Google have added more layers to their demographic targeting options. Advertisers can now access even more detail when selecting the characteristics of a potential customer. 

Previously targeting was limited to age, gender and location. Advertisers are now able to be more granular in the factors that are taken into consideration. The new categories that are available are as follows:

• Marital Status: Single / In a relationship / Married

• Home Ownership: Owner / Renter

• Education Level: High school / Bachelor's

• Parental Status: Infants/Toddlers/Preschool/Grade school/Teenagers

Expanding these demographic targeting options allows advertisers to further refine their audience, thus reducing wastage and creating a more efficient and cost effective campaign, reflected in better CPCs.

As well as these specific categories, you can also select the 'unknown' category. This refers to people who have not disclosed their information when it comes to these new demographic options. This category is selected by default in order to widen your reach. Excluding it will narrow your audience, which can avoid wasted and irrelevant impressions but also prevent potential customers from seeing your ad too.

The below screen grab gives a good illustration of how the new targeting looks on the interface.

Example Scenarios

There are a couple of examples where this more in depth demographic targeting would come in useful:

• Companies offering landlord insurance would now be able to exclude renters as a demographic in order to reduce clicks from irrelevant audience sectors.

• Universities looking to build an audience for masters programmes would also benefit from this new level of targeting as they can specify that they are looking for people who already have degrees. This will remove potential wastage that may occur from showing ads to people who are looking to apply for undergraduate degrees instead.