Michael Wong

Google has just unveiled a "Regional Targeting" feature for its AdWords program. Now instead of specifying only the countries where your ads will appear, you can also choose individual states and regions as well. For example, if you set your regional targeting preferences to the San Francisco-Bay Area, users based in San Francisco, Palo Alto, and Oakland will see your ads; users outside this area will not. You can target your ads to over 200 state or regional areas within the United States. The regional targeting system works by mapping anonymous IP addresses of browsers to the 210 Designated Marketing Areas (DMARs) in the United States. Google AdWords regional targeting follows the Designated Market Areas (DMAs) geographic market design, first created by the A.C. Nielsen Company as a way to define television markets. DMAs, composed of counties or split counties, are updated annually based on historical television viewing patterns. Every county/split county in the United States is assigned exclusively to one DMA. Right now, you can target your ads to the state or region level, which often includes surrounding cities or suburbs. Google are working to provide more precise targeting options, such as targeting by city. [Full story: Google AdWords FAQ: Regional Targeting - Google]

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