Seeing US-targeted ads outside the US today

Check yours

[anallawalla]

I have notified tech support and our rep that I can reproduce at will some of our US-only campaign ads here in Australia. I am *not* using a proxy or an international ISP such as AOL. The ISP is local.

I can only see the problem using Google.com Advanced and also on one AdSense page. I tried adding &gl=uk/za etc but no go.

Hope this is just a temporary and new glitch. :(

[anallawalla]

Google can't reproduce this and I have narrowed it down to my DSL ISP (dialup ISPs show correct targetting). The ISP has confirmed this, but can't explain it.

It only happens when I use google.com, not google.com.au. Previously, google.com would give me AU-targetted ads.

I can break out by adding &gl=us but this won't help me with other PPC providers.

My view is *somewhere* in the US, not the Bay Area (where I have a proxy and can call up regional ads to confirm it).

Question: How can I tell "where" in the US my Google view is? What terms can I try to bring up a regional ad easily? I have tried "homes for sale", "dentist", "apartments" but can't raise a single regional ad.

[eWhisper]

These pull up at least one regional ad - there are times I have to refresh as most people run both regional and national, so it can be a toss up as to which one shows:

lasik
car insurance
real estate agent

I'm not an expert by any means about IPs and identifying regions, however just because G thinks your in the US - doesn't necessarily mean they know where in the US you are.

Case in point. I have a cable modem. If I'm connected via the modem (i.e. no router) G usually knows where I am. If I'm connected via wireless through a router, I rarely get served regional ads - its like they can't tell where I am suddenly.

[anallawalla]

My ISP fixed whatever was causing the anomaly, but they were as surprised as I was. Probably some routing issue above them.

I managed to see one regional ad - it just showed "California" below the ad rather than the more precise "Bay Area, San Francisco, San Jose" I see at other times.

[Gmorgan]

I just had a look on Google and one of my UK only ads is showing on google.com yet my one of my UK & US ads isn't. What a pain

[Marls]

I'm based in the US and run only US-wide AdWords. Nonetheless this morning I discovered all my AdWord ads are running in Ireland. Even if you do an Ireland specific search. . .there they are.

[running scared]

I'm UK based. Get US ads on google.com, UK ads on google.co.uk :)