International Google Ads
International Google Ads Management - Cross-Market PPC for Ecommerce Brands
Most UK Google Ads agencies translate the keywords and call it international. We bid every market against its actual margin economics - tariffs, VAT, duty, currency - with native-language campaign management across English and non-English markets.
Why most agencies fail at cross-market PPC
Running Google Ads in multiple markets isn't a translation exercise. It's a unit-economics exercise. The same SKU sold in the UK, US and UAE has three different contribution margins, three different tax treatments, three different fulfilment costs and three different return profiles. Most agencies treat international expansion as "duplicate the UK account, translate the keywords, increase the budget." That's how brands burn international budgets without knowing why.
Margin economics change per market - the bidding strategy rarely does
A £50 item with 60% margin in the UK might land at roughly 32% margin in the US after current tariffs, and roughly 47% margin in the UAE after duty and VAT. Without per-market contribution margin feeding the bidder, Smart Bidding optimises against gross revenue and quietly destroys profit on the lower-margin markets.
Native-language campaigns run as direct translations from English
"Best running shoes" in German, French or Arabic carries different commercial intent, different qualifying modifiers, and a different competitive set. Most agencies don't have native-speaker review built in, so the campaign reads as obviously translated, trust drops, conversion rate follows.
Feed quality requirements vary by market
GTIN, EAN and MPN regional differences. Country-specific safety attribute requirements. Different allowed claim language (UAE, KSA, Switzerland and the EU all enforce different rules). Currency formatting. The default Shopify or Magento export rarely satisfies all of these - and a single feed disapproval per market means lost impressions in that market.
Cross-market PPC, run on BOI™
The BOI™ framework - Bid On Intent - assigns every SKU one of five commercial jobs (Scale, Profit, Protect, Recovery, Gateway). In a single-market account, that job is calculated against UK margin economics. In a cross-market account, each SKU has a different job in each market because the underlying margin economics differ.
United Kingdom
~60% margin
Scale or Profit job depending on stock and demand.
United States (post-tariff)
~38% margin
Job shifts to Profit or Protect. Aggressive bidding loses money.
UAE (import duty + 5% VAT)
~47% margin
Sits between US and UK treatment.
When tariff rates change (as they have through 2026), the job mix shifts in real time. Brands without commercial-intent bidding don't see the change until the quarterly P&L review. This is why blended bidding fails internationally. It's also why "translate and duplicate" fails. The margin economics are different in every market; the bidding strategy has to reflect it. The POAS view is the only one that holds up across borders.
Native-language campaigns, not direct translations
We run live campaigns across English-speaking markets (UK, US, Australia, Singapore, Canada, Ireland) and non-English markets where the brand has commercial presence - including French, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch and Arabic, depending on client footprint.
For non-English markets, native-speaker review is built into our keyword research, ad copy production and landing page intent matching. We don't run machine-translated campaigns. We don't ship "passable" copy and hope. The native-speaker review pass typically adds 3–5 days to onboarding, but it's the difference between a campaign that converts and a campaign that visibly reads as translated.
Where we don't claim native capability
We don't pretend to run native-language campaigns for markets where we don't have reliable native review (Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Portuguese - depending on current team capacity). For those markets, we partner with specialist local agencies and handle the strategy and methodology layer while they handle the language execution.
Tax, tariff and duty - built into the bidding
US tariffs (2026)
The current US tariff regime applies variable rates depending on country of origin, product category and (for some categories) end-use. For UK and EU brands selling into the US, this typically translates to 10–25% landed margin compression. Every JudeLuxe US-targeting account has tariff-adjusted contribution margin feeding the bidder. We monitor tariff rate changes (currently a monthly review cadence given how often the regime is being updated) and reassign BOI™ jobs when rates change materially. See our most recent Merchant Center updates coverage for related compliance changes.
EU and UK VAT
Post-Brexit VAT is its own discipline. EU One-Stop Shop (OSS) registration thresholds, country-specific VAT rates (Germany 19%, France 20%, Hungary 27%, etc.) and the £135 / €150 customs threshold all affect per-order margin. We handle the bidding implications - the registration is your accountant's job, but if the registration changes, the bidding changes too.
UAE, KSA and Gulf markets
UAE applies 5% VAT plus customs duty (typically 5% on most goods). KSA is 15% VAT plus duty. Both markets have specific claim-language restrictions for health, beauty and food categories. We work across both markets and have native Arabic-speaker review built in for campaigns in MSA.
Currency hedging
For brands hedging GBP exposure, we adjust reported POAS calculations based on the hedge ratio. A 5% GBP/USD move can shift reported POAS by around 3 percentage points; without hedge accounting that swing reads as performance change.
Where we currently run campaigns
Editorial flag for Chris: edit the lists below to reflect actual current markets before publishing.
English-language markets
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Canada
- Ireland
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Singapore
Non-English (native-speaker review)
- Germany
- France
- Spain
- Italy
- Netherlands
- United Arab Emirates (Arabic)
Account structure - one strategy, multiple market implementations
Cross-market accounts have three common structural choices, each with trade-offs:
Option 1
Single account, multiple campaigns per market
Pros
Simplest. Easy to manage.
