Tim Kencang.in
A delivery offer for New York may not suit a customer in London. Prices in dollars may need a local currency option for overseas visitors. An App Store button does not help someone on Android. Targeting sends visitors to pages that match their region, device and language through one short link.
Three types of targeting
Geo targeting
Target by country and, where regional data is available, by state or province. Location comes from the visitor’s IP address. It can differ from the visitor’s actual location, especially on mobile networks or VPNs; offer a region selector on the destination page.
Device targeting
Based on operating system and device type: iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, as well as mobile, tablet, or desktop. This is the foundation for app deep links.
Language targeting
Based on the browser's preferred language (header Accept-Language). Suitable for multilingual sites. An explanation of this header is in MDN Web Docs.
Setting rules in Kencang.in
- Create or edit a link and open the Targetingtab.
- Select the rule type, define the condition, and enter the destination URL for the condition.
- Add as many rules as needed. Rules are evaluated sequentially; the first one that fits will be used.
- The link's main URL is the destination for visitors matching no rules.
You can also configure targeting through the API with the parameters geotarget, devicetarget, and languagetarget; see the developer documentation.
Common advertising scenarios
Regional promotions from one national ad
Use one QR code or short link in a shared campaign. Set regional destinations for New York and London, with offers suited to each location. Keep a default destination for visitors outside those regions.
Cross-country expansion
One link in a global social media profile sends Malaysian visitors to a .my site with ringgit prices, Singaporean visitors to a .sg site, and everyone else to the main site.
Distribution of leads to branches
The "Contact us" link leads to the nearest branch's WhatsApp number based on the visitor's province. Combine it with a rotator if a branch has several customer-service agents.
Content compliance
Products that may only be promoted in certain regions may be directed to a general information page for visitors from outside those regions.
Testing rules
- Use a VPN or cellular network to simulate different locations.
- Test from iPhone and Android for device rules.
- Change the browser language for the language rule.
- Check analytics dashboard: the link's country distribution should align with the destinations used.
Limitations that need to be understood
- IP geolocation is not GPS. VPN users and mobile networks routing traffic through another city can yield incorrect locations. Offer a "change region" link on the landing page.
- Rules do not replace language detection on your site; the two complement each other.
- The number of rules is not limited, but too many rules are difficult to maintain. Group per campaign.
Combining targeting with other features
Targeting works with pixels (installed for all destinations), UTM (add utm_content with a different value for each region in the destination URL), and link expiration. Geo, device, and language targeting are available on Pro and Business plans; see the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
How accurate is location detection?
At country level the accuracy is very high. At the provincial or city level, accuracy depends on the network operator; mobile users are sometimes detected in network hub cities. Provide a region change link on the landing page as a backup.
Is Googlebot affected by targeting rules?
Googlebot usually crawls from the United States and therefore gets either the default destination or the destination for that country. Keep the default destination as the main page with equivalent content to avoid being considered cloaking.
Can I target a specific city?
Targeting is available down to the country and province or state levels. For needs per city, select the province that includes that city, or create a separate alias for materials that are distributed in that city.
Can targeting rules be set via API?
Yes. Link creation and update endpoints accept geotarget, devicetarget, and languagetarget as arrays of rules, allowing your system to create regional links automatically.
