Waze Ads Just Expanded To 42 Countries. Local Businesses Should Pay Attention

Google just opened Waze Ads in 42 countries. On September 4, 2026, Google updated its Performance Max help documentation to show that Waze Ads are no longer US-only. For local businesses with a physical location, this is a fresh way to reach drivers who are already on the road near your door, and most competitors have not noticed yet.

What Changed

The old help document said Waze Ads were available only in the United States through Performance Max for store goal campaigns bidding on Store Visits, Store Sales, or Local Actions (Directions). The updated document says Waze Ads are now available across select global markets, and it lists the supported countries.

The list now covers 42 countries. Beyond the US, it includes Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Australia, Malaysia, Israel, the United Kingdom, and most of Europe, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Switzerland.

Some quick history: Waze Ads first relaunched in the US in July 2025 after a long absence. In November 2025, Google moved Waze Ads into Google Ads as part of Performance Max and added channel-level reporting. This September update is the first big geographical expansion.

What Waze Ads Actually Are

Waze Ads are advertisements that appear inside the Waze navigation app while someone is driving. They work through Performance Max campaigns with store goals, which means there is no standalone Waze campaign type. You set the campaign up in Google Ads, and Waze is one of the placements it can use.

The bidding options matter. Waze Ads run on one of three store goal actions:

• Store Visits: Google measures when someone who saw your ad actually walks into your location.
• Store Sales: Google ties ad exposure to purchases made at the location, where measurement allows.
• Local Actions (Directions): Someone taps your ad and asks Waze for directions to your business. This is the most concrete, trackable signal for most small businesses.

Why This Matters For Local Businesses

Three reasons make this more than a footnote in the help docs.

First, Waze users are in motion and close to you. Someone navigating nearby is not browsing for fun. They are out in the world, and a one-tap ad can redirect them to your door within minutes. That is intent no search ad can match.

Second, foot traffic becomes measurable. A directions tap, a store visit, or a store sale is a real conversion in Google Ads. For years, local businesses could only guess how many ad dollars turned into people walking in. Waze closes that loop.

Third, you get a first-mover window. Most local advertisers have never run a Waze campaign, and outside the US almost none have. Early adopters in the 42 newly opened countries will buy attention cheap before competitors pile in.

Who Should Use Waze Ads

Waze Ads fit businesses where people physically show up. Good candidates include:

• Restaurants, cafes, and coffee shops
• Retail stores and showrooms
• Auto repair shops, car washes, and gas stations
• Clinics, dental offices, and gyms
• Salons, barbershops, and spas
• Hotels and vacation rentals with a front desk

Service-area businesses without a storefront are not a fit. Waze Ads drive people to a place, so if customers never visit you in person, this channel will not help.

Getting Started: 5 Steps

Step 1. Check store goals eligibility. Waze Ads require a Performance Max campaign with store goals. If your account does not have that campaign type available, the channel is not open to you yet.

Step 2. Set up conversion tracking. Configure Store Visits, Store Sales, or Local Actions (Directions) and mark the ones you care about as primary. Google bids toward primary actions, so this choice decides what the campaign optimizes for.

Step 3. Audit your Google Business Profile. Waze routes drivers to your address, so the pin, address, and hours on your profile must be exact. A wrong pin or stale hours turns paid visibility into a wasted trip and a lost customer.

Step 4. Watch the Waze channel report. Performance Max includes channel-level reporting for Waze. Check it per location to see which areas and ad groups actually produce directions and visits.

Step 5. Automate the follow-up. A directions tap is a warm signal, not a sale. Connect those signals to SMS confirmations, review requests, or a return offer so foot traffic becomes data you can act on.

How Automation Changes The Game

This is where most local businesses fall off. They switch the ads on, then treat every store visit as a mystery. The businesses that win treat the entire funnel as a system.

At JC Labs, we build that system for local businesses: location-level reporting pipelines, automated profile and pin audits before launch, alerts when a location stops converting, and follow-up flows that turn a directions tap into a booked visit or a Google review. The ad gets you the driver. The automation decides whether that driver becomes a customer.

FAQ

Do I need to be in the United States to run Waze Ads?

No. Waze Ads are now available in 42 countries, including Canada, the UK, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, and most of Europe. Check the Google Ads help documentation for the full supported list.

Can I run Waze Ads without Performance Max?

No. Waze Ads run inside Performance Max campaigns with store goals. There is no standalone Waze Ads campaign type in Google Ads.

What can I bid on with Waze Ads?

Store Visits, Store Sales, or Local Actions (Directions). These are the store goal bidding surfaces Waze supports, and you pick which ones count as primary conversions.

Do I need a physical storefront?

Effectively yes. Waze Ads exist to drive drivers to a physical location. Purely service-area businesses without a storefront will not get value from this channel.

How do I know if Waze Ads are working?

Use the channel-level Waze reporting inside Performance Max plus your store goal conversions. Compare direction requests and visit volume by location and time of day.

What is the difference between Waze Ads and Google Maps Ads?

Waze Ads serve inside the Waze navigation app to people actively driving. Local ads on Google Maps serve to people browsing Maps. Both run through Google Ads, and both depend on accurate location data.

The Takeaway

Waze Ads went from US-only to 42 countries in a single update. For storefront businesses that treat [local visibility](/local-seo) as a system, that is an early-adopter window: nearby drivers, trackable visits, and competitors who have not shown up yet. The businesses that win will pair the ads with exact location data and automation that follows up on every direction request before the lead goes cold.