Google Ads removed language targeting: what it means for your Kannada, Tamil and Hindi ads

If you run Google Search ads in Bengaluru or Chennai in more than one language, a setting you may have relied on is going away. Google has removed the campaign-level language setting from Search campaigns, and advertisers have been reporting it disappearing from their accounts since early November.

The short answer: for Search ads, the language you pick in campaign settings no longer decides who sees your ads. Google now matches ads on the language of the search, the languages the user has set or uses, and the language of your ads and landing pages. Google says no action is required. But if you run separate English, Kannada, Tamil or Hindi campaigns, check that each one's ads and landing pages are clearly in one language, and watch your search terms closely for the next few weeks. Here's what changed, how Google now decides, and a 7-step checklist.

What exactly changed in Google Ads language targeting

Google announced the change on its Ads Developer Blog on 13 August 2026. From late September 2026, the campaign-level language setting is removed for Search and AI Max for Search campaigns, and ads are matched on the language of the ads themselves. In practice the rollout has been slower. PPC Land reported on 8 November that the setting had started vanishing from live accounts in early November, that some advertisers still saw it, and that Google Ads Editor still showed it.

Here's what applies to which campaign type, according to Google:

• Search and AI Max for Search: the language setting is removed. Existing campaigns keep running, and any old language setting is simply ignored.
• Performance Max: the language setting no longer applies to ads on the Google Search Network, which now work like Search campaigns. It still applies on YouTube, Display, Discover and Gmail. Shopping ads aren't affected.
• Your ads aren't translated: PPC Land reports Google confirming that it doesn't translate ad creatives. An English ad stays in English.

How Google now decides which language to show

Google's help page, About language targeting, explains the new logic:

• The user's languages: Google treats any language a person has set, regularly interacted with or searched in as one they understand. It uses signals such as the language of the search, browser and app settings, and browsing history.
• A clear search language wins: when the search is clearly in one language, ads and landing pages in that language are prioritised.
• No clear language: for searches like a brand name, Google prioritises the user's most preferred language.
• Several eligible campaigns: if more than one of your campaigns could show, Google's AI-based ad group prioritisation picks the most relevant language.

One thing the help page doesn't cover is the way many people in India actually search: Kannada, Tamil or Hindi typed in English letters, or a mix of English and a regional language in one query. Google hasn't said how those are treated. That's the main grey area for Indian advertisers, and it's why the search terms check in step 6 matters.

Why this matters more for Bangalore and Chennai advertisers

Google Ads supports ten Indian languages for ads, including Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam, according to its list of available languages. Many Bengaluru and Chennai businesses run the same service in English and a regional language, often in the same city with the same keywords, separated only by the language setting.

With that setting gone, the separation has to come from the ads and landing pages themselves. These set-ups are most at risk:

• A Kannada or Tamil campaign whose ads are actually written mostly in English.
• Ads that mix languages, such as an English headline with a Tamil description.
• Regional-language ads that send people to an English landing page.
• Two campaigns, "English" and "Hindi", targeting the same city and keywords with near-identical ads. They may now compete for the same searches.

What to do: a 7-step checklist for multilingual Google Ads

1. Check whether the change has reached your account

Open the settings of one of your Search campaigns. If there's no Languages entry, the change is live for you. Write down the date you noticed and add a note in your reports, so you can compare performance before and after. Don't rely on Google Ads Editor, which some advertisers say still shows the old setting.

2. List every campaign you split by language

Make a simple table: campaign name, the language it was meant for, locations, main keywords and budget. Flag any pair of campaigns that share locations and keywords and differed only by language. Those are the ones where traffic may now move between campaigns.

3. Write each ad group's ads in one language only

Headlines, descriptions, sitelinks and callouts in a Kannada ad group should all be in Kannada; the same for Tamil, Hindi and English. Brand and product names are fine as they are. Mixing languages inside one ad sends Google a mixed signal about who the ad is for. Have a native speaker write or check the copy rather than relying on a machine translation, because awkward phrasing costs clicks. Our creative team writes ad copy in English, Kannada, Tamil and Hindi.

4. Send each language to a landing page in the same language

Google says ads and landing pages in the searcher's language are prioritised, so a Kannada ad that lands on an English page is now a weaker match as well as a worse experience. Give each language its own page with the headline, body text, form labels and buttons all in that language, and set the page's language correctly in its code. A translated headline on top of an English page isn't enough. Our guide to landing pages that convert covers the rest of the page, and our websites team builds multilingual pages.

