Why Is My Google Ads Showing Up for Spanish Keywords?

If your Google Ads are unexpectedly appearing for Spanish keywords, it can be frustrating—especially if your campaign is targeting English-speaking audiences. The issue could be related to language settings, keyword match types, audience preferences, or even Google’s algorithm trying to expand your reach.

Let’s break down why this happens and how to fix it.

1. Check Your Google Ads Language Settings

Google Ads allows you to target users based on their language preferences. If your ads are showing up for Spanish queries, your campaign may be set to target Spanish-speaking users without you realizing it.

How to Check and Adjust Language Settings:

✔️ Go to Google Ads and navigate to your campaign.
✔️ Click on Settings > Languages.
✔️ If "Spanish" is listed, remove it so your ads target only English speakers.
✔️ If "All Languages" is selected, change it to "English" to avoid Spanish-language searches.

💡 Pro Tip: Google determines a user’s language not just by their search terms, but also by their browser settings and browsing behavior—so even if a user searches in English, they could be categorized under a different language.

2. Review Your Keyword Match Types

Your ads might be triggering Spanish searches due to broad match or phrase match keywords. Google’s algorithm tries to find related searches, and if it thinks Spanish keywords are relevant to your campaign, it may display your ads for them.

How to Fix Keyword Match Type Issues:

✔️ Avoid Broad Match Keywords – Broad match can trigger loosely related searches, including Spanish queries.
✔️ Use Phrase or Exact Match – Switching to “exact match” ([keyword]) or “phrase match” (“keyword”) helps control which searches trigger your ads.
✔️ Check Search Terms Report – In Google Ads > Keywords > Search Terms, look at the actual queries triggering your ads. If you see Spanish searches, add them as negative keywords (explained next).

💡 Example: If your broad match keyword is marketing agency, Google might trigger searches for agencia de marketing(Spanish for "marketing agency").

3. Add Negative Keywords to Block Spanish Terms

Negative keywords prevent your ads from showing for irrelevant searches. If your ads are appearing for Spanish keywords, adding them to your negative keyword list will stop them from triggering.

How to Add Negative Keywords:

✔️ Go to Google Ads > Keywords > Negative Keywords.
✔️ Click Add Negative Keywords.
✔️ Enter common Spanish terms that are triggering your ads (e.g., gratis, barato, agencia, servicio).
✔️ Save and monitor the performance to ensure fewer Spanish queries.

💡 Pro Tip: Use negative keyword lists across multiple campaigns for efficiency.

4. Check Google’s Dynamic Targeting and Auto-Expansions

Google Ads has features that automatically expand your targeting, which may include Spanish keywords—even if you didn’t select them.

Check These Settings:

✔️ Auto-Applied Recommendations – If "Expand your reach" is enabled, Google may be automatically targeting Spanish variations of your keywords. Disable this in Settings > Recommendations.
✔️ Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) – If you use Dynamic Search Ads, Google pulls in related searches from your website content, and if your site has any Spanish words, it might show ads for Spanish terms.
✔️ Location Targeting – If you’re targeting areas with high Spanish-speaking populations, Google may prioritize Spanish-language searches.

💡 Solution:

• Adjust location settings to focus on English-speaking users only.
• Disable Google’s automatic targeting expansions if it’s affecting campaign performance.

5. Analyze Audience Behavior & Adjust Bidding

If your business serves a bilingual audience, Google might be showing ads in Spanish because some of your users have interacted with Spanish content.

Ways to Fix This:

✔️ Use Audience Exclusions – In Google Ads > Audiences, exclude users whose primary language is set to Spanish.
✔️ Adjust Bid Modifiers – If you notice that Spanish searches aren’t converting, lower your bids for those users.
✔️ Run A/B Tests – Test separate campaigns: one for English speakers only and another targeting Spanish speakers intentionally, then compare performance.

💡 Key Takeaway: Instead of fighting the algorithm, leverage audience data to refine your targeting.

Final Thoughts: How to Prevent Google Ads from Showing Spanish Keywords

If your Google Ads are appearing for Spanish keywords, it’s likely due to language settings, broad match targeting, or Google’s auto-expansions. To fix this:
✔️ Limit your campaign to English speakers in Language & Location settings.
✔️ Use phrase or exact match keywords instead of broad match.
✔️ Regularly check the Search Terms Report and add Spanish terms as negative keywords.
✔️ Disable Google’s auto-expansion features if they’re causing irrelevant targeting.
✔️ Use audience segmentation to refine who sees your ads.