Google expands custom segments availability for Display campaigns

Google announced on November 25, 2025, that its Personalized Ads policy will be updated on December 12, 2025, to expand Custom Segments availability for Display campaigns. The modification represents a technical adjustment to audience targeting capabilities within Google's advertising ecosystem.

According to the company's policy documentation, the update specifically addresses Custom Segments functionality within Display campaigns. Custom Segments, which exist alongside Custom Affinity and Custom Intent audiences in Display & Video 360 and Google Ads, enable advertisers to define specific audience groups using keywords, URLs, and application data.

The timing of this policy change occurs as advertisers navigate increasingly complex audience targeting regulations across Google's advertising platforms. The personalized advertising policy governs how advertisers can collect and utilize user behavior data to deliver targeted advertising content across Google's properties.

Technical framework for custom audience targeting

Custom list targeting operates through two distinct methodologies within Google's advertising infrastructure. Custom Affinity segments target audiences based on media consumption patterns and product interests, while Custom Intent audiences reach users actively researching products or services related to advertiser offerings.

Display & Video 360 cannot forecast reach for custom list targeting, meaning potential reach data will not reflect Custom Affinity or Custom Intent segment estimates. Inventory availability reports remain unavailable for custom lists across both targeting types.

When creating Custom Affinity targeting within line items, advertisers enter interests their audiences likely possess. Display & Video 360 then intelligently defines audiences without unnecessarily limiting campaign scale. The platform accepts keyword phrases representing interests, URLs based on website content, and applications that target audiences might use on mobile devices.

Custom Intent audiences for Display campaigns utilize in-market keywords and URLs related to products and services ideal audiences are researching across sites and apps. For YouTube video ads, Custom Intent (YouTube) creates audiences of users who have searched for specific terms on Google. The system requires 10 to 15 keywords of similar themes for Display and Video campaigns, while YouTube-specific audiences demand at least 50 keywords from Google search campaigns.

Restrictions and operational limitations

Several constraints govern custom list targeting implementation. After targeting a Custom Affinity segment, advertisers cannot edit it in any way. Affinity, Custom Affinity, and In-Market audience targeting cannot be combined with "AND" clause combinations with other audience lists.

YouTube advertisements containing sensitive verticals including gambling, alcohol, and pharmaceuticals cannot run against Custom Affinity segments. Exclusion targeting is not available for Custom Affinity segments, limiting advertiser control over audience refinement.

Display & Video 360 maintains policies restricting sensitive keywords such as financial status, medical history, racial or ethnic origins, and similar categories. The keywords filter can be affected by custom audience lists using sensitive keywords. When no keywords appear in line item targeting but a custom audience list with sensitive keywords exists, those sensitive keywords are used for contextual targeting rather than collecting audience users.

Personalized advertising policy framework

The broader personalized advertising policy establishes content principles around sensitive interest categories. Legal restrictions require advertisement compliance with applicable laws. Personal hardships should not be exploited through targeting users based on their difficulties or struggles. Identity and belief categories prone to systemic discrimination or unfair stigmas should not be used for targeting. Sexual interests based on inherently private experiences should not be leveraged for audience targeting.

Access to opportunities faces additional restrictions in the United States and Canada. Housing, employment, and consumer finance advertisements cannot use gender, age, parental status, marital status targeting unless all options are set to "Enable". ZIP code targeting is prohibited for these categories in these markets.

The policy differentiates between advertiser-curated audiences, where advertisers customize or upload their own audiences, and pre-defined Google audiences, where Google manages audience development and curation. Advertisers promoting products in sensitive interest categories cannot use advertiser-curated audiences. Pre-defined Google audiences remain available to all advertisers, including those promoting sensitive interest categories, because Google explicitly configures these audiences without sensitive user signals.

According to Google's enforcement framework, Customer Match, data segments, audience expansion, lookalike segments, and custom segments fall under advertiser-curated audience restrictions. In-market segments, affinity audiences, demographics, detailed demographics, life events, and location targeting are classified as pre-defined Google audiences with broader availability.

Implications for campaign management

The December 12 policy expansion for Custom Segments in Display campaigns potentially affects how advertisers structure audience targeting strategies. Custom segments have existed within Google's advertising ecosystem as tools for precise audience definition, enabling marketers to reach specific groups based on interests and research behaviors.

Advertisers utilizing Demand Gen campaigns already access custom segment functionality across YouTube, Discover, and Gmail placements. The expanded availability in Display campaigns broadens the inventory where custom segments can be applied, potentially increasing reach for advertisers building audiences around specific keywords and URLs.

