Lookalike Audience in Google Ads: How Can You Enhance Potential Customers With Similar Audiences

Connecting your ad messages to the right audience is vital to the success of your campaigns.

You know who your customers are, but eventually, you want to expand your reach and find new customers to attract.

Lookalike audience in Google Ads is a concept first introduced by Facebook Advertising. It allows you to target audiences that are similar to your ideal customer profile.

For instance, Facebook Advertising would look at the people who followed your business’ profile to get a feel for your target audience. Then, it would create a lookalike audience of people with similar profiles, interests and other attributes.

If you’re looking for a tool similar to Facebook’s lookalike audience but for Google Ads, you’ll want to check out the “Similar Audience” tool.

In this discussion, we’ll look at lookalike audiences in Google Ads and how to find new customers and audience targets. But there is something to remember, starting May 1, 2023 Google Ads will discontinue generating similar audiences for targeting and reporting. Active campaigns utilizing similar segments will still have access to them until August 1, 2023.

What Are “Similar Audiences?”

Google stores massive volumes of data on its users. You can actually see your ad profile in your Google account. The profile includes websites, interests, demographics and other details that Google has compiled about you as a search user.

Essentially, this is how Google views you as an ad target. It controls what kind of ad content you’re shown.

Similar audiences look at all of this unique data of its users to help you find new customers. They match the interests and demographics of your customers to new users that your campaigns have not yet targeted.

Similar audiences work the same as Facebook’s lookalike audience feature. If you’ve used the lookalike targeting option on Facebook, using Google’s similar audience feature will be very familiar. These tools allow you to target groups of people whose interests align with your regular targets.

By connecting lookalike audiences to Google Ads display and search campaigns, you can boost your impressions, clicks, conversions and more. It’s a simple method to find new, qualified users that are more likely to engage with your ad messages.

For example, let’s say you have a remarketing list. These are people that have already visited and interacted with your brand. They may have even already converted!

If you use your remarketing list as the seed to develop your similar audiences, you can connect with other Google users that fit the same profile.

This tool works best when you have a clearly defined target audience. The more fleshed out your target customer profile is, the easier it is for Google Ads to create your lookalike audience.

That said, if you have a relatively broad audience that is not yet defined, similar audiences are still a helpful tool. You can use it to better understand tertiary audiences and see which segments offer the most value to your business.

How Do Similar Audiences Work?

To get started with similar audiences, you need a remarketing list. This is a list of people that have interacted with your site and content in the past.

Google will use this list to determine your lookalike audiences.

Creating A Remarketing List

If you don’t already have a remarketing list, read on to learn how to create one. For PPC managers that are familiar with ad remarketing in Google Ads, you can skip this section.

Remarketing works by placing a special cookie on specific pages on your website. When a visitor lands on one of these sites, the cookie is downloaded in the background.

This tiny bit of code allows you to track each individual’s activity and target them with ads as they move about the Internet.

To get started with remarketing, we recommend using the Google Tag Manager. This will make it easier to enable the cookie tags needed to keep track of your visitors. There is the global site tag and the optional event snippet code.

Once these codes are properly set up on your site, you’ll begin to create remarketing lists for search ads (RLSA).

It’s worth mentioning that you’ll need a minimum of 1,000 cookies on the list before you can use it to tailor your search ads.

Setting Up Your Similar Audience

Now that you have your remarketing lists, you’re ready to start using similar audiences. You can utilize this tool in both search and display campaigns.

Here are the steps to take:

1. Sign in to your Google Ads account.
2. Along the left, you’ll see your active campaigns. Click the one that you want to add a similar audience target.
3. On the right side menu, click Audiences and then click the pencil icon. This will open the Edit audiences section.
4. Select an ad group from this menu or click the pencil icon next to the ad group you want to edit by adding similar audiences.
5. Next, select the All Audiences box, followed by selecting Remarketing and similar audiences.
6. This will allow you to browse your remarketing lists. Select the one you wish to avoid.
7. Click Save.

After selecting the correct remarketing list, Google will use this as the origin seed for developing your similar audiences.

