[Audience segments](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/2497941), also known as user lists, are
groups of people with specific interests, intents, or demographic information,
as estimated by Google. Audience segment targeting is supported for Display,
Search, Video, Hotel, and Standard Shopping campaigns. You can target or exclude
audience segments at both the ad group and campaign levels.

If you want to target audience segments for Performance Max, Demand Gen, or App
campaigns, see the [Audiences guide](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/docs/remarketing/audiences).

## Basic concepts

You can target audience segments directly by creating and targeting a
[`UserList`](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/reference/rpc/v26/UserList). The information you need to provide in the `UserList`
partly depends on the user list type you want to create. The following types are
available:

1. [`crm_based_user_list`](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/reference/rpc/v26/CrmBasedUserListInfo): [Customer
   Match](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6379332) user list of CRM users you provide.

   > [!CAUTION]
   > **Caution:** Since **April 1, 2026** , [`OfflineUserDataJobService`](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/reference/rpc/v26/OfflineUserDataJobService) and [`UserDataService`](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/reference/rpc/v26/UserDataService) requests for Customer Match fail with `CUSTOMER_NOT_ALLOWLISTED_FOR_THIS_FEATURE` if your Google Cloud project (or legacy developer token, deprecated September 9, 2026) had no Customer Match activity between October 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026. Use the [Data Manager API](https://developers.google.com/data-manager/api/devguides/audiences/google-ads/customer-match) instead; see [Feature
   > deprecations](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/docs/deprecations#feature-deprecations) for details.

2. [`rule_based_user_list`](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/reference/rpc/v26/RuleBasedUserListInfo): User list generated by a
   rule or set of rules, typically based on actions the user did---or didn't---take.

3. [`logical_user_list`](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/reference/rpc/v26/LogicalUserListInfo): User list that is a custom
   combination of user lists and user interests.

4. [`basic_user_list`](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/reference/rpc/v26/BasicUserListInfo): User list targeting as a collection of
   conversion or remarketing actions.

5. [`similar_user_list`](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/reference/rpc/v26/SimilarUserListInfo): Output-only legacy user list of
   users who are similar to users from another list. Similar audiences are
   sunset and superseded by [`lookalike_user_list`](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/reference/rpc/v26/LookalikeUserListInfo).

6. [`lookalike_user_list`](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/reference/rpc/v26/LookalikeUserListInfo): User list composed of users
   similar to those of a configurable set of seed user lists.

These user list types can be used to build audience segments that accomplish
different business goals. For example, to build a list of users that visited
your website, you would create a `rule_based_user_list`.

Two important attributes you can set on a user list are
[`membership_life_span`](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/reference/rpc/v26/UserList#membership_life_span) and
[`membership_status`](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/reference/rpc/v26/UserList#membership_status). The former lets you define the time
period, in days, for which a user is considered to be in the list. The latter
defines whether the list accepts new users. Note that `membership_life_span` is
ignored for `logical_user_list` and `rule_based_user_list`, as list membership
for these types depends on the rules defined by the list.

## Usage flow

Here is the overall flow for using audience segments in the Google Ads API:

1. Implement the [prerequisites](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/docs/remarketing/audience-segments/getting-started#prerequisites), where applicable.

2. Create and configure the audience segment by creating a
   [`UserList`](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/reference/rpc/v26/UserList) with the [`UserListService`](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/reference/rpc/v26/UserListService).

   > [!NOTE]
   > **Note:** Custom audiences use [`CustomAudience`](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/reference/rpc/v26/CustomAudience) with the [`CustomAudienceService`](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/reference/rpc/v26/CustomAudienceService), instead of `UserList`.

3. Target your campaigns or ads to the audience segment.

4. Review audience segment performance.

## Implement the prerequisites

To create and target audience segments, you first need to:

1. Review the [policy for advertising based on interests and
   location](https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/143465). Sensitive
   information about users can't be used to build audiences.

2. Set up your Google tag. This is required to target audience
   segments based on visits to or actions on your website. It is not required
   for [Customer
   Match](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/docs/remarketing/audience-segments/customer-match/get-started) or
   [custom audiences](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/docs/remarketing/audience-segments/custom-audiences).

   Advertisers seeking to create user lists based on mobile app behavior should
   implement the Firebase SDK or work with third-party SDKs to track in-app
   behavior.