Trade-offs
Mixes performance signals across markets. Smart Bidding optimises against blended targets. Per-market commercial intent is lost.
Option 2
One account per market
Pros
Cleanest signal separation. Each account's Smart Bidding optimises against its own market's economics.
Trade-offs
Higher operational overhead - 5 markets means 5 accounts to monitor.
Option 3
Manager account with market-level subaccounts
Pros
Best balance. Consolidated reporting across markets; subaccount-level Smart Bidding works against per-market commercial signal. How we structure most multi-market accounts.
Trade-offs
Requires up-front strategy work to set conversion actions and value rules cleanly.
The right choice depends on budget split across markets, complexity tolerance and reporting requirements. We make the recommendation based on the brand's actual setup, not a default playbook. For brands managing multiple distinct labels in a single group, the same logic applies to our multi-brand retail work.
Pricing - fixed fee, scoped to market complexity
Cross-market PPC management is a fixed monthly fee, scoped to: number of markets, language complexity (English-only vs multi-language), tax regime complexity (US tariffs + EU OSS + UAE VAT all in one account is more work than UK-only), and subaccount structure complexity.
2–3 markets, English-only, single account
£4,000–£7,000 / month
3–5 markets, mixed English + native language
£7,000–£12,000 / month
5+ markets, multi-language, US + EU + UAE
£12,000–£25,000+ / month
No percentage of spend. Free audit included. 3-month initial term, then rolling. Final fee scoped on the discovery call once we understand the actual market footprint. See the full pricing structure or our retained management service for single-market engagements.
When not to expand internationally with Google Ads
We push back on international expansion when it doesn't make commercial sense - even though it costs us revenue. Three common situations where we recommend brands hold:
01
Sub-£2M revenue, sub-£15k/month Google Ads spend
International expansion adds operational complexity that brands at this scale rarely absorb profitably. Better to maximise UK performance first.
02
Catalogue not localised for the target market
Selling UK-spec products into the US without market-appropriate sizing, certifications or pricing tends to under-perform. Fix the catalogue before scaling the ads.
03
Fulfilment infrastructure not in place
Cross-border shipping from the UK to the US, UAE or EU often produces unprofitable unit economics due to duty, tariffs and shipping cost. Brands need a local 3PL or fulfilment partner before scaling ads materially.
We say so on the call when this applies. Better to lose a pitch than take an engagement that won't work.
Cross-market work in action
Editorial flag for Chris: replace the placeholder cards below with named clients once cleared, or with anonymised composites if needed.
Cross-market case study placeholder
UK + US + EU multi-market account - POAS held through 2026 tariff changes
Chris to confirm named client for this card before publishing.
Cross-market case study placeholder
US tariff impact absorbed without margin erosion
Chris to confirm named client and the recovered margin figure before publishing.
Cross-market case study placeholder
Native-language market entry - Germany and France launched in parallel
Chris to confirm named client and the launch-to-first-sale window before publishing.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between international Google Ads and just translating UK campaigns?
Translated UK campaigns miss per-market margin economics (tariffs, VAT, duty, currency), native query intent and feed compliance differences. International Google Ads done properly treats each market as having its own commercial logic - different SKUs may be profitable in one market and loss-making in another.
Do you run native-language Google Ads campaigns?
Yes. We have native-speaker review built into keyword research, ad copy and landing page intent matching for French, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Arabic and several other languages. For markets where we don't have reliable native review (e.g. Mandarin, Japanese, Korean), we partner with specialist local agencies and handle the strategy and methodology layer.
How do you handle US tariffs in bidding strategy?
Current US tariff rates are factored into per-SKU contribution margin calculations. SKUs hit by higher tariffs have their BOI™ commercial job reassigned (typically downward - Scale to Profit, Profit to Protect). We monitor tariff rate changes monthly and adjust accordingly.
What about EU VAT and One-Stop Shop registration?
We handle the bidding implications of OSS-registered accounts (per-country VAT applied to margin calculation). The OSS registration itself is your accountant's job, but if the registration changes - for example, crossing a country threshold - the bidding adapts.
How are UAE and Saudi Arabia campaigns managed differently?
Arabic native-speaker review built in for ad copy and keyword research. VAT and duty factored into per-SKU margin. Claim language compliance audited at feed level - particularly important in health, beauty and food categories.
What's your minimum spend for international Google Ads management?
Total Google Ads spend of £15k+/month across all markets. For multi-market accounts, individual markets can be lower - what matters is the aggregate spend and the operational complexity.
Do you work alongside local agencies in specific markets?
Yes. For markets where we don't have reliable native capability (Mandarin, Japanese, Korean - depending on current team capacity), we partner with specialist local agencies. We handle strategy, methodology and consolidated reporting; they handle language execution and local market expertise.
How long does it take to launch cross-market campaigns?
Typically 3–6 weeks from contract signing for the first market launch. Single-market accounts launch faster. Multi-market multi-language accounts need native-speaker review cycles. UAE and KSA can take longer due to feed compliance audits.
Book a Free Cross-Market Audit
We'll review your current international Google Ads setup, identify per-market margin economics, and quantify what's recoverable. 5–7 days, written PDF report, no charge for qualifying brands.