12 Dec Google Signals: The New Demand Gen Audience Categorization
As AI continues to shape the advertising and marketing landscape, Google has recently clarified the labeling of certain audiences in its Demand Gen campaigns. In the Google Ads user interface, some Demand Gen audiences are now explicitly labeled as “Signals,” reflecting their role in guiding campaign targeting.
The “Signals” setting is activated when optimized targeting (e.g. audience expansion) is turned on — a setting you’ve always had the ability to control. If you have this setting turned on, the audiences reached will also be labeled Google Signals in your audience breakout reports.
“Essentially, if optimized targeting (e.g. audience expansion) is on, any audiences selected are signals and not targets,” said Benjamin Rorie, Threadgill Vice President of Paid Media and SEO. “That’s something that we already knew implicitly, but Google has made it clearer by adding the label ‘Signal’ to any audience breakout reports.”
The Impact of Google Signals
Let’s take a look at four of the impact areas that could result if you opt to activate optimized targeting through Google Signals — or if you already have it turned on.
Broader Reach
Because Google’s algorithm is identifying and optimizing audiences, you’ll likely reach a more extensive audience than you would if you didn’t have Google Signals turned on.
New Audience Discovery
Broader reach also means that you may discover new high-performing audience segments that you wouldn’t have known about or targeted previously.
Less Control
With Google Signals, campaign audiences are not confined by manually set targeting parameters, so there could be less control over who sees ads.
How to Maximize Google Signals
The updated labeling of audiences as “Signals” in Google Demand Gen campaigns highlights the continued prioritization of algorithm-driven advertising. Here are a few strategies to maximize the effectiveness of these Signals for success.
Leverage New Audience Potential
Stay tuned to your expanded audience insights from Google Signals — and then capitalize on lucrative new segments. It’s quite possible that Signals could uncover new high-value prospects that you haven’t reached.
Measure, Monitor, and Adjust
Because Google Signals could possibly lead to more unpredictable performance, especially in the beginning stages of an ad campaign, you may need to pay closer attention to ad performance and make adjustments to your campaigns to meet any return on ad spend (ROAS) goals or other KPIs.
Reevaluate Your Strategy
In this new world of Google Signals for Google Ads, you may also want to consider evaluating and testing new Google Demand Gen strategies — especially as you gain new audience insights.
Bring in the Experts
As you continue to optimize your digital advertising, you may be looking for some expert support and resources to help you create and activate strategic ad campaigns.
With our full suite of digital services, Threadgill Agency has successfully helped many brands with their marketing and advertising goals. We’re committed to taking a customized approach with each of our clients — from small businesses looking to make a name for themselves to established powerhouses seeking next-level strategic ideas and advanced reporting.
Get in touch with us to learn more about our advertising solutions!