The Complete Guide to Google Ads in China

Google has been blocked in China since December 2014, leaving it with only 2% of the search engine market share as of February 2026. Despite this, Google Ads remains a functional advertising tool for reaching certain audiences in China. For the right use cases, it can still play a valuable role as part of a broader China marketing strategy, particularly when targeting niche or internationally orientated users. This guide explains how to run Google Ads in China, including best practices and limitations. 

Do Google Ads Work in China?

Yes. Google Ads can be used to target users in the China region, with a reach of 10.3 million users. Google must comply with sanctions imposed by the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which restricts advertising in a limited set of sanctioned regions. China is not among them. Running Google Ads campaigns targeting China is fully permitted.

How Do Google Ads Work in China?

Google Ads functions the same way in China as it does everywhere else. You set up a campaign with a defined target audience, budget, and content strategy, and Google serves ads to users who match your targeting criteria. The campaign structure, bidding mechanics, and ad formats are identical to any other region.

The key difference is reach. Because Google’s core services, Search, Maps, Gmail, and YouTube, are blocked on the mainland, the pool of reachable users is significantly smaller than in other markets, and the composition of that audience is different from that of a typical Chinese internet user.

How Can I Target Users in China?

Google Ads offers two targeting methods for the China region:

• Presence. Targets users physically located in China at the time the ad is served
• Interest. Targets users who have shown an interest in China, regardless of where they are located

These can be used individually or in combination, depending on your campaign goals.

While no public demographic data is available for Google users in China, the audience is likely comprised of expatriates, internationally orientated residents, and Chinese users who access Google via VPN or through Google-accessible ad inventory on third-party apps and websites. 

This makes Google Ads better suited to targeting:

• Foreign nationals living in China
• Internationally minded Chinese consumers
• Global audiences with a connection to China

The average Chinese internet user is far more effectively reached through domestic platforms such as Baidu, WeChat, and Douyin.

Where Do Google Ads Appear in China?

Because Google’s core consumer services are largely inaccessible in mainland China, ads are not primarily delivered through the same channels as in other markets. Instead, Google Ads reach in China comes from a combination of available inventory across Google’s network.

The main sources of ad delivery include:

Google Display Network

Ads can appear on third-party websites and mobile apps that are a part of Google’s Display Network. This is one of the primary sources of reach in China, as it does not rely on users actively accessing Google Search.

Search Partners

Although Google Search itself has limited accessibility in mainland China, ads may still appear across Google’s search partner network. This includes sites that use Google’s search technology to serve results and ads.

Google-Owned Properties 

Inventory such as Gmail and YouTube is included in Google Ads campaigns, but access to these services in mainland China is restricted. As a result, they contribute less to overall reach compared to other regions.

In practice, this means that Google Ads in China relies more heavily on partner inventory and less on Google-owned platforms than in most other markets. This has implications for both scale and performance and is one of the reasons Google Ads is best suited to targeted, niche campaigns rather than broad-market coverage.

What is Best Practice for Google Ads in China?

Compliance

Even though Google Ads is a foreign platform, ads targeting users in China must comply with local regulations. The two most relevant are the Administrative Measures for Internet Advertising and the Advertising Law of the People’s Republic of China. These laws govern permissible claims, restricted categories, and required disclosures. Certain product categories, including healthcare, financial services, and education, are subject to additional rules.

Key requirements include:

• Labelling. Article 14 of the Advertising Law and Article 9 of the Internet Advertising Measures require that all ads are clearly identifiable as advertisements and distinguishable from organic content.
• Prohibited claims. Article 9 of the Advertising Law prohibits superlatives such as “best”, “highest level”, or “national level” in any ad copy or creative. Article 28 prohibits false or misleading content broadly, including unverifiable statistics and implied efficacy claims.
• Restricted categories. Articles 15–27 of the Advertising Law and Article 7 of the Internet Advertising Measures require that ads for pharmaceuticals, medical devices, health food, and pesticides receive regulatory approval before publication. Healthcare ads cannot include cure rates or patient testimonials; education ads cannot guarantee exam results or qualifications.
• Ad formats. Article 10 of the Internet Advertising Measures requires pop-up and open-screen ads to include a clearly visible one-click close button.

Non-compliance can result in fines of up to CNY 2 million for serious or repeated violations.

Localisation

The right localisation strategy depends on who you are targeting. Campaigns aimed at expatriates or international residents may perform well in English or a mix of English and Chinese. Campaigns aimed at Chinese-speaking users should use Simplified Chinese, reflect local consumer expectations, and avoid direct translations of Western ad copy, which rarely land effectively.

Landing Page

Google’s quality score applies globally, including in China. If your ad directs users to a landing page that is slow to load, not mobile-optimised, or inconsistent with the ad content, performance will suffer. Given that many users in China access Google via VPN, page load speed is an especially important factor.

What Are the Limitations of Google Ads in China?

Scale

With approximately 2% market share, Google Ads cannot effectively reach the mainstream Chinese internet user. The 10.3 million reachable users in the China region represent a small fraction of China’s total online population of over one billion. 

Relevance

For brands whose primary goal is reaching Chinese consumers at scale, domestic platforms, such as Baidu Search Ads (百度搜索推广) and marketing through RedNote (小红书) and Douyin (抖音, also known as Chinese TikTok), will almost always deliver better reach and return on investment.

Google Ads in China is best treated as a supplementary channel rather than a primary one: useful for reaching specific audience segments that domestic platforms do not cover well, but not a substitute for a full China digital marketing strategy.

How Can AppInChina Help?

AppInChina helps overseas brands navigate advertising in China, including Google Ads campaigns targeting China-based audiences. We offer:

• A free compliance assessment to confirm whether your ad campaign and creative materials align with Chinese advertising law before you go live
• Localised campaign creation, including Simplified Chinese copywriting and creative optimisation for the China-region audience
• Guidance on where Google Ads fits within a broader China marketing strategy, and which domestic channels are best suited to reaching your target audience at scale

Contact us to discuss your China advertising options.