Google Ads in Quebec: French-Language Rules and Best Practices

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Why language rules matter for Google Ads in Quebec

Quebec is a large, valuable market with a majority French-speaking population, and it has its own language law. The Charter of the French Language makes French the official language of Quebec and sets rules for commerce and business, including advertising. Online ads, landing pages and lead forms are part of that.

There are two reasons to get this right:

1. Compliance. The law applies to businesses advertising to Quebec consumers, and the OQLF handles complaints and enforcement.
2. Performance. French-speaking customers respond better to ads and pages in their language, written the way people in Quebec actually speak. Many advertisers ignore French, which means less competition for those who do it well.

What the Charter and Bill 96 mean for advertisers

In 2022, Quebec passed Bill 96, which strengthened the Charter. Its provisions came into force in stages, with some rules on signage and trademarks taking effect in 2025. In broad terms, for businesses advertising to Quebec:

• Commercial advertising must be available in French. This includes online ads and websites directed at Quebec customers.
• Other languages may accompany French, but should not be given greater prominence or more favourable treatment than the French version.
• Websites and online content offering products or services in Quebec should be available in French, with the French version at least as complete and accessible as any other version.
• Trademarks in another language are subject to specific conditions. Since 2025, rules around generic or descriptive words used with trademarks on signage and products have become stricter.
• Contracts and customer documents such as forms, quotes and terms offered to consumers generally need to be available in French.

Enforcement is handled by the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF), which can investigate complaints and require corrections. Penalties were increased under Bill 96.

How Google Ads handles language targeting

A common misunderstanding: Google Ads language targeting is based on the languages a user understands, which Google infers from signals such as their Google settings and browsing, not the language of the specific search they type. Google does not translate your ads.

That means:

• A campaign targeting French can show to users Google believes understand French, even if a particular search is in English.
• If you target both English and French in one campaign with English ads, French speakers may see English ads.
• The cleanest approach is separate campaigns by language, each with ads, keywords and landing pages in that language.

Writing French ads that actually convert

Use Quebec French, not a machine translation

Customers notice. Vocabulary, tone and even common search terms differ from European French. People in Quebec might search “thermopompe” for a heat pump, “déneigement” for snow removal and “courtier” for a broker. Use a native Quebec copywriter or translator who knows your industry.

Plan for longer text

French is often 15–25% longer than English. Google’s character limits (30 per headline, 90 per description) are the same, so write for French from scratch rather than translating English ads word for word.

Localize the details

• Prices with a space before the dollar sign in French: 149 $.
• Local phone numbers and area codes (514, 438, 450, 418, 581, 819, 873).
• Neighbourhood and city names customers use: Plateau, Rosemont, Laval, Longueuil, Lévis, Gatineau.
• Punctuation spacing before “:”, “?” and “!” in French typography.

Keywords: research in French, not translated

Translated keyword lists miss how people really search. Research French keywords directly:

1. Use Keyword Planner with the location set to Quebec cities and the language set to French.
2. Include accented and unaccented forms. Many people type without accents, for example “electricien” and “électricien”.
3. Include common English loanwords used in Quebec where relevant.
4. Review the search terms report weekly for new French terms, and add French negative keywords: emploi, salaire, gratuit, formation, cours, comment faire.

English search	How Quebec customers actually search	Note
emergency plumber	plombier urgence	Short, direct phrasing is common
roof repair	réparation toiture	Not a word-for-word translation
dentist near me	dentiste près de moi	Accents matter less to Google, but keep them in ads
moving company	déménagement / déménageur	Test both the service and the business noun
free quote	soumission gratuite	Quebec uses “soumission”, not “devis”

Landing pages and forms for Quebec

Bilingual markets: Montreal, Gatineau and beyond

Some areas are strongly bilingual. The West Island of Montreal, parts of downtown Montreal and some Eastern Townships communities have large English-speaking populations. Gatineau borders Ottawa and is largely francophone, while many Ottawa residents are bilingual.

• Run French campaigns across all of Quebec as your base.
• Add English campaigns for areas where you serve English speakers, with English landing pages.
• Compare cost per lead by language and area, not just overall.
• If you are an Ottawa business targeting Gatineau, ads shown to people in Quebec are subject to Quebec’s rules.

Our Montreal Google Ads page covers local strategy in more detail.

Launch checklist for Quebec campaigns