Keyword contextual targeting

To help you reach more potential customers, your ads will now show on content that matches any of the topics, placements, or Display/Video/Search keywords you target. For example, if you targeted “bikes” as a topic and “cycling” as a Display/Video/Search keyword, your ads will show on content that matches either.

You’ll also notice contextual targeting simplified into a single page in Google Ads, so you can manage all content targeting types (Topics, Placements, Display/Video keywords, and Exclusions) in a single view. The new page can be found in the “Content” section under Campaigns on the left-side navigation menu.

For video campaigns that drive conversions only: To help you find more conversion opportunities, you’ll no longer be able to add content targeting to new and existing video conversion campaigns in the coming months. From early 2023, all existing content targeting settings will be automatically removed from video campaigns that drive conversions. To manually remove content targeting from existing conversion campaigns, go to your ad group settings. Learn more about optimizing your campaign for conversions

Contextual targeting is used to match keyword-targeted ads (also referred to as automatic placements) to sites within the Google Display Network.

This form of targeting better suits advertisers focused on performance and cost-efficient conversions because ads will provide useful information to readers and attract an audience with an established interest in your message.

To build a contextually targeted campaign:

1. Define your ad group: Each ad group should have specific themes. Start with themes that are descriptive to the product or service advertised, and avoid themes that are aimed at targeting audiences. If you have a strong and well-recognized brand, consider including branded keywords in keyword-targeted ad groups.
2. Generate keywords: Each ad group should typically have between 5-50 keywords. Avoid repeating keywords in the same ad group, and use keywords that are tightly related to the ad group theme. Use the Keyword Planner to help you build your keyword list. Manage your keywords in the Search Keywords page.
3. Set Ad Group Bids: Set your initial Display Network bid at the same level as your search bid. You can always adjust after launching the campaign and evaluating its performance.
4. Add negative keywords: You can add negative keywords to help ensure your ads don't appear on irrelevant searches.
5. Implement Conversion Tracking: To better understand the performance of your campaign, set up Google Ads Conversion Tracking. This tool will give you insights into site-level conversion data.
6. Optimize: After a few days, check the Content tab and correct any poor matches by excluding placements. From the Search keywords tab, you can add negative keywords or add and remove keywords. Under the Ad groups tab, you can pause ad groups that have been optimized and aren't performing, and adjust your bidding. You should also add more ad groups that are similar to those that are performing well for you.

You can combine multiple content targeting methods, and your ads will target any of the selected content in your ad group to help you reach a broader audience.

The maximum cost-per-click (CPC) of the keywords in an ad group helps determine the position of a keyword-targeted ad on a Display Network page. Quality Score is also a factor, which is derived from the ad's past performance on that and similar Display Network pages, landing page quality, and other relevant factors.