After you analyze age and gender reports in Search Ads 360 to identify the characteristics of people who respond to your ads, you can then use the data to modify bids in Google Ads ad groups to target the identified groups. For example, ages 18 to 24.
The demographic data can also reveal the age and gender groups that don't respond to your campaigns, allowing you to exclude an age or gender group (also known as negative targets) from your marketing efforts. Negative targets can be created in Google Ads ad groups and campaigns.
Available age and gender groups
Google Ads allows you to target or exclude the following age or gender groups.
Age ranges
- Unknown
- 18 to 24
- 25 to 34
- 35 to 44
- 45 to 54
- 55 to 64
- 65+
Gender
- Unknown
- Female
- Male
Learn more about age, gender, and other demographic targets in Google Ads Help.
Adjust bids to target an age or gender group
By default, your ads display for all ages and genders. If you want to exclusively target certain demographic groups, you can use the Search Ads 360 user interface to select the groups and adjust bids from -90% to 900%.
Targeting settings
If you specify age or gender targets in a new Google Ads ad group, the ads will display only for the selected groups by default.
In the previous Google Ads experience, Google Ads campaigns and ad groups included two different options for targeting age or gender groups. One setting enabled you to bid differently to target demographic groups. The other setting enabled you to target only selected groups.
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Bid only. With this setting, the same ads displayed for everyone. To target members of a selected demographic group, you could set a bid adjustment to reach members of the group.
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Target and bid adjustment. This setting displayed ads only for the selected demographic groups. You could optionally set a bid adjustment to target a group.
In the new Google Ads experience, all new Google Ads ad groups that include an age or gender target will display only for the selected groups because the default setting in Google Ads campaigns and ad groups is "Target and bid" or "Targeting" for demographic groups.
If age or gender targets were specified in the previous Google Ads experience, the demographic targeting setting was preserved. That is, if the age or gender target was set to only adjust bids to target the group, the Bid adjustment only setting wasn't changed.
Because your account might include a mixture of old and new ad groups, you can view the setting for Google Ads ad groups by adding the following columns to an ad group report. You can't change the setting.
Learn more about targeting in Google Ads help.
Example
In examining the age and gender reports, you see that most conversions in your widgets campaigns come from males, aged 35 and up, especially those who are 35 to 44. You also note that the campaigns haven’t been successful with women.
To improve the efficiency of the campaigns, you decide not to target women with the campaigns, and to bid about 15% more on males, aged 35 to 44.
You also create a new set of ad groups that contain ads specifically designed to target women. Males over age 35 are excluded in the campaigns.
Bid strategies don't manage age or gender group bid adjustments
Search Ads 360 bid strategies don’t set or recommend age or gender target bid adjustments even if the campaign or ad group is managed by a bid strategy.
Report on demographic targets
Metrics such as clicks and impressions are reported for age and gender targets from the engine.
Reporting on demographic targets from Floodlight tags and Google Ads conversion trackers are also supported.
View details about demographic targets in change history
If you want to review information about when a gender target was created or when a bid adjustment was added or changed, check the change history report. It records information about all kinds of changes made to campaigns and ad groups, including the history of your demographic targets.