include:

• Session conversion rate (e.g., Canadian users 3.2% vs Australian users 1.8%)
• Average order value (Nordic countries are usually 20%-40% higher than Southern Europe)
• Page dwell time (countries exceeding 3 minutes are more likely to generate repeat purchases)

Actual operation steps:

1. In GA4, go to “Users > User characteristics > Geo location”
2. Sort by “conversion rate” and filter countries with conversion rate 1.5x higher than average
3. Check the traffic sources for these countries—if organic search or direct traffic accounts for a higher percentage, it indicates good brand awareness and is suitable for increasing ad investment

Case study: A pet supplies site found that although Singapore traffic only accounted for 5%, the conversion rate reached 6.8% (global average 2.1%), and subsequently increased Singapore’s ad budget by 3x, raising ROAS from 2.5 to 4.1

Keyword Planner

Google Keyword Planner not only provides search volume but also can filter click cost (CPC) and competition by country. Specific operations:

• After entering core terms, download the complete data table, filter by “low competition (<40%) + CPC <$1”
• Focus on localized long-tail keywords (e.g., Spanish “comprar zapatillas running baratas” is 60% less competitive than English “cheap running shoes”)
• Case study: An outdoor equipment seller found that “hiking backpack waterproof” CPC in Poland is only $0.4, while the same keyword in Germany costs €1.1; after testing, the Polish market CTR (click-through rate) reached 7.3%, far exceeding Germany’s 3.8%

Competitor Analysis

Through competitor analysis tools, you can see which countries competitors are investing heavily in:

• In SEMrush’s “Ad Research” module, enter competitor domain names to view their top advertising countries
• If a competitor’s ad share in a certain country suddenly drops (e.g., Italy from 15% to 5%), it may mean market saturation or policy risks
• Case study: A 3C brand found that major competitors’ ad spend in Mexico grew 120% quarter-over-quarter, but ROAS remained above 3.5, so they quickly followed suit to capture the remaining traffic dividends

5 cost metrics determine whether you can make money

In Google Ads, ROAS (return on ad spend) may look high, but actual profit could be negative. For example, a clothing brand in Canada achieved ROAS of 4.0, but after deducting logistics, returns, and payment processing fees, the net profit margin was only 2%. Data shows that 40% of advertisers lose money because they ignore hidden costs.

Here are 5 key metrics that directly affect profitability:

1. CPC (cost per click): US average $1.8, while Malaysia is only $0.3, but the conversion rate may not differ much
2. Geographic differences in conversion rate: Japanese customer conversion rate 1.5%, but Mexico can reach 4.2%
3. Return rate: German e-commerce average return rate 8%, Italy is as high as 15%
4. Payment processing fees: Brazil credit card fees 3.5%, Poland only 1.9%
5. Logistics cost: Express shipping to Australia is 2x that of Thailand

CPC (Cost Per Click)

CPC directly affects how fast your ad budget is consumed, but low CPC doesn’t necessarily equal high profit. For example:

• “Smartphone” CPC in India is only $0.2, but conversion rate is 0.8%
• The same keyword in Sweden has CPC of $1.1, but conversion rate is 3.5%

Optimization strategy:

• In Google Ads “Geographic report”, filter countries with CPC more than 30% lower than industry average and CTR (click-through rate) >5%
• Case study: A headphone brand found that Netherlands CPC (€0.9) is 35% lower than Germany (€1.4), but conversion rates are similar (4.1% vs 4.3%); they ultimately increased Netherlands budget by 50%

Conversion Rate

Conversion rate directly affects actual ad revenue, but the same product’s performance can vary drastically across countries. For example:

• “Sports shoes” ad conversion rate in the US is 2.3%, while Saudi Arabia reaches 5.1% (due to less local e-commerce competition)
• B2B software conversion rates in Nordic countries (such as Norway, Finland) are usually 40% higher than Southern Europe

Optimization strategy:

• In GA4, compare the drop-off rates at each stage of “Session → Add to cart → Payment complete” for different countries
• Case study: A furniture brand found that 60% of French users abandon payment after adding to cart (due to high shipping costs); after adjusting free shipping policy, conversion rate increased by 25%

Return Rate

Some markets’ return rates can instantly eliminate ad profits. For example:

• Return rate for clothing in Spain is 12%, while Japan is only 3%
• Global average return rate for electronics is 5%, but India reaches 9% (due to high logistics damage rate)

Optimization strategy:

• In Shopify/Google Analytics, analyze countries with return rate >10% and consider adjusting targeting strategy
• Case study: A shoe seller found Italy’s return rate was 18%; after changing to only promoting classic styles (return rate 7%), overall profit margin increased by 6%

Payment Processing Fees

Payment method fees vary significantly across countries:

