Google AdWords Query Parsing Explained

Nov 20, 2008 - 9:16 am 3 by
Filed Under Google Ads

Let's say you've geotargeted your Google AdWords ad for Florida. You'd be alarmed if you saw that the ad was being run in Oslo, Norway, wouldn't you?

I suppose I would be.

Is this a problem with Google? Well, in a way, it could be. AdWordsPro Sarah explains what could be happening if the geotargeting seems to be off as "query parsing [which] helps people who reside outside your targeted region but are interested in your product/service in your targeted region." To illustrate this phenomenon, she says that if you're targeting an ad with the keywords "buy surfboard" to Florida, and a guy from Oslo searches "buy surfboard florida," query parsing would come into play. After all, they're looking to find out ads specific to another region, and they can't do that with geotargeting blocking out Oslo from this specific query.

Forum discussion continues at Google Groups.

 

Popular Categories

The Pulse of the search community

Search Video Recaps

 
- YouTube
Video Details More Videos Subscribe to Videos

Most Recent Articles

Google Updates

Google Search Ranking Volatility Spiked Friday - April 25th

Apr 27, 2025 - 8:45 am
Search Forum Recap

Daily Search Forum Recap: April 25, 2025

Apr 25, 2025 - 10:00 am
Search Video Recaps

Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google Earnings Report, Ranking Volatility, AI Overviews Harm Clicks, Search Ads Grow & More

Apr 25, 2025 - 8:01 am
Google Search Engine Optimization

Google: Image Streaming Is Not SEO Friendly

Apr 25, 2025 - 7:51 am
Google

Google Mobile Tests Search Snippet With Blue URL & URL / Site Name Switch

Apr 25, 2025 - 7:41 am
Bing Ads

Microsoft Advertising Suspends Client Connection Requests Temporarily

Apr 25, 2025 - 7:31 am
Previous Story: Mid-November Google Search Update