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Writer's pictureSotirios Seridis

How to Exclude Age Groups and Genders on Google Ads

Are you ready to fine-tune your Google Ads audience? Let's talk about excluding age groups and genders; it's like being a bouncer for your marketing campaign. Excluding particular age groups and genders in Google advertising is an excellent approach to ensure that your advertising reaches the intended audience. This quick and easy guide will show you how to exclude age groups and gender on Google Ads!







How to Exclude Age Groups and Genders on Google Ads: Search, Display or Video Campaigns



  1. Login to your Google Ads account

  2. Open the Audiences, keyword and content dropdown menu (left-hand-side)

  3. Select Audiences

  4. Under Demographics, click on Edit demographics

  5. Select the campaign and ad-group you would like to modify

  6. Select the Age Groups, Genders, and Household Income you would like to include or exclude


Repeat as needed for all ad-groups under your selected campaigns.


💡 Tip: If you would like to bulk include or exclude Age groups and genders you can do it faster via Google Ads Editor




How to Exclude Age Groups and Genders on Google Ads: Performance Max Campaigns



  1. Select your Performance Max campaign

  2. Navigate to Asset Groups

  3. Click on the pen icon ✏️ next to Signals to edit your Signal

  4. Click to edit the existing signal or create a new one

  5. Scroll to Demographics and include or exclude genders and age groups


Keep in mind that a Signal is NOT targeting - it is a mere suggestion to the system on how to find the right customers for your business. Even if you’ve created a signal that includes a specific age group, the system will still reach the people outside of your signal if the algorithm thinks that it will improve your performance. 





Frequently Asked Questions on Excluding Age Groups and Genders on Google Ads



Where can I see demographics performance data?

Currently, you can only see demographics performance for Search, Video and Display campaigns (not for Performance Max campaigns):

  • Select the campaign you would like to investigate

  • Open the Audiences, keywords and content dropdown menu

  • Select Audiences

  • Scroll to Demographics

  • Click "Show table"



How does excluding demographics affect my ads?

When you exclude certain demographics, it means:

  • Your ads will reach fewer people

  • Your targeting becomes more focused

  • Your budget concentrates on specific groups

  • You might see better ROI if you exclude poorly performing groups

  • You'll miss potential customers in excluded groups

Think of it as narrowing your audience to focus on your best-performing groups, while accepting that you'll reach fewer people overall.

What demographics can I target in Google Ads?

Google Ads lets you target several demographic factors:

  • Age groups (18-24, 25-34, 35-44, etc.)

  • Gender (male, female, unknown)

  • Household income (available in some countries)

  • Parental status

  • Marital status

  • Education level

  • Employment

Note: Available options may vary by country and campaign type.



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