Choose English, Greek or both according to how your customers search and how your business can serve them. For a Cyprus campaign, the language decision should cover the keyword research, ad copy, landing page and sales response. Translating the advert alone leaves most of the customer journey unresolved.
There is also a current platform change to understand. Older instructions that simply tell you to select English and Greek at campaign level may no longer describe the Search campaign controls you see.
What changed in Google Ads language targeting in September 2026?
Google’s current language-targeting guidance announces a rollout starting in September 2026: the campaign-level language setting is being removed for Search campaigns, with matching based on the language of the ads. Google also considers signals about the languages a user understands.
The change also applies to the Search Network portion of Performance Max. Its language settings continue to apply to other channels, including YouTube, Display, Discover and Gmail; Shopping ads are not affected by language settings. Check the controls available in your account as the rollout progresses.
For business planning, the implication is straightforward: build appropriate ads and destination pages in the languages you intend to serve. Do not rely on an old settings checklist as the strategy.
Start with evidence about the customer
Look at your existing search terms, enquiry messages, sales conversations and website behaviour. Record the language of the request separately from the person’s location. Someone in Cyprus may search in English; someone abroad may search in Greek.
Use keyword research to explore both languages, but avoid treating a translated list as proof of demand. People may describe a service differently in each language, and industry terms may remain in English. Ask a fluent person with subject knowledge to review the actual phrasing.
Our Google Ads guide for Cyprus provides the wider campaign context. The task here is to make the language choice specific to your customer and offer.
When should you use English, Greek or both?
| Business situation | Practical starting point | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Most suitable enquiries arrive in Greek | Build a complete Greek customer journey | Whether English demand is commercially useful too |
| An international offer is sold and supported in English | Prioritise an accurate English journey | The actual buyer markets and language of their searches |
| Both languages already produce suitable customers | Plan distinct Greek and English assets | Whether budget and staffing can support both properly |
| There is little usable data | Run a focused test based on the strongest customer evidence | Lead quality and response capability before expanding |
These are planning recommendations, not claims that one language is inherently better for Cyprus. The right choice can differ between two businesses on the same street.
Match the ad and the landing page
A Greek advert should lead to a useful Greek page when that is the journey you are promising. An English advert should make the next step equally clear in English. Check the headline, offer, form labels, confirmation message and contact instructions.
Keep facts consistent across versions: price information, availability, service area, exclusions and response expectations. If one version is updated and the other is forgotten, customers may receive different promises.
For a hypothetical appointment business, the complete journey could be:
- A customer searches in Greek for an available service.
- The ad explains that service clearly in Greek.
- The page describes the appointment and relevant location.
- The form and confirmation explain what will happen next.
- A staff member capable of continuing in Greek handles the enquiry.
The same principle applies to an English journey. Website work is part of the campaign when the destination cannot currently support it.
Separate languages where it helps you make decisions
Plan language-specific ads and relevant keyword themes so you can review the message and destination coherently. Use a structure that preserves useful reporting without creating more fragments than the budget can support.
Separate campaigns when you need different budgets, markets or business priorities. When those decisions are shared, a simpler structure may be appropriate. The goal is to understand what each language journey contributes, not to create separate campaigns by habit.
Before enabling automated assets or other expansion features, check the previews and the language of the destination they use. Keep human review in the process for meaning, local phrasing and commercial accuracy.
Language and location are separate decisions
Decide where the intended customer is, then decide how to communicate with that customer. Google’s location options distinguish presence from interest in a place. An English-language campaign targeting Cyprus is not automatically an overseas-buyer campaign.
For a local service, use the service area and operating capacity to define the brief. For a development aimed at international buyers, specify the actual markets and response process. Do not equate a language with nationality or assume every speaker has the same needs.
Compare qualified outcomes, not just clicks
Record campaign source, language journey, service interest and qualification outcome in the same enquiry process. Compare media cost per qualified enquiry and the next sales stage after allowing for the buying cycle.
If Greek enquiries cost less but fewer are contacted successfully, investigate the response process. If English clicks cost more but generate suitable customers, evaluate the economics before cutting that activity. A small sample should remain a tentative signal, not a sweeping conclusion about a language market.
Keep a change log for meaningful translation, page and campaign changes. Otherwise, it becomes difficult to tell whether a result reflects language, offer, targeting or a new page.
Frequently asked questions
Should I translate every English keyword into Greek?
No. Use translation as a starting point, then research how customers actually describe the service. Review the resulting enquiries and search relevance before expanding the list.
Can one page serve both languages?
A bilingual page may be workable in some contexts, but dedicated, well-maintained language versions often make the customer journey clearer. Avoid making visitors hunt through unrelated text to find the information promised in the ad.
What if my team cannot handle enquiries in both languages?
Start with the languages you can support reliably, or establish a workable response process before advertising more broadly. Make language capabilities clear where they affect the service.
Plan the whole language journey
CREATE’s paid advertising service connects campaigns with the website and enquiry process. Contact CREATE with your offer, target market and existing language assets to discuss a practical campaign structure.