Google Ads Russia: How to run Google Ads in Russia in 2023?
Does Google Advertising work in Russia? Officially – no! But if you want, it can be used and in this article I will tell you how to do this.
Colleagues, I want to share my experience of running Google ads (formerly google adwords) for Russian citizens in 2022 and 2023. As you know, Google has banned advertising on the territory of the Russian Federation and also banned running ads on accounts belonging to Russian citizens. In this article I will tell you how to bypass this blocking and what you will have to face.
So, let’s see what you need to do step by step:
Bypassing Google Ads account ban for Russian citizens
As a rule, a Google Ads account is registered from a Gmail account or any other Google service. Therefore, we need the Google account to be registered in a country other than Russia. What can be done?
- Step 1 – Go outside of Russia, register an account in any other country through the WIFI of the hotel (the IP address should be the same as the IP address of the country you register the account in). Of course, you can try to register via VPN, but Google has access to a lot of your other data, so registering an account on vacation in another country is more reliable.
- Step 2 – Get a foreign bank card, as well as a SIM card entering the data in your Google Ads payment profile. At the moment, the easiest way is to get a bank card in Georgian Credo Bank, But personal presence will be required. You can also purchase a SIM card in Georgia, using a foreign passport.
- Start advertising while you are in another country and spend some budget (at least 100$), it will help you to pass the initial moderation of the account, and when you will launch new advertising campaigns from the territory of the Russian Federation, it will not be questioned.
Selecting a region for advertising
If you need to set up advertising on the territory of any other country except the Russian Federation, there will be no problems here.
But if advertising in Russia and customization should work for the citizens of Russia, then you should do the following:
- Customize ads to the whole world in the settings
- Select Russian language (only Russian-speaking users).
That way you’ll hook an audience that speaks Russian and uses a VPN.
The method works both for search ads and YouTube ads (there are a lot of Russian ads there, if you are using VPN)
eLama
A colleague of mine, after reading this article, wrote me that Google Ads can also be run through eLama by registering a dollar account there.
As you can see, even in 2023 it is possible to use and run Google Ads, and if you are sure that this advertising will bring you sales, you can “get excited” as it is worth registering a new account and setting up ads.
FAQ
Is it officially allowed to run Google Ads in Russia?
No, officially, Google has banned advertising on the territory of the Russian Federation and also restricted accounts belonging to Russian citizens from running ads.
How can one bypass the Google Ads account ban for Russian citizens?
One way to bypass the account ban is to register a Google account in a country other than Russia. This involves physically being in another country or using a VPN, although the former is recommended for more reliability. Additionally, you need a foreign bank card and SIM card for your Google Ads payment profile.
What should be done to set up advertising specifically for Russian-speaking audiences?
If you intend to target Russian-speaking audiences, customize your ads to a global audience in the settings, and select the Russian language. This will allow you to reach Russian-speaking users who may be using VPNs.
Can Google Ads be run through eLama?
Yes, Google Ads can also be run through eLama by registering a dollar account on the platform.
What kind of ads can be run to target Russian audiences?
The method of targeting Russian-speaking audiences using global settings and selecting the Russian language works for both search ads and YouTube ads.