Google launched Customer Match for Google Analytics audiences. This new feature will help you expand reach and improve your remarketing campaigns.
By integrating first-party customer data into the remarketing process, Google aims to improve the alignment of campaigns with user preferences as traditional tracking methods like third-party cookies become less reliable.
How it works. When a customer converts on your website, you might collect data like email addresses or phone numbers. This first-party data can be securely hashed and sent to Google, supplementing your Analytics audiences. The integration ensures more effective audience targeting, especially as third-party cookies become less reliable.
- Security first: Google uses industry-standard encryption to protect your data, ensuring confidentiality and security.
- Seamless setup: Customer Match data in Google Analytics automatically syncs with linked Google