The system will analyze the interests and search activities of the users on your remarketing list. Then, it will use those behaviors and patterns to find new users with similar profiles.

Google identifies several factors that influence how similar audiences are matched to your remarketing list:

• The number of visitors on your remarketing list
• How recently these people were added to the remarketing list
• The similarity of all visitors’ search behaviors
• Any adjustments to the original list

Important Things To Know About Similar Audiences

The lookalike audience feature in Google Ads is a helpful tool. To truly understand its inner workings and how it can benefit your campaigns, here are some crucial points to know.

• Cost per conversion values: Remarketing audiences almost always have a lower cost per conversion (CPA). These audiences are already familiar with your business and its offerings. Don’t expect the same low CPA values for your similar audiences. These are new users, not returning remarket targets.
• Geo-location and language targeting: Be careful that your similar audiences are in suitable locations and speak the same language as your ads. If your business only operates in a specific area, you don’t want similar audiences to trigger your ads for prospective customers outside of this range.
• Modifying bids: Adjusting your bids can help you attract new customers targeted by the lookalike audiences feature. The higher the bid, the more likely you are to stand out and draw business from similar audiences. On the other hand, lower bids can preserve your budget and help you make the most of your ad spend. You need to find the right balance in your bidding to produce results at the right price.
• Utilize responsive search ads: Responsive search ads and similar audiences make a great pairing. These ads use multiple headlines and descriptions to devise the best possible ad experience for each unique audience. Since lookalike audiences in Google Ads will bring many new customers to your ads, responsive search ads will help pair these fresh faces with the most relevant ad messages.
• Track performance carefully: While the AI behind lookalike audiences in Google Ads is very intelligent, mistakes can happen. Whenever you add similar audiences to a campaign or ad group, you should monitor your performance If there is a dip in performance, you should consider pausing your similar audience.
• Remarketing campaigns: You can add a similar audience to an existing remarketing campaign. The problem with this approach is that it makes it challenging to control budget, messaging and measurement. The best strategy is to start a new campaign that is unique to your similar audience. This will give you the most control and insight into how this feature is benefiting your business.

What Are Other Ways To Target Audiences In Google Ads?

Targeting is a crucial part of the marketing process. You need to align your ads with the right people to achieve results.

For this reason, similar audience is not the only tool available for better audience targeting in Google Ads.

This section will look at the other audience targeting options available.

Affinity Audiences

Google refers to affinity audiences as “TV-like audiences.” They are focused on targeting customers through topics of interest.

Google gathers data on what content, channels, pages, etc. that customers interact with on YouTube and across the Google Display Network. This information is used to organize customers by their interests.

For instance, if a user frequently visits websites relating to mountain biking and watches YouTube content on this same subject, Google recognizes that this person has an affinity for mountain biking.

In other words, an affinity audience is a group of individuals who have a demonstrated interest in a subject or topic.

Affinity audiences can help you understand the interests and lifestyles of your customers. By establishing their identity, you learn the best strategies to approach them with relevant ad messages.

You can choose to use one of Google’s ready-made affinity audiences, such as:

• Auto Enthusiasts
• Health & Fitness Buffs
• Do-It-Yourselfers
• Foodies
• Sports Fans
• Many more

If these preset audiences don’t suit your business, you can create a custom affinity audience.

In this approach, you supply Google with a list of keywords that help the system understand your website and your customers’ interests. It uses these keywords to match similar interests in other users.

In-Marketing Audiences

In-market audiences are some of the most valuable targets. These are prospective customers that are actively looking to buy a product or service.

Since these audiences are so close to making a purchase, conversion rates for in-market customers are incredibly high.

Google qualifies someone as in-market when they participate in end-of-funnel activities, such as searching directly for products or engaging with related ad content. Google also looks at past conversion behaviors to look for patterns that suggest the individual is about to purchase.

Unlike affinity audiences, in-market audiences do not always have a long-term interest in products or services like yours. They may only be temporarily interested. For instance, a customer doesn’t have to be a car enthusiast to be in the market for a new vehicle.

