How to layer data for better results

In competitive industries where keywords are costly, every edge matters. 

Beyond keyword targeting, consider layering audience targeting onto your Search campaigns to gather richer performance data. 

This added layer can improve results within Search and provide valuable insights you can apply to other Google Ads campaigns – or even to PPC platforms like Microsoft Ads, Meta Ads, and TikTok.

Key audience targeting options for Search campaigns

Here’s a quick overview of audience types you can target in Search campaigns – and how to make the most of each.

• Demographic audiences.
• Custom audiences.
• Remarketing audiences.
• Interests audiences.
• Affinity audiences.
• In-market audiences.

Demographic audiences

Google offers several demographic targeting options based on its own data, including:

• Parental status.
• Marital status.
• Education.
• Homeownership.
• Employment (by industry and company size). 

This targeting helps ensure your keywords reach the right people – reducing wasted spend and improving profitability. 

However, it’s not perfectly accurate, so it’s best used for inclusion rather than exclusion.

Custom audiences

Custom audiences let you create highly specific segments tailored to your business goals. 

You can build them by:

• Uploading customer lists.
• Targeting people who recently searched for certain keywords on Google.
• Showing interest or purchase intent.
• Browsing particular websites.
• Using specific apps. 

This flexibility helps you design your ideal audience when Google’s default options don’t quite fit. 

Once created, layering custom audiences with high-intent keywords can be especially effective and profitable.

Remarketing audiences focus on users who have already engaged with your brand, people who: 

• Recently visited your website.
• Made a purchase.
• Viewed a specific product or page. 

Adding this audience layer to existing Search campaigns helps you concentrate spend on high-intent users most likely to convert. 

It’s particularly valuable for longer sales cycles or higher-priced products and services.

Interests audiences

Targeting users based on their interests pairs well with keyword targeting. 

It helps ensure that people searching your chosen keywords are genuinely interested in your product or service – not just looking for information. 

This approach can reduce wasted spend and focus your budget on more qualified searchers.

Affinity audiences

Affinity audiences work similarly to interest audiences but focus on users who have shown strong, consistent engagement with a topic through their online behavior. 

Layering these audiences with Search keywords helps you reach people with deeper, long-term interest in your category or niche.

In-market audiences

In-market audiences consist of users who have been actively researching a product or service and are likely nearing a…