Targeting display ads at people who search for specific search terms

We can target image ads on the Google Display Network in many ways. One of them is custom audience. In my opinion, this is one of the best choices if we want to reach users’ interest in a specific topic at the right time by display ads. Why do I think so? How to do it? You can read about it below.

Why is it worth targeting display ads to people searching for specific search terms?

The undeniable advantage of a text ad in Google Ads is that it appears at the perfect time. That is when the user searches for a specific term in the Google search engine. It searches and checks, i.e. it probably needs your service or product. Before the creation of custom audience lists, image ads did not have this capability. Despite the fact that Google profiles its users very well, we were not entirely sure that at this point they were interested in a specific topic. I like to explain with examples, so:

The user is browsing websites related to American football. He checks the results, reads about player transfers and checks what is happening in his favorite team. In this case, Google will classify him among the group of people who are interested in American football. However, does it mean that a person wants to buy an outfit and pads for practicing this sport? Well, not necessary. We will certainly target our ads better when we create a non-standard group of recipients who have recently searched for such terms as: American football protectors, American football helmet or American football training.

Hope you have already got the difference. In my opinion, targeting image ads to users who search for specific terms in the Google search engine should be one of the basic options for targeting image ads if they are used in a Google Ads campaign. You can create as many custom groups of recipients as you want, so it is worth considering what the users who need your products are looking for and create a few non-standard groups that you can test.

Remember that custom audiences can also be narrowed down to demographic data if you feel it is necessary.

How to create a custom audience?

You can create custom audiences in many different ways. However, we will deal with the option that allows you to target your ads to users who searched for specific terms in the search engine.

The first way is to create a custom audience directly in your account. To do this, go to “Tools and Settings” and then to recipient management. We switch the tab from “Remarketing” to “Custom Audiences” and click on the big blue plus.

You can also create a custom audience when creating a campaign on the Google Display Network. Just select the “Browse” tab and then “Your Custom Audiences” when selecting targeting in “Audiences”. After entering this option, we will be able to create a new group or choose one of those that you have already created.

The next step is the same no matter how you create your custom audience.

Remember to name the group first. This will allow you to stay organized and quickly find out which group covers which topic. This is an important element when you have a lot of non-standard audiences. The next step is to check the “Users who searched for any of these terms on Google” option. Then it’s time to enter the keywords that your users have typed into the search engine. After each word, press enter and it is added to the group. Now you just need to save the group of recipients.

Note that on the right, you were displaying data on users who entered the passwords you provided. It’s worth taking a look at it and checking if it really meets our expectations. If not, remember that you can always narrow your group down with additional demographic targeting.

As you can see, creating custom audiences is very easy. It is important to think carefully about the passwords we add there. Make a few groups and test. This way it is best to find the group that will produce the best results.

If you have any questions or would like to start cooperation on Google Ads campaigns, please contact me via the contact form below.