5. Let locations and keywords do the targeting work

Location targeting hasn't changed, so keep using it to control where your ads show. Make sure each regional-language ad group has keywords in that language and script. If two campaigns differed only by language, decide whether to keep them separate, which keeps a fixed budget for each language, or combine them into one campaign with an ad group per language, which stops them competing. Either can work. What matters is that each language is clearly defined by its ads, keywords and landing page.

6. Review search terms by language every week for a month

Open the search terms report for each campaign once a week. Look for English searches showing your regional-language ads, regional-language searches showing your English ads, and searches in English letters that are really Kannada, Tamil or Hindi. Add negative keywords where a campaign is picking up searches it can't serve well. Compare cost per lead and lead quality for each campaign with the weeks before the change, not just clicks.

7. Check Performance Max and your follow-up separately

For Performance Max, keep the language setting: it still controls YouTube, Display, Discover and Gmail. Check that each asset group's text is in the language you intend. Then check the part that pays the bills: if regional-language searchers now reach you more often, make sure the person answering calls and WhatsApp messages can reply in that language. A quick, well-written auto-reply in the right language helps, and our automation team can set that up. If you'd like a second pair of eyes on the whole account, that's what our performance marketing team does every day.

Example: a Bengaluru pest-control service, before and after

This is an illustrative example: the business is made up, and it's only here to show how the seven steps fit together.

Before. The business runs two Search campaigns targeting Bengaluru, with the same keywords for pest control and termite treatment. The "English" campaign has English ads. The "Kannada" campaign has its language set to Kannada, but its ads have English headlines with one Kannada description line, and both campaigns send people to the same English home page. Calls go to one front-desk number.

After.

• Step 1: the owner notices the language setting has gone, notes the date and adds a note in the monthly report.
• Step 2: the table shows the two campaigns share every keyword and location, so they're flagged as the pair to fix.
• Step 3: a Kannada-speaking team member rewrites the Kannada campaign's headlines, descriptions and sitelinks fully in Kannada, and a second person checks them. The English ads stay as they are.
• Step 4: the business adds a Kannada landing page for its main services, with Kannada text, form labels and a click-to-call button, and points the Kannada ads to it.
• Step 5: Kannada-script keywords are added to the Kannada campaign. The owner keeps the two campaigns separate to keep a fixed monthly spend on Kannada searches.
• Step 6: every Monday for a month, someone checks the search terms for both campaigns, adds negatives where English searches trigger Kannada ads or the reverse, and notes any Kannada searches typed in English letters.
• Step 7: the Performance Max campaign keeps its language setting for YouTube. The front desk agrees that a Kannada-speaking colleague takes calls from the Kannada campaign's call asset, and the WhatsApp auto-reply gets a Kannada version.

What to expect. None of this guarantees that every Kannada searcher sees the Kannada ad, because Google makes that decision using its own signals, and how it handles searches typed in English letters isn't documented. What it does is give Google clear, consistent signals and give each searcher an ad and page they can read. The business should judge the result on cost per lead and the share of calls that turn into bookings, comparing each campaign over the four weeks before and after the change, and keep checking search terms.

Frequently asked questions

Has Google Ads removed language targeting from every campaign type?

No. It's removed from Search and AI Max for Search campaigns, and from Performance Max ads on the Google Search Network. Performance Max still uses the language setting on YouTube, Display, Discover and Gmail, and Shopping ads aren't affected.

Do I need to change anything in my Google Ads account?

Google says no action is required, and existing campaigns keep running. But if you run ads in more than one language, check that each ad group's ads and landing pages are clearly in one language, because that's now what Google uses to match your ads.

Will Google translate my English ads into Kannada, Tamil or Hindi?

No. Google doesn't translate ad creatives. If you want to reach people searching in a regional language, write ads in that language and send them to a page in the same language.

Can I still run Google Ads in Kannada, Tamil or Hindi?

Yes. Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and other Indian languages are supported for ads. You just can't use a campaign setting to choose the audience language any more, so the ads themselves have to be in that language.

How does Google handle searches typed in English letters, like Kannada or Hinglish?

Google's help page doesn't say. Watch your search terms report for these searches over the next few weeks, see which of your ads they trigger, and adjust keywords and negatives based on what you find.

The short version

1. Google has removed the language setting from Search campaigns, and from Performance Max on Search. It started disappearing from accounts in early November.
2. Google now matches on the search's language, the user's languages, and the language of your ads and landing pages.
3. Write each ad group in one language, and send it to a page in the same language.
4. Use locations and keywords to target, and review search terms weekly for a month.
5. Keep Performance Max's language setting for YouTube and Display, and make sure your team can reply in the languages you advertise in.

Running Google Ads in more than one language and not sure how this affects your account? Talk to us and we'll review your campaigns, ads and landing pages with you.