How to Apply a Custom Segment to Your Google Ads Campaign

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

1. Navigate to the Tools section in your Google Ads account.
2. Select Shared Library, then Audience Manager, and finally, Custom Segments.
3. 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

1. Go to the Audiences, Keywords, and Content section on the left-hand side of your Google Ads interface.
2. 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).
3. Select the Ad Group in which you'd like to use the segment
4. Search for your Custom Segment by name or browse under Custom Segments.
5. 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.