The policy update arrives as Google continues adjusting personalized advertising rules across its advertising platforms. Earlier in 2024, Google standardized personalized advertising policies across AdSense, AdMob, and Google Ad Manager, ensuring consistent enforcement across publisher programs.

Data collection and use policies maintain strict requirements for personalized advertising implementation. Advertisers cannot run ads collecting personally identifiable information unless using Google-provided ad formats designed for that purpose. Personally identifiable information cannot be used in connection with anonymous or pseudonymous data, including remarketing lists, cookies, or data feeds.

Remarketing list size requirements prevent targeting overly narrow or specific audiences. When combining remarketing lists with other targeting criteria such as geographic limitations or user segmentation, advertisers must ensure ads target sufficient user volumes to maintain privacy standards.

Policy compliance requirements

Google's enforcement mechanisms for personalized advertising violations include ad disapproval and potential account suspension for repeated policy violations. Advertisers must review ads, sites, and applications to ensure compliance with personalized advertising policies before campaign launch.

The policy documentation outlines three compliance pathways. First, advertisers can remove non-compliant content from sites or applications. Second, ad text can be edited to remove policy-violating content. Third, targeting methods can be modified to eliminate advertiser-curated audiences or remarketing lists that violate personalized advertising policies.

After making corrections, advertisers must appeal policy decisions directly from Google Ads accounts to request new reviews. Most advertisements receive review within one working day, though some require more complex review processes extending beyond standard timeframes.

Display & Video 360 technical implementation requires advertisers to navigate audience list creation through specific menu paths. From advertiser accounts, users navigate to Audiences > All Audiences in the left menu, then click Custom Lists tabs before creating new Custom Intent audiences for Display, Video, or YouTube placements.

The system imposes maximum limits on audience creation. A maximum of 10 segments can be created per exploration, with up to four segments applied to individual exploration techniques simultaneously. Standard properties face 50 saved segment caps, while Google Analytics 360 properties receive 200 saved segment limits.

Google's emphasis on content quality remains paramount for successful custom audience implementation. Documentation warns against artificially adding keywords or excessive commercial mentions solely to trigger more advertising opportunities, maintaining integrity of user experience while supporting legitimate monetization efforts.

Market context and industry trends

The policy modification occurs as advertisers increasingly rely on first-party data for audience targeting in cookie-restricted environments. Google Analytics recently shifted user-provided data infrastructure toward Enhanced Conversions and Customer Match, prioritizing advertising conversion accuracy over user session attribution.

Privacy regulations continue shaping personalized advertising capabilities across digital advertising platforms. The European Union's implementation of consent management requirements and California's privacy legislation affect how advertisers collect and utilize user data for targeting purposes.

Google's Ad Center tool, which allows users to control advertisements they see across Google services, reached over 60 million daily active users, demonstrating growing user awareness of ad personalization mechanics. Users can customize ads by topic, brand, and information Google uses for personalization, providing greater control over advertising experiences.

The advertising technology industry faces ongoing scrutiny around data collection practices and audience targeting methodologies. Regulators in multiple jurisdictions examine how platforms enable advertisers to reach specific audience segments while maintaining user privacy protections.

Timeline

• March 31, 2024: Custom Affinity and Custom Intent audiences establish refined audience targeting in DV360 and Google Ads
• July 17, 2024: Google updates personalized advertising policies across AdSense, AdMob, and Google Ad Manager
• August 29, 2024: Partnership Ads enables brands to incorporate creator content into advertising campaigns with audience optimization features
• September 1, 2024: Demand Gen campaign guidance highlights custom segment capabilities for visual advertising surfaces
• November 5, 2025: Google Analytics refocuses user-provided data on Enhanced Conversions and Customer Match
• November 25, 2025: Google announces Personalized Ads policy update expanding Custom Segments for Display campaigns
• December 12, 2025: Policy update takes effect, expanding Custom Segments availability in Display campaigns

Summary

Who: Google Ads platform and advertisers using Display campaigns for audience targeting.

What: Google's Personalized Ads policy will be updated to expand Custom Segments availability for Display campaigns. Custom Segments enable advertisers to build audiences using keywords, URLs, and application data.

When: The policy change was announced November 25, 2025, and takes effect December 12, 2025.

Where: The update applies to Google Ads Display campaigns, affecting audience targeting capabilities across Google's display advertising inventory.

Why: The expansion provides advertisers with broader access to custom audience targeting tools within Display campaigns, aligning with Google's ongoing adjustments to personalized advertising policies across its advertising platforms. The change occurs as advertisers navigate complex audience targeting regulations and increasing reliance on first-party data in cookie-restricted environments.