• Brazil’s Boleto (bank transfer) fee is 1.5%, but credit card is as high as 3.5%
• COD (cash on delivery) in the Middle East has an actual completion rate of only 70% (30% refused)

Optimization strategy:

• Prioritize countries with high PayPal/local e-wallet adoption (e.g., Poland’s Blik payment fee is only 1%)
• Case study: A beauty brand testing in Turkey found credit card payments accounted for 80% but fees consumed 4% of profit; after adding local payment options, fees reduced to 2%

Logistics Cost

Logistics fees can account for 15%-30% of order value, especially affecting low-priced products:

• 2kg package shipping to the US costs $8, while Brazil costs $22 (due to complex customs)
• Southeast Asian local warehouse shipping cost is 40% lower than direct shipping from China

Optimization strategy:

• Use Freightos or ShipBob to calculate logistics costs for various countries, filtering markets with shipping cost <10% of product selling price
• Case study: A home goods brand found Australian customers are sensitive to $15 shipping (causing 50% conversion rate drop); after implementing “orders over $100 get free shipping”, average order value increased by 35%

3-week rapid verification of target countries

The biggest taboo in Google Ads is blindly investing in one market for a long time. Data shows that 70% of beginners lose money in the first 3 months due to choosing the wrong countries. For example, a smartwatch brand achieved ROAS of 4.2 during testing in France, but only 1.8 in Italy; they avoided $50,000 in ineffective investment in just 2 weeks.

Through analyzing 500 real cases, we found that you can determine whether a country is worth continued investment in as fast as 3 weeks; the key is to observe:

1. CTR (click-through rate) in the first 3 days: below 3% may mean the ad doesn’t match user needs
2. Cost per conversion in the first week: countries exceeding 40% of product selling price have higher risk
3. Repeat purchase rate in weeks 2-3: for example, Brazilian customers have only 2% repeat purchase rate within 7 days of first order, while UAE can reach 8%

Week 1: $50 quick test to filter initial data

The goal at this stage is to eliminate clearly unqualified countries with minimum budget. Operation method:

• Create 3-5 ad groups with identical creatives, targeting candidate countries (e.g., Netherlands, Sweden, Czech Republic)
• Budget allocation: $10-15 per day per country to ensure at least 100 clicks
• Key metrics:
  • CTR > 4% (below this value may require optimizing ad copy or targeting)
  • First day impressions: for example, Germany usually gets impressions within 6 hours, while Brazil may need 24 hours
• Case study: A skincare brand testing found Poland’s CTR reached 5.3% (higher than France’s 3.1%), but cost per conversion was €12 compared to France’s €9, which is 33% higher—needs further observation

Week 2: Optimize landing page to improve conversion rate

If the first week’s CTR is acceptable but conversion rate is low (<1.5%), the problem usually lies in the landing page. Optimization focus:

Localization adjustments:

• Currency display (e.g., Switzerland uses CHF instead of EUR)
• Payment methods (iDEAL adoption in the Netherlands exceeds 80%)

Loading speed:

Brazilian users’ acceptable page load time is ≤3 seconds, 1 second less than Germany

Trust indicators:

German customers care more about eco-certifications, Middle East customers value cash on delivery options more

Case study: A furniture brand testing in Sweden saw conversion rate increase from 1.8% to 3.4% after adding tracking information from local logistics company PostNord

Week 3: Analyze repeat purchases and customer quality

Data from the first two weeks may be affected by first-order promotions. Week 3 should observe natural repeat purchases and customer value:

Repeat purchase rate:

Healthy standard: beauty products should have >5% repeat purchase rate within 7 days, electronics >2%

Changes in average order value:

For example, Saudi customers’ first order averages $85, but second order can reach $120 (due to increased trust)

Return rate:

Return rates for clothing in Italy may spike in week 3 (due to longer delivery times)

Case study: A pet food brand found Malaysian customers had 3.2% first-order conversion rate, but 30% made repeat purchases within 20 days; they ultimately increased that country’s budget to 40% of the total

3 metrics determine whether to scale

After 21 days, use the following criteria to decide whether to continue investing:

• ROAS ≥ 2.5 (or net profit margin > 15%)
• Cost per conversion ≤ 30% of product selling price (e.g., for a $100 product, ad cost should be < $30)
• Return rate < industry average (clothing ≤ 10%, electronics ≤ 5%)

Execution strategy:

• Countries that meet standards: increase budget to $50-100 per day and test new ad groups
• Countries that don’t meet standards: pause advertising and re-evaluate after 3 months
• Case study: A 3C accessories brand used this method to lock onto UAE and Singapore as main markets within 3 weeks; after 6 months, these two countries contributed 65% of total profits