Has your marketing agency pitched "geofencing" as part of their Google PPC ("Pay Per Click" advertising) strategy? It’s a catchy term, but geofencing isn’t something Google Ads can actually do.
Let’s explore what geofencing is and isn’t, set realistic expectations, and show you how to achieve even better results for less - on your own.
What is Geofencing
Geofencing allows you to set a virtual border around a specific location - a competitor's showroom, a home improvement store, or an event venue - and serve ads to mobile devices that enter this zone.
This means you can show your ads in and around places where potential clients are likely to think about kitchen improvements - for example, someone wandering through a Home Depot kitchen aisle or visiting your competitor's store.
To achieve this scenario, you will need two components:
High Accuracy: To allow for such highly targeted, in-the-moment marketing, the geo-targeting ads platforms use a combination of GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth to pinpoint a user's location within a few meters.
Real-Time Triggers: The platform needs to trigger an action, like a push notification or in-app ad, immediately after a mobile device enters or exits this precise boundary.
Only very specialised and very expensive platforms can do that. Google Ads is NOT one of them.
Why the Confusion?
While Google Ads offers location targeting that resembles geofencing, it's not true, real-time geofencing in the strictest sense. Here's a breakdown of the key differences:
Not Real-Time: Google Ads primarily relies on location history and other signals to understand where users frequently are or have recently been. It doesn't guarantee your ad will be shown the instant someone enters a specific location.
Less Precise: Although Google uses various location signals (GPS, Wi-Fi, mobile towers) too, its accuracy is generally less precise than true geofencing, with a minimum radius of around 1 kilometre for Targeting.
Focus on "Presence" and "Regular Visits": Google Ads targets users who are "in or regularly in" a location, so it's more about targeting people who frequent an area or have been there recently, rather than triggering ads at the exact moment they enter a geofence.
So Do I Need Google Ads For My Kitchen Renovation Business?
If your goal is to deliver ads the instant someone walks into a competitor's showroom, Google Ads is not the right solution. For true, real-time, in-store ad delivery, you would need a dedicated geofencing platform, which often comes with a significant price tag.
However, you can achieve very similar, and in many ways even more effective, results by investing considerably less in Google Ads. Here's how:
Target Users Based on Proximity and Recent Visits: Google Ads allows you to target individuals in the vicinity of your target locations (like competitor showrooms or home improvement stores) or who have recently visited those locations. This strategy helps show your business to the potential clients who are actively considering kitchen renovations.
Combine Location Targeting with Custom Audiences: The true power of Google Ads comes from combining location targeting with behavioural targeting through "Custom Audiences." This means you can layer information about users' interests (like home improvement or interior design) and their online behaviour (like visits to relevant websites) onto your location targeting. This combination significantly improves the relevance and cost-effectiveness of your advertising campaigns.
This combined approach is even more effective than ads triggered in real-time within a store.
Why? Because kitchen renovations are not spur-of-the-moment decisions. They are projects that people research and plan over time. This research happens across multiple channels: at home, using tablets, computers, and phones, and offline, by visiting physical showrooms and stores of your competitors and other businesses related to kitchen renovations.
And, unlike pure geofencing platforms, Google Ads allows you to target potential customers throughout their online and offline research journeys, capture their attention at multiple touchpoints and increase the likelihood that they'll choose your business.
How to Use Google Ads for Location Targeting
You can set up Google Ads by yourself. It's not hard, but it's better to take it step by step, and build your skills and confidence from simpler to more advanced tasks. Here's the approach we recommend:
Phase 1: Location and Demographics
Start by targeting the right people who are visiting the right places.
Decide Where You Want to Target (Location Targeting): Think about the geographic locations your ideal customers visit as they plan their dream kitchens::
The Competitors: Start broad by targeting areas where the largest competitors are located - retail parks with stores like Home Depot, Wren Kitchens, or Howdens. Avoid smaller competitor showrooms in busier areas, such as town centres.
Local Home Shows or Events: Ad events that attract people looking for home improvement services would visit.
Set Up Location Targeting in Google Ads:
Go to your Google Ads campaign.
Find the "Locations" section.
Here, you will have two options:
Radius Targeting: Start with radius targeting by setting a radius of up to 1 mile around your competitors' locations.
Postcode Targeting: You can also target (or exclude) specific postcodes for more precise control over where your ads appear. However, this can be more complex, so we recommend starting with radius targeting. Once you see which areas perform better or worse, refine your strategy by adding or excluding specific postcodes.
Important! Choose the Right Targeting Option: In the next step, select "People in or regularly in your targeted locations." Don't choose "People searching for your targeted locations." The first option targets people based on where they actually go, while the second targets people based on what they search for online.
Refine Your Audience (Demographic Targeting): Narrow down who will see your ads based on their characteristics:
Go to the "Demographics" section in your Google Ads campaign.