The algorithms behind in-market audiences are sophisticated enough to detect buying patterns in real-time. The system quickly adds and removes targets based on their latest activities. If a shopper purchases with a competitor, Google recognizes that they are no longer in-market.

You can use in-market audiences in conjunction with your remarketing lists and affinity audiences. Combining these different targeting options allows you to segment your audiences for the best possible results.

When targeting in-market audiences, it’s best to use marketing messages that directly showcase your relevant products. The resulting landing page should make it easy for audiences to finish their purchase.

Use all of your sales tools here and connect these ready-to-purchase audiences with the products or services they want!

Keywords: The Classic Ad Targeting Method

Affinity, remarketing and in-market audience targeting are both powerful techniques that can leverage automation to locate more relevant audiences.

However, these are not replacements for your most critical targeting method: keywords.

Keywords are the bread and butter of pay-per-click marketing.

If you can capture keywords that customers actively use when researching or purchasing your products/services, you can easily attract their attention and business.

Selecting the right keywords is easier said than done. You have to understand what audiences are searching for and what keywords your competitors are targeting.

Then, you have to consider costs. Some keywords have exceptionally high click costs. While these terms may be ultra-relevant for your business, they may not be affordable from a cost-per-click standpoint.

Thus, you need to consider your audience, competition and budget to find the best overall PPC keywords.

How Do You Find The Right Keywords For Your Campaign?

Given the significance of keyword targeting, it’s worth discussing the process of researching and planning your search term targets.

Part 1: Brainstorming

Your first move is basic brainstorming. Think critically about your business, products, customers, location, etc., then make a list of all of the valuable and relevant words for these elements.

These keywords will form the basis of your targeting strategy. Over time, you’ll refine these brainstormed targets based on how each term performs.

If you have a hard time brainstorming keyword targets, it helps to break each keyword into sections and then drill down into each section to find more terms.

Part 2: Incorporate Branded Keywords

While coming up with your keywords, don’t forget branded options. Branded keywords include search terms that fit your brand names and product models.

For instance, “Nike running shoes” is a branded keyword that includes “Nike” as the brand.

Branded keywords are valuable because people searching for these items or services are expressly interested in your business’ offerings. This means that you’ll usually see higher conversion rates for these keywords.

Part 3: Consider Your Competitor’s Branded Keywords

Competitor keywords are an interesting part of your keyword strategy.

Some marketers elect to add competitor keywords to their negative list. This ensures that your ads aren’t shown to people searching for branded products that you don’t offer.

The thinking is that clicks on these keywords have a low conversion rate. These are people searching for a particular brand and if it isn’t available on your site, they will return to the search results page.

However, there is an alternative mindset regarding competitor keywords that some marketers favor.

The thinking is that bidding on competitor keywords allows you to serve ads to their customers. Thus, you have a chance to “steal” their customers right from the search pages.

A similar tactic is to add your competitors’ URLs to your custom audience list. This will serve your ads to competitor customers.

Part 4: Vary The Intent Of Your Keywords

Intent is a crucial part of keyword targeting. It dictates what action is behind the search. In other words, why is this person searching for these keywords?

Intent will dictate where in the marketing funnel each search user is and what type of offers or content they want.

For instance, someone that searches “types of running shoes” is still in the research phase. They aren’t quite ready to make a purchase. When that search becomes “buy cheap running shoes,” then you know that they are in-market for running shoes and about to convert.

You want to vary your keywords based on intent because this will ensure that you are targeting users at all stages of the buying journey.

If you’re uncertain if a keyword is high or low intent, here are a few tips.

• A keyword with high intent will include an action word (“buy,” “order,” “find,” etc.), whereas low intent keywords will often be question-based or seeking out additional information.
• High intent keywords are more specific than general keywords with less intent. For instance, “leather sectional” has more purpose than someone simply searching for “sofa.”
• High intent keywords will include additional offers or benefits, such as free delivery, interest-free credit, discounts, etc.
• Low intent keywords may include multiple products, such as “iPhone vs. android,” but a high intent search will have one specific product.

