[UA] State-based audiences [Legacy]

Remove users permanently or temporarily from your audiences.
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In Analytics, you can build audiences that update dynamically based on their definitions. Use an Include filter to set conditions for when users are added to an audience. Use an Exclude filter to set conditions for when users are removed from an audience. When you use an Exclude filter, you have an additional option to specify whether users are removed temporarily or permanently.

This article shows 3 examples of when you would want to remove users either temporarily or permanently from your audiences.

Limitations

If you created an audience before the feature appeared in your Analytics account, you cannot edit that audience to make it State Based.

If you save an audience without an Exclude filter, you cannot subsequently edit the definition to add an Exclude filter. If you want to maintain the option to edit the definition to create a State Based audience, then incorporate an Exclude filter when you first create the audience.

Audiences using permanent Exclude filters are not eligible for Google Ad Manager or Display & Video 360. Audiences using temporary Exclude filters are not eligible for Display & Video 360.

In this article:

Abandoned cart

You might want to remarket to users who abandon items in their shopping carts. You could build your audience by including users who click Add-to-Cart or who view the cart page, but excluding users who view the order-confirmation page. Rather than remove users permanently when they complete their orders, you might want to add them back to the audience the next time they add items to their carts but don’t purchase.

Build an audience of users who abandoned items in their shopping carts
  1. Include users who viewed the cart page, and exclude users who viewed the order-confirmation (thank-you) page:
    Condition builder: Include /cart, Exclude /thankyou
  2. Click Apply.
  3. Clear the check box that permanently removes users so that they get added back the next time they leave items in their carts but don’t purchase.
    Permanent-exclude option off

Never purchased

If you want to focus your marketing on users who have never purchased from you, then you include the ones whose transactions equal 0, and permanently exclude users when their transactions are greater than 0.

Build an audience of users who have never purchased
  1. Include users who have no transactions, and exclude uses whose transactions are greater than zero.
    Condition builder: Include 0 transactions, Exclude greater than 0 transactions
  2. Click Apply.
  3. Select the check box to permanently remove users who conduct a transaction.
    Permanent-exclude option on

Reached a specific level

Include and exclude statements combined with temporary or permanent exclusion let you configure audiences with any level of granularity. Some other common examples include:

Audience based on users’ current lifetime value or loyalty status (tracked by a custom dimension)

  • Example: High LTV
    • Include users whose LTV = High
    • Exclude users whose LTV = Medium or Low
    • Permanent removal disabled

Audience based on the the maximum LTV or loyalty status users achieved

  • Example: Was ever High LTV
    • Include users whose LTV = High
  • Example: Was never High LTV
    • Include users with page regex matches .*
    • Exclude users whose LTV = High
    • Permanent removal enabled

Audience based on users’ current level (e.g., in a game)

  • Example: Currently Level 5-10
    • Include users whose Level >= 5
    • Exclude users whose Level < 5 or > 10
    • Permanent removal disabled

Audience based on the maximum level users achieved

  • Example: Never exceeded Level 5
    • Include users whose Level >= 1
    • Exclude users whose Level > 5
    • Permanent removal enabled
Build an audience that includes users whose Lifetime Value is High, and temporarily excludes users whose Lifetime Value is Medium or Low
  1. Configure the include and exclude conditions:
    Condition builder: Include Lifetime Value exactly matches High, Exclude Lifetime Value exactly matches Medium or Low
  2. Clear the option to permanently remove users who do not meet the include criteria:
    Permanent-exclude option off

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