Here, you can target people based on:
Age: Focus on age ranges likely to own homes and invest in renovations, like 35-65.
Gender: While less critical for kitchen remodelling, refine by gender if you have data showing one group is more likely to make decisions.
Household Income: Adjust targeting based on your audience. For example, target higher income brackets for luxury kitchens or mid-range brackets if you deliver more affordable installations.
Parental Status: Consider targeting homeowners with families who may need more functional and spacious kitchen spaces.
Create Great Ads: Use high-quality images of beautiful kitchens you've renovated and write clear, persuasive text that tells people why they should choose you.
Create a Dedicated Landing Page (Crucial for Conversions): A "landing page" is a special page on your website that people land on after they click on your ad. Each landing page needs to focus on a single goal, like getting people to request a consultation or download a brochure. It's not your homepage. Here's why:
Relevance: The content on your landing page must directly match the message in your ad. If your ad promotes kitchen cabinet refacing, the landing page should be about cabinet refacing, not full kitchen remodels.
Clear Call to Action: Tell people exactly what you want them to do, with a clear button or form. Examples: "Get a Free Quote," "Schedule a Consultation," "Download Our Kitchen Design Guide."
Best Content: Use high-quality images and videos of your work, customer testimonials, and clear, convincing text that highlights your expertise and the benefits of working with you.
Fast Loading Speed: A slow-loading landing page will cause people to leave before it even loads.
Mobile-Friendly Design: Just like your main website, your landing page must be mobile-friendly.
All this is crucial for your Google ads' Quality Score, which directly affects their position and costs. Relevance, clear CTAs, compelling content, fast loading speed, and mobile-friendliness will increase the scores and deliver more clicks for your money.
Keep an Eye on How Things Are Going: For the next few weeks, check your Google Ads reports and adjust the campaign setting as necessary.
Phase 2: Target Competitor Websites (A More Advanced Tactic)
Once you've fine-tuned your location and demographic targeting, take it a step further by targeting people visiting websites related to kitchen renovations, like your competitors' sites.
Here's how to set it up:
Identify Your Competitors' Websites: List 10-20 of your main local competitors' websites.
Set Up a "Custom Audience" Based on Website Visits:
In your Google Ads account, go to "Tools & Settings", then "Shared Library", and then "Audience Manager."
Click the blue plus button (+) to create a new audience and select "Custom Audience."
Choose "People who browse websites similar to."
Enter the URLs of your competitors' websites. Google will then identify users who have visited websites similar to those you've entered.
Combine Your Custom Audience with Your Existing Location and Demographic Targeting: This is where Google Ads becomes really useful. By combining these targeting options, you'll be reaching people who:
Visit the areas your competitors are in (Location Targeting).
Fit your ideal customer profile (Demographic Targeting).
Have shown interest in kitchen renovations by visiting competitor websites (Custom Audience).
As before, we recommend setting this up and letting it run for a few weeks. Monitor the performance and spending, and optimise what's not working. Then move to Phase 3.
Phase 3: Targeting Competitor Keywords (The Most Advanced Tactic)
Finally, add people who are actively searching for your competitors online. This is how:
Research Your Competitors' Keywords: Use tools like Google Keyword Planner (a free tool within Google Ads) or paid keyword research tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to find the keywords your competitors are likely targeting. Focus on the following:
Brand Names: "[Competitor Name] kitchen remodel"
Service Types: "kitchen cabinet refacing," "kitchen countertop installation."
Location-Based Keywords: "kitchen renovation in [your city]"
Set Up a "Custom Audience" Based on Keywords:
Go to the same "Custom Audience" section you used earlier.
Select the option "People who searched for any of these terms on Google."
Enter the keywords you have researched.
Combine Your Keyword Custom Audience with Your Existing Targeting: At this point, you will be combining multiple layers of targeting to reach people who:
Visit the areas your competitors are in (Location Targeting).
Fit your ideal customer profile (Demographic Targeting).
Have shown an interest in kitchen renovation by visiting competitor websites (Custom Audience).
Are proactively searching for your competitors (Custom Audience based on keywords).
A Gradual Approach for Success
You could implement everything at once, but we wouldn't recommend it if you're new to Google Ads. It's much better to start small and grow gradually as your knowledge and confidence improve. Adding too many factors at the same time can make it hard to understand what's working and what isn't. That's why we suggest this three-phase approach.
Summary
Google Ads isn't a geofencing solution that delivers instant, in-store ads. It's more powerful than that.
It allows you to combine the locations people have visited with their online behaviour and demographic characteristics and significantly increase the chances that they'll choose your business for their kitchen renovation instead of the competitor who relies on word of mouth and luck.
And you can set all this up yourself.
Of course, if you'd rather focus on your business than learn new digital skills, we can help you. Contact us today using the details at the bottom of the page.