How Local and Device-Level Forecasts in Google Keyword Planner Give You a Strategic Edge
“Automation is only as good as the data it’s based on. Forecasting isn’t about predicting the future. It’s about planning around what you know and adapting where you can’t.”
There’s a quiet shift happening inside Google Ads, and it’s catching most advertisers off guard.
On the surface, everything looks fine. Campaigns are running. Spend is going out. Leads are coming in. But underneath, the way advertisers understand where their money actually goes is changing — and not in their favour.
This isn’t about panic. It’s about awareness. Because if you don’t adapt to this shift, you don’t lose performance overnight — you slowly lose control, and that’s far more dangerous.
The Old Way: Averages and Assumptions
Before this update, keyword forecasts showed broad reach and volume estimates across whole markets. That’s not inherently bad, but it’s incomplete. Marketers had to assume:
Which cities were most valuable
Which devices drove conversions
How to allocate budget across regions
Whether mobile behavior differed meaningfully from desktop
These assumptions were educated guesses at best, and costly mistakes at worst.
Now Google Ads lets you see keyword demand and forecast performance:
By city or region
By device type (mobile, tablet, desktop)
This isn’t incremental insight — it’s a strategic game changer.
Why Local Forecasts Matter
Imagine you’re running ads for multiple offices, services, or markets within one state. National trends tell you where people generally search. Local data tells you where people actually convert.
Local forecasts let you:
Identify which cities or zip codes deliver higher intent
Plan budgets based on real demand instead of guesswork
Avoid over-spending in low-value regions
Tailor ad messages to local behavioural patterns
For example, a campaign might show identical search volume for “plumber near me” across two cities — but conversion intent could differ dramatically. Local forecasting reveals that difference before you spend a dollar. That’s performance engineering. That’s not luck.
Why Device-Level Forecasts Matter
Device context changes how people search, interact, and convert. The old national forecast couldn’t tell you this:
Are mobile users converting at the same rate as desktop users?
Should your bid strategy prioritise mobile during commute hours?
Do tablet users show higher engagement in certain service categories?
With device-level breakdowns, you can answer these questions before you launch - not after you’ve already spent.
Device forecasts help you:
Allocate budget where performance is most likely
Set device bid modifiers with data, not intuition
Tailor ad creatives and landing pages for behavioural differences
In a world where mobile dominates for many search intents, ignoring this layer means leaving performance on the table.
Most Advertisers Miss This Because They Plan in Bulk
Here’s the uncomfortable truth:
Most advertisers still build campaigns the way agencies have done for a decade — broad targeting, one-size-fits-all budgets, national averages, and hope.
Hope isn’t a strategy.
Precision forecasting is.
Local and device forecasts let you engineer:
Better spend allocation
Cleaner campaign segmentation
Higher intent targeting
Data-informed bidding
That’s the future of paid media — not blind automation, not broad assumptions.
How to Use Forecasts to Build Better Campaigns
Here’s the practical playbook Bark uses when planning campaigns with this update:
1. Start with Local Demand
Break down keyword forecasts by region.
Don’t build a statewide or national campaign first.
Build region-specific campaigns based on actual forecasted intent.
2. Segment by Device Early
Instead of assuming one bid strategy fits all,
create separate strategies (or bid modifiers) based on forecasted performance differences across devices.
This helps reduce wasted spend and optimise where conversions are most likely.
3. Align Messaging With Context
City residents behave differently than tourists.
Mobile users behave differently from desktop users.
Use forecast insights to customise your ad copy and landing page messaging before launch — not after.
4. Allocate Budget Based on Value, Not Volume
Forecasts reveal where demand is versus where volume looks big but performs poorly.
Spend smarter, not harder.
These steps aren’t theory — they’re how sensible, performance-driven campaigns are engineered.
Why This Update Matters in a Broader Strategic Context
Google’s forecast changes aren’t about giving you more charts — they’re about shifting planning from:
Guessing → to → data-informed strategy
National averages → to → regional intent
One bid strategy → to → context-aware optimisation
Advertisers who ignore this will continue to waste spend on inefficient campaigns. Those who adapt will lower costs, improve conversion rates, and build more predictable performance curves.
This is the direction PPC is going — less guesswork, more engineering.
The Bark Perspective
At Bark PPC, we don’t launch campaigns based on broad assumptions or outdated best practices. We build them around precision, data, and predictive control.
This recent update — local and device-level keyword forecasting — fits exactly into the Bark approach:
Forecast before you fund
Strategise before you scale
Optimise before you automate
Because automation is only as good as the data it’s based on. Forecasting isn’t about predicting the future. It’s about planning around what you know and adapting where you can’t.
That’s how campaigns stop leaking spend and start delivering profitable growth.
Join the Smarter PPC Movement
This is Bark - where intelligent AI meets seasoned strategy, built to elevate your campaigns and amplify your impact. Ready to say goodbye to bloated agency processes and hello to effective, affordable advertising? Let’s talk.
Smarter ads. Better leads. Lower costs. Welcome to Bark.
