HighLevel Ad Manager now supports Google Audience Segments so you can create, manage, and target the right customers without leaving HighLevel. This article shows you how to create and use audience segments for Google Ads.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• What is Audience Segments for Google Ads?
• Key Benefits of Audience Segments for Google Ads
• Audience Segments
• How to Create an Audience Segment
• Segment Types
  • 1. Customer Match
  • 2. Website Visitors
  • 3. Interest Segments
  • 4. Lookalike Segments
• How to Use Audience Segments in Google Ad Campaigns
• What are Target Interests (Affinity and In-Market Audiences)
  • 1. Affinity Audiences
  • 2. In-Market Audiences
• Affinity vs. In-Market Comparison
• Combining Segments and Target Interests
• Best Practices to Maximize ROI
• Common Limitations
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Related Articles

What is Audience Segments for Google Ads?

Audience Segments organize people into groups you can target in Google Ads. Centralizing segment creation and selection inside HighLevel shortens setup time and helps you apply consistent, privacy‑aware targeting across campaigns.

Audience Segments for Google Ads in HighLevel include four segment types:

Key Benefits of Audience Segments for Google Ads

• Workflow speed: Create and select audiences without leaving HighLevel.
  
  

• Parity with Google Ads: Access core Google audience types from one place in HighLevel.
  
  

• Inline creation: Build Customer Match and Website Visitors segments during campaign setup to keep momentum.
  
  

• Granular interest targeting: Explore Affinity & In‑Market categories with expanded subcategories.
  
  

• Better performance: Increase relevance, CTR, and conversion rates with high‑intent segments.
  
  

• Consistency & governance: Centralize assets so teams use approved audiences across campaigns.

Audience Segments

Audience Segments group users based on data from your website, customer list or user activity. They’re ideal for re-marketing, re-engagement and audience expansion strategies.

Available Segment Types

How to Create an Audience Segment

1. Click on Marketing > Ad Manager from your sub-account.
   
   
   
   

2. Click on the Settings button.
   
   
   
   
3. Go to Google Ads > Audience Segments tab.
   
   
   
   
4. Click + Create New Segment button.
   
   
   
   
5. Choose a Segment Type (Customer Match, Website Visitors, Interest, or Lookalike).
   
   
6. Click on Next.
   
   
   
   
7. Configure details based on the segment type (outlined below).
   
   
8. Click on Create.

Segment Types

1. Customer Match

Purpose: Targets users from your own customer or contact lists.

Use Case: Re-engage previous customers or build seed audiences for lookalike expansion.

Steps:

1. Choose Customer Match.
   
   
2. Upload a CSV file.
    
3. or select a Smart List for dynamic syncing.
   
   
4. Set Membership Duration (up to 540 days).
   
   
5. Confirm data compliance with Google’s Customer Match Policy.
   
   
6. Name and Create the segment.
   
   

2. Website Visitors

Purpose: Retarget users who’ve interacted with your site.

Use Case: Serve follow-up ads to users who visited key pages (e.g., pricing, checkout).

Tip: Start with shorter windows (30–60 days) for higher-intent audiences.

Steps:

1. Choose WebsiteVisitors.
   
   
2. Define conditions (e.g., “Visited /checkout” page).
   
   
3. Set the time window for tracking (e.g., last 30 days).
   
   
4. Combine multiple rules using AND/OR logic.
   
   
5. Name and Create the segment.
   
   

3. Interest Segments

Purpose: Reach users based on what they’re interested in or actively searching for.

Use Case: Discovery or awareness campaigns.

Note: Not supported for Search campaigns through APIs. (Google Limitations)

Steps:

1. Choose Interest Segments.
   
   
2. Name the segment.
   
   
3. Add Interest or Behavior.
   
   
   • Enter interests, in the form of keywords or phrases, that represent your ideal customer. Your ads will reach people likely to be interested in or with purchase intent for your keywords based on their behavior and activities, such as apps they use or the type of content they search for online.
     
     
4. Or add Website URLs.
   
   
   • Enter website addresses (URLs) that your ideal customer might visit. Your ads will reach people who browse websites similar to the URLs you enter. This doesn't mean your ads will show on those URLs.

     
     

5. Or enter Bundle IDs of Apps.
   
   
   • Enter the bundle IDs of apps that you think your ideal customer might use. Your ads will reach people who download and use apps similar to the ones you enter. This doesn’t mean that your ads will show on those apps.

     
     

6. Create the segment.

4. Lookalike Segments

Purpose: Expand reach by targeting users similar to your best-performing audiences.

Use Case: Prospecting and new customer acquisition.

Google limitations: Not supported for Search campaigns; lookalike audience location must match the campaign location or segment creation fails.