Part 5: Review Keyword Performance And Adjust Accordingly

Developing a successful keyword strategy is an ongoing process. Once your campaigns start going, you want to track the performance of each target.

Some keywords that seemed like a sure thing may not perform as hoped. Also, keyword performance changes over time. You could have a strong performer one month, but then audiences lose interest in the subject and it declines in value.

Due to these frequent ups and downs, you need to consistently analyze your targets and determine your best and worst performers.

This method will help you optimize your ad spend. You can invest more in the keywords providing the best value, while simultaneously reducing your investments into search terms failing to produce results.

Automating Keyword Research With PPCexpo Keyword Planner

The constant pressure to analyze and adjust your keywords is rarely simple to manage. Many marketers choose to use a keyword planning tool.

This reduces how much manual effort is required to maintain successful keyword targets and discover new ones.

One of the best keyword research tools is PPCexpo Keyword Planner.

Using the PPCexpo Keyword Planner tool instantly provides several benefits to marketers.

Selecting The Right Keywords

PPCexpo Keyword Planner helps you establish a strong list of PPC keywords for your ad campaigns.

You’ll discover new and valuable keywords to draw customers from the search results page to your website. From this initial list of keyword opportunities, you’ll expand into longer and more relevant search terms.

PPCexpo Keyword Planner discovers all types of keywords – long-tail keywords, short and generic terms, branded keywords, competitor keywords, keywords with high conversion intent, keywords with research intent, etc.

This keyword planner will return hundreds of related keywords for every Google search you make. The more you search and explore keywords, the deeper the vein grows.

It won’t take long to locate those long-tail keywords with ample search volume and low competition. These are the search terms with the best value for your business.

Data-Informed Keyword Planning

Rather than simply speculating or brainstorming the best keywords, PPCexpo Keyword Planner gives you data and metrics to back your decisions.

Each keyword option is paired with search volume numbers, cost per click values and a similarity index (how related is the keyword to your initial search).

With this data, you can find those gold-star keywords that are relevant and have lots of searches, but are still affordable.

It also makes you more efficient at selecting keyword targets. You already have the data on hand to determine which opportunities are best. You don’t have to guess and make adjustments later.

Keyword Targets Your Way

PPCexpo Keyword Planner gives you the option to filter related keywords based on these data categories (search volume, CPC, similarity %).

Sliders control the data ranges that you’re looking for. For instance, you could set the CPC slider to only present keywords within a specific cost range.

Alternatively, you could use the similarity control to remove any keywords that are not relevant enough to your initial search.

This is another way that the PPCexpo Keyword Planner makes you a more efficient marketer. By filtering out the keywords that don’t fit your desired profile, you only have quality search term targets left.

Visualize Your Keyword Data

There are other keyword research tools that offer similar types of data as the PPCexpo Keyword Planner.

What separates the PPCexpo Keyword Planner from other tools is the option to visualize your keyword data.

This chart plots keywords based on CPC and search volume.

The dream is to find search terms with high volume but low costs. These keywords appear in the upper left quadrant, which PPCexpo Keyword Planner highlights green.

Visualizing keyword data helps you immediately see which search terms are most valuable. Again, it’s about making your keyword research process more efficient.

Manually comparing keywords takes lots of time, especially if you want to compare several at once. With this visualization, you can compare all of your keyword opportunities at once.

Wrap Up

Targeting the right customers with your ads will improve your PPC performance and help grow your business.

With so many targeting methods available (keywords, lookalike audiences in Google Ads, etc.), you have many options to reach customers. The trick is blending these different audiences into a cohesive strategy.

This will enable you to answer who your audiences are, where they are located, what devices they are using and, most importantly, how to connect with them.

To accomplish this, you want to leverage the best tools available, like PPCexpo Keyword Planner and Google’s similar audience feature.

These tools don’t just help you find better targets for your ads. They also allow you to become a more efficient PPC marketer. You’ll analyze your keywords and make smarter targeting decisions in less time.

Efficiency is what every marketer wants!