Google Ads How To Exclude Mobile Apps In Display Campaigns

In September 2018, Google Ads will remove the functionality to exclude all mobile app placements using adsenseformobileapps.com and GMob mobile app non-interstitial from display campaigns. This is a big change for advertisers that have actively blocked their ads from showing up in mobile apps.

My first question from the email was, so how do we block these now? Well in fact there are two ways.

Option 1

Log in to Google ads and go to your display campaign > settings and click on the additional settings drop down.

Scroll down to devices and expand, click on Set specific targeting for devices

Now uncheck the following :

• Mobile app
• Mobile app interstitial
• Tablet app
• Tablet app interstitial

Option 2

There is a way to block over 150 application categories, via a long-winded method. Without any further ado, here is what you need to do.

Step 1

1. Log in to Google Ads and go to your display campaign
2. Click on placements, then click on the exclusion tab
3. Here we can click on the blue edit icon and choose to exclude placements

Step 2

Click on App categories and start checking all the boxes and click on save.

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Important:
Make sure you click on all submenus as otherwise, you have not checked all categories.

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You will also get an email if Google has detected you are using any of the removed functionalities

Dear Google Ads Advertiser,
You are receiving this message because your Google Ads account (Customer ID: xxx) contains at least one Google Display Network (GDN) campaign that will be impacted by upcoming changes to mobile targeting and placement exclusion controls.

What’s changing

In September 2018, the adsenseformobileapps.com exclusion and the GMob mobile app non-interstitial exclusion will no longer be available within Google Ads. Device settings will also be consolidated into three device types: computer, mobile and tablet.

This change simplifies how you reach mobile users across the web and on apps, and it may impact if and how your ads show in mobile apps. As a result of these updates, you may see a significant increase in mobile apps traffic or mobile web traffic depending on your current settings.

Next Steps

To help ensure that your ads appear within apps and across sites as expected, adjust your existing controls to meet your campaign goals before September 1, 2018. Visit the Help Center to learn how to make these changes. If you have any questions about these updates, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your account team or contact us at any time.

Sincerely,

The Google Ads team

Official documentation: https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/9051067

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