### Retrieve the Google tag

All Google Ads accounts have exactly one account-level [Google
tag](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/11994839), created
automatically when the account is opened.

You can retrieve the Google tag in the Google Ads UI by following the [Google tag ID
instructions](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/12002338#find-tag-id)
or in the Google Ads API by creating a `RemarketingAction` and then retrieving the
Google tag by issuing a
[`GoogleAdsService.SearchStream`](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/reference/rpc/v26/GoogleAdsService/SearchStream)
request using the [`remarketing_action`](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/fields/v26/remarketing_action) resource:

    SELECT
      remarketing_action.id,
      remarketing_action.name,
      remarketing_action.tag_snippets
    FROM remarketing_action
    WHERE
      remarketing_action.resource_name =
        'customers/CUSTOMER_ID/remarketingActions/REMARKETING_ACTION_ID'

### Install the Google tag on your website or app

The next step is to install your Google tag on all of your site's pages. For
details, see [Add the Google tag to your website or mobile
app](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/2476688).

If you're planning to build audience segments based only on visited page URLs,
you don't need to make any edits to your Google tag. If you're using custom
parameters, you need to edit your tag to include them, as detailed in [Advanced
strategies for tagging and creating remarketing
lists](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/3111920#standard_parameters).

You can use [Google Tag Assistant](https://tagassistant.google.com) to validate
your tag installation.

#### Built-in Google tag parameters

You can use the built-in remarketing parameter `url__` to target a user list
based on the URLs that people have visited on your website, as demonstrated in
the [Visitors to your website
example](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/docs/remarketing/audience-segments/website-visitors#create-the-user-list).

#### Custom Google tag parameters

You can add [custom Google tag
parameters](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/3111920#standard_parameters) to your Google tag to create
more tailored user lists.

Before creating your own custom parameters, review the list of [predefined
parameters](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/3103357) to see if
there's already a good fit for your use case. Using predefined parameters makes
it easier to integrate with other Google Ads remarketing features.

## Create audience segments

The following creation guidelines apply regardless of type:

1. Use the same account to create the user list that you plan to use to modify
   the user list. A user list can only be modified by the Google Ads or [data
   partner](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/7361372) account that created it. Otherwise, the user
   list is [read-only](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/reference/rpc/v26/UserList#read_only).

2. User lists are not supported in [test accounts](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/docs/best-practices/test-accounts) and are
   automatically closed upon creation.

### Google Analytics audiences

You can retrieve and target audience segments created in Google Analytics,
including Google Analytics 4 (GA4) audiences. These user lists are populated in
your Google Ads account and can be retrieved with the `UserListService`.

To use Google Analytics audiences in Google Ads, you must first [link your Google
Analytics and Google Ads accounts](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/7519537).

In the API, these audiences typically have a `user_list.type` of `REMARKETING`
or `RULE_BASED`. The API doesn't indicate that the user list was created in
Google Analytics, but you can identify them by name and then target them in your
campaigns just like any other user list.

### Audience segment types

Select an audience segment type for guidance on how to create and target that
segment:

[Visitors to your website](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/docs/remarketing/audience-segments/website-visitors)
:   Reach people who have visited either your website or your apps. This is done
    through advertiser-defined rules (`UserList`).

[Visitors to specific pages](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/docs/remarketing/audience-segments/visited-specific-pages)
:   This is done by targeting users that have visited a URL that contains or
    equals a given value (`UserList`).

[Visitors who took specific actions](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/docs/remarketing/audience-segments/took-specific-actions)
:   This can include actions such as a purchase on your website or app
    (`UserList`).

[Multiple user lists](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/docs/remarketing/audience-segments/multiple-user-lists)
:   This is done by combining two or more user lists to create even more
    sophisticated targeting (`UserList`).

[Customer Match with email address, address, or user ID](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/docs/remarketing/audience-segments/customer-match)
:   A user list of uploaded customer data from your first-party datastore
    (`UserList`).

[Lookalike segments](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/docs/remarketing/audience-segments/lookalike-audiences)
:   Target audiences that are similar to and share characteristics with others
    (`UserList`).

[Custom audiences](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/docs/remarketing/audience-segments/custom-audiences)
:   Reach your ideal audience by entering relevant keywords, URLs, or apps that
    represent the interests and intents of the users you want to target
    (`CustomAudience`).