Contextual targeting is one of a few different methods that you can use to get your ads on sites, apps, and webpages/videos that are part of the Display/Video Network. This method of targeting uses the keywords or topics you’ve chosen to match your ads to relevant sites/videos.
Contextual targeting starts with you adding content keywords or topics to ad groups in your Display Network and YouTube campaigns (like Demand Gen and Video). Keywords are individual words, whereas a topic is a concept for webpage or video, or central theme rather than its individual terms.
Keyword and topic targets in Demand Gen and Display campaigns allow your ads to appear on any page on the Display Network that have content related to your selected keywords and topics. This works differently from YouTube Demand Gen inventory, where keyword and topic targets provide hints that help optimize your Demand Gen and Video campaigns to reach your selected goals.
Other inventories (Discover and Gmail) don’t support contextual targeting. In Demand Gen campaigns, your ads won't serve on inventories when keywords and topics inclusions are enabled. Enabling Placement inclusions won't have the same effect, ads will serve unrestricted. You can select or exclude individual channels in Demand Gen ad group settings.
| Inventory | Placement | Keyword / Topic |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube | Placement targeting will be fully supported | Keywords and topic targeting will act as a hint |
| Google Display Network | Placement targeting will be fully supported | Keywords and topic targeting will be fully supported |
| Discover/Gmail | Inventory serves unrestricted | Inventory does not serve* |
*When optimized targeting is enabled, inventory will serve unrestricted
Our system analyzes the content of each Display Network webpage or URL, considering factors such as the following:
- Text
- Language
- Link structure
- Page structure
Based on this analysis, the central theme of each webpage is determined.
Our system analyzes the content of each YouTube video, considering factors such as the following:
- Text
- Metadata
- Visual content
- Audie content
- Channel information
Based on this analysis, the central theme of each video is determined.
By content keywords
When your keyword (using the “Content” keyword setting) matches a webpage’s concepts or its central theme, your ad is eligible to show on that webpage (also known as an automatic placement). On YouTube, the keywords provide hints where the video can be shown. Whether your ad actually shows there is determined by a number of factors, including your language and location targeting.
Example
Suppose you've created an ad group to advertise your car dealership’s latest lineup and you've included keywords like fuel efficient cars and 2015 electric cars. We use contextual targeting to identify and place your ad on Display Network pages and YouTube Network that match those keywords.
By topic
When your topic matches a webpage’s central theme, your ad is eligible to show on that webpage. On YouTube, the topic provides hints where the video can be shown. Whether your ad actually shows there is determined by a number of factors such as your language and location targeting.
Example
Let's imagine again that you want to show ads about electric cars that are for sale. You could add the sub-topic Autos & Vehicles > Vehicle Shopping > Vehicle Specs, Reviews & Comparisons to your ad group. This would help you target all pages on the Display Network related to car reviews and comparisons, regardless of whether your exact keywords appear on the page.
The tables below explain the effect of inclusive and exclusive targeting.
Inclusive targeting
| Which inventory is affected by contextual targeting (inclusion) | |||
| Placements | Topics | Display/Video keywords | |
| In-stream | |||
| Watch next feed | |||
| Shorts | |||
| Home feed | |||
| Search feed | |||
| Gmail | |||
| Discover Feed | |||
| Google video partners In-stream | |||
| Google video partners out-stream | |||
| Google Display ads | |||
*Keywords and topic targeting will act as a hint
**These inventories will not serve at all when Topics or Keyword Inclusions are enabled.
Exclusive targeting
|
Which inventory is affected by contextual targeting (exclusion) |
||||||
| Placement exclusions | Topic exclusions | Topic exclusions | Inventory type | Content label exclusion | Content type exclusion | |
| In-stream | ||||||
| Watch next feed | ||||||
| Shorts | ||||||
| Home feed | ||||||
| Search feed | ||||||
| Gmail | ||||||
| Discover feed | ||||||
| Google video partners in-stream | ||||||
| Google video partners out-stream | ||||||
|
Google Display ads |
||||||
Best practices
Define your audience through keyword selection. The entire ad group keyword list is used as a single unit for targeting. Use these best practices for an effective contextual strategy:
- Group keywords thematically: It’s Recommended to have ad groups with approximately 5 to 10 keywords each. Create multiple distinct themes across different ad groups to test which concepts resonate most effectively with the Display Network's content.
- Maintain keyword relevance: Try to keep keywords to about 2 to 3 terms per keyword. This ensures a high level of relevance is maintained without becoming too specific, which could severely limit your reach.
- Centralize settings: Ensure all critical elements, such as bids and tracking URLs, are set at the ad group level. Don’t use keyword-level bids or destination URLs as these settings should be managed at the ad group level.
- Avoid keyword match types: Don’t use keyword match types for contextual targeting as they don’t add any advantage and may create attribution confusion in the UI reporting.
Next steps
- Add keywords to your ad group or campaign.
- Add topics to your ad group or campaign.
- Stop your ads from showing on sites you don’t like by adding negative keywords or excluding topics.
