Use Google Ads Editor to set up campaigns with your data segments

To provide a comprehensive and consolidated view of your audiences and make audience management and optimisation simpler, you’ll find the following improvements in Google Ads:

  • New audience reporting
    Detailed reporting about audience demographics, segments and exclusions is now consolidated in one place. Click the Campaigns icon Campaigns icon and open the 'Audiences, keywords and content' tab and click Audiences. You can also easily manage your audiences from this report page. Learn more About audience reporting.
  • New terms
    We’re using new terms on your audience report and throughout Google Ads. For example, 'audience types' (these include custom, in-market and affinity) are now referred to as audience segments and 'remarketing' is now referred to as 'your data'. Learn more about the Updates to audience terms and phrases.

You can use Google Ads Editor to add your data segments to your campaigns. This article explains how to set up your campaigns using your data segments in Google Ads Editor.

Instructions

Add your data segments to campaigns

  1. Select the campaign where you want to add audiences from the account tree.
  2. Click Keywords and targeting in the type list and select Audiences.
  3. Click Add audience and select Campaign audience.
  4. Select the audience that you want to add and click OK.
  5. At the bottom of the edit panel, click Edit campaign flexible reach.
  6. In the 'Audiences' section, select Targeting or Observation.
Note:
When you create a new Search or Shopping campaign, the default setting in the 'Audiences' section is set to 'Observation'.

Add your data segments to ad groups

  1. Select the ad group where you want to add audiences.
  2. Click Keywords and targeting in the type list and select Audiences.
  3. You can add multiple data segments to multiple ad groups in one flow. To see all the available ad groups, make sure that you’re viewing your entire account in the tree view. Lists are initially added to ad groups with a +0% bid adjustment, which can be changed by following the instructions below.
  4. Step 4 (important): If you're adding your data segments to your main Search campaign that already uses keyword targeting, set the 'Audiences' targeting setting to 'Observation'. The targeting setting is available from the Ad groups tab, in the 'Flexible reach' edit panel. You can change the targeting setting for multiple ad groups simultaneously by selecting the ad groups in the data view.
  5. When you set the targeting to 'Observation', Google Ads can show ads to all users based on your keywords and applies bid adjustments that you've set for your data segment.
  6. If you're setting up a duplicate campaign comprising your data segments for Search ads, set the targeting to 'Targeting'. With this setting, Google Ads can show ads in this campaign only to website visitors in your data segment.
    Note:
    When you create a new ad group for a Search or Shopping campaign, the default setting in the 'Audiences' section is set to 'Observation'. The default for placements, topics, gender, age and parental status is set to 'Targeting'.
  7. Post your changes and monitor your data segments’ performance compared to the rest of your account’s performance.
  8. (Optional): After reviewing the performance of your data segment, you might want to modify bid adjustments to match your target ROI. You can use Google Ads Editor to adjust bid modifiers of your data segment in several ways:
    • Within Google Ads Editor: First, select the bid modifiers of the data segment that you want to adjust, or your whole account in the tree view. Next, select the Audiences sub-tab under the Keywords and targeting tab. You can sort and filter to find the lists whose bids you want to modify and then select all the lists that will share the same bid adjustment. Enter the new bid adjustment (+50% should be entered as 50) and post your changes.
    • Copy adjustments: Google Ads Editor lets you export your list settings, make changes in programmes such as Google Sheets and then copy and paste your changes into Google Ads Editor. Follow the steps to copy your adjustments:
      1. Click on Keywords and targeting tab.
      2. Select the Audiences sub-tab.
      3. To export your list settings, go to the toolbar, click Account > Export > Export current view and save the file.
      4. To modify list bid adjustments, you can use a spreadsheet application, such as Google Sheets.
      5. Copy all of your changes including the 'Campaign', 'Ad Group' and 'Bid Modifier' columns.
      6. To paste and apply the changes within Google Ads Editor, go to the Keywords and targeting tab, select Audiences sub-tab and click Make multiple changes.
    • Import adjustments: You can also export your list settings, make changes in programmes such as Google Sheets and then import and apply those changes.
      1. Go to the relevant campaign or your whole account in the tree view.
      2. Click on Keywords and targeting tab.
      3. Select the Audiences sub-tab.
      4. To export your list settings, on the toolbar, click Account > Export > Export current view and save the file.
      5. To modify list bid adjustments, you can use a spreadsheet application, such as Google Sheets.
      6. Copy all of your changes including the 'Campaign', 'Ad Group' and 'Bid Modifier' columns as a CSV file.
      7. To import and apply your changes in Google Ads Editor, go to the toolbar, select Account >Import > From file and import your file.

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