Steps:

1. Choose Lookalike Segment.
   
   
2. Add segment Name.
   
   
3. Select up to 10 seed lists.
   
   
4. Choose target countries.
   
   
5. Define reach size : Narrow (2.5%), Balanced (5%) or Broad (10%).
   
   
6. Create the segment.
   
   

How to Use Audience Segments in Google Ad Campaigns

1. Go to Marketing > Ad Manager > + Create Campaign
   
   
2. Choose Google as the platform and click on Next.
   
   
3. Create a campaign from Scratch or choose from Templates.
   
   
4. Go to the Intended Audience section.
   
   
5. Select Audience Segments tab.
   
   
6. Pick existing segments or click + Create a New Audience Segment to build one inline.

What are Target Interests (Affinity and In-Market Audiences)

Target Interests are predefined Google audience categories that help reach people based on long-term interests (Affinity) or immediate purchase intent (In-Market). These are ideal for advertisers who want to expand reach beyond their own data.

1. Affinity Audiences

What They Are:

Affinity audiences represent users’ lifestyles, passions, and general interests.
Google identifies these audiences based on long-term behavior patterns, such as websites visited, videos watched, and engagement frequency.

Examples:

• “Tech Enthusiasts”
• “Sports Fans”
• “Health & Fitness Buffs”
• “Foodies”
• “Home Improvement Enthusiasts”

When to Use:

• Brand awareness or top-of-funnel campaigns.
• Building familiarity with new users likely to be interested in your product category.

Tips:

• Use broad audience definitions for reach.
• Exclude existing customers or Website Visitor segments to avoid redundancy.
• Combine with ad creatives focused on storytelling and brand recall.
  
  

2. In-Market Audiences

What They Are:

In-Market audiences identify people who are actively researching or comparing products and services similar to yours. These users have demonstrated strong purchase intent through recent searches, visits to comparison sites or product reviews.

Examples:

• “People searching for CRM software.”
• “Travelers looking for hotel deals.”
• “Shoppers comparing smartphones.”
  
  

When to Use:

• Conversion-focused or mid-funnel campaigns.
• Lead generation or retargeting during decision-making stages.

Tips:

• Use with Smart Bidding to optimize for conversions.
• Layer with Customer Match or Website Visitor segments for precision.
• Test smaller audience sizes first to identify best-performing niches.

Affinity vs. In-Market Comparison

Combining Segments and Target Interests

For best performance:

• Use Affinity or Interest Segments to attract new audiences.
  
  
• Retarget using Website Visitors or Customer Match lists.
  
  
• Scale up with Lookalike Segments and In-Market Audiences.

Combining both types ensures complete funnel coverage — from brand discovery to conversion.

Best Practices to Maximize ROI

• Align targeting with campaign goals (e.g., Affinity for awareness, In-Market for conversions).
  
  
• Layer multiple targeting options (e.g., Customer Match + In-Market) for precision.
  
  
• Refresh audience lists regularly to maintain data accuracy.
  
  
• Exclude converted or irrelevant audiences to prevent overlap.
  
  
• Use performance reports to compare segment effectiveness.
  
  
• Always comply with Google’s audience and data usage policies.

Common Limitations

• Lookalike and Interest Segments are not supported for Search campaigns.
  
  
• Audience creation or syncing may take up to 48 hours.
  
  
• Minimum size thresholds apply for serving ads.
  
  
• Ensure user consent when uploading customer data.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Do I need to connect Google Ads before creating or using Audience Segments?

Yes. Connect your Google Ads account in HighLevel first so segments can sync and be used in campaigns.

Q: Which segment types can I create inline in the campaign builder?

Customer Match and Website Visitors can be created inline. Interest and Lookalike segments are created in Settings and then selected during setup.

Q: Can I combine Target Interests with Audience Segments in one campaign?

Yes. Use the Target Interests tab for Affinity/In‑Market categories and the Audience Segments tab to apply saved segments. Combine thoughtfully to balance reach and precision.

Q: How do Website Visitors rules work?

Define include logic such as URL contains or URL equals to build page‑based audiences like All Visitors, Product Viewers, or Checkout Abandoners. Set a membership duration that fits your buying cycle.

Q: Can I use segments for exclusions?
Yes. Customer Match and Website Visitors are commonly used for exclusions (e.g., existing customers) to eliminate wasted spend.

Q: Why don’t I see my newly created segment in the builder?
Ensure the segment is saved, the Google Ads connection is active for the sub‑account, and then refresh the Intended Audience step. New segments may take a short time to appear.

Q: What are best practices for Customer Match uploads?
Use clean, consented data with consistent formatting. Include stable identifiers (e.g., email) and descriptive naming so your team can reuse segments confidently.

Q: When should I use Lookalike Segments?
Use a well‑defined source (e.g., high‑value customers) for prospecting campaigns to scale reach while staying close to your best audience profile.

Related Articles

• Overview of Ad Manager
  
  

• Connect Google with Ad Manager 
  
  

• Ad Manager: Audience controls
  
  

• Carousel ads in Ad Manager