How to Apply a Custom Segment to Your Google Ads Campaign
Jun 28, 2024
By: Jyll Saskin Gales, Google Ads Coach
Have you ever wondered how to apply a Custom Segment to your Google Ads campaign? It's a great way to refine your targeting and reach a more relevant audience. In this guide, I'll walk you through the process of creating and applying Custom Segments, step by step.
How to Create a Custom Segment in Google Ads
- Navigate to the Tools section in your Google Ads account.
- Select Shared Library, then Audience Manager, and finally, Custom Segments.
- Click the + button to create a new Custom Segment.
What can you include in a Custom Segment?
You can use any combination of these three options to create a highly targeted Custom Segment:
- People who searched for: Enter keywords or phrases that your ideal audience might search for on Google. This option is only available for YouTube and Demand Gen campaigns; for Display campaigns, it will be treated like "interests."
- People who visited websites similar to: Enter URLs of websites that your target audience might visit.
- People who use apps similar to: Enter the names of apps that your target audience might use.
Applying Your Custom Segment
- Go to the Audiences, Keywords, and Content section on the left-hand side of your Google Ads interface.
- Click on Audiences (on the left-hand side of the screen), and then Edit Audience Segments (located on the right-hand side of the screen, in blue writing).
- Select the Ad Group in which you'd like to use the segment
- Search for your Custom Segment by name or browse under Custom Segments.
- Save your changes!
Important Note: Custom Segments can only be used with Display, Demand Gen, and Video campaigns. They cannot be applied to Search or Shopping campaigns.
Key Takeaways
- Custom Segments are a powerful tool for refining your targeting and reaching a more relevant audience.
- You can create Custom Segments based on search terms, website visits, or app usage.
- Custom Segments can be applied to Display, Demand Gen, and Video campaigns, but not Search or Shopping campaigns.
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