What is Geotargeting? All the Key Insights

You may not have noticed, but there are occasions when certain content is restricted by the geographic location of the target audience who will consume said product, be it audiovisual, written, etc.
A clear example of this is Netflix, which, depending on whether you are in Latin America or Europe, displays its content with audio in Spanish or Castilian by default. This is what is known as geotargeting.
It is a sub-area in the world of segmentation that focuses on the realm of online marketing. Through geolocation, companies control what type of content they show to the public based on their geographical location, leveraging data provided by IP addresses, GPS, algorithms, or databases.

Why Target Content According to Location?

The raison d’être of geotargeting is quite simple. It has to do with the customs and ways of perceiving the world that different cultures have, or the type of products that work in each location.
In the world of film and video games, for example, the covers of these modes of entertainment, until not long ago, were made differently if they were intended for an Eastern audience (Japan, China, Taiwan, etc.), or Western (Spain, France, England…).

This was due to the customs of the different regions and the fact that companies sought to target the market in the best way possible, which is why the investment in different covers compensated in terms of profitability due to the greater impact their video game or movie would have.

Geotargeting in the Current Era

This principle is still valid today, but on a much more local level. In online marketing, geomarketing seeks and achieves the same thing, but to a lesser extent, though with the same principle: maximizing effectiveness based on the locations of its audience.

For example, if a user searches for a restaurant on Google Maps, it would not make sense for options from a different city than the one they are currently in to appear. Similarly, if a clothing brand has physical stores in certain geographic areas, it would be more effective to show ads or promotions specific to users near those stores.
Therefore, if your business operates locally, geotargeting is essential for you.

Knowing When to Use Types of Geotargeting

Now, to implement this strategy properly, you must consider the implications of geotargeting. And within this area, there are some aspects to consider if you are going to run a marketing campaign:
– Geo-fencing: In geotargeting, this refers to areas within 50 meters around a physical location so that, within the selected geographic space, all target audiences receive the message and/or content that has been created. It is usually done through smartphones.

– Georetargeting: Also known as geo-farming, it directly relates to your company’s competition. With georetargeting, you select the areas where your competition is physically present so that when your target audience visits it, you can redirect them to your brand and/or business.

Can You Apply Geotargeting on Your Website?

One of the peculiarities of this segmentation strategy is that it allows you to adapt it to different types of web development projects, whether it’s a news page, e-commerce, service page… Here are some examples of different cases.

– Geotargeting in e-commerce: Online stores can create their website in different languages so that each one is displayed according to the geographic location spoken in the user’s country of origin. Furthermore, prices, available products, as well as offers may vary depending on their geographic location to offer greater profitability.
– Regional Advertising: Geotargeting does not have to be on a large scale. Thanks to modern tools, it is possible to apply it even at the street or neighborhood levels of a city.
– Market Research: In addition to seeking to impact the audience in the best way according to the region, geotargeting can also be useful for conducting market research according to the geographic position of the target audience in order to collect data and information about it.

Geotargeting and SEO Optimization

This practice is not limited to advertising and campaigns; it can also be extrapolated to SEO. To understand this, we need to understand the difference between international and local SEO.
International
Have you ever searched for a page in Spanish, only to find that the results lead you to an English page just because it has a higher number of views? This is a problem that pages without the “hreflang” attribute face.
This tag allows developers to include data about the language of their website, from the header to each subpage, where we include the XML sitemap to offer a better experience in versions of the same language, but for versions from different countries or different languages, but for the same country.
Local
Here we talk about topics and searches for more specific results, such as “Optician in Madrid” or “Clinic in Guadalajara.” In addition to SEO optimization, the Google bot takes into consideration aspects such as the user’s IP address and their geographic location.

Limitations of Geotargeting

This methodology is far from perfect, so you should consider some of its most important limitations:
– Location Precision: Sometimes location data may not be completely accurate due to various factors such as the availability of GPS signals, the quality of IP address databases, or the accuracy of Wi-Fi signals. As a result, there may be errors in geographical segmentation.
– Technical Limitations: It may not be possible on all advertising platforms or in all marketing channels. Some platforms may not offer advanced geographical segmentation capabilities, limiting the effectiveness of the strategy.
– Data Availability: The availability of location data may vary depending on the geographical region and the service provider, as in some areas, location data may be limited or unreliable, making precise audience segmentation difficult.
In any case, if you have a local business, geotargeting can be a great help in promoting your services or products. And at indigitall, we are here to help you apply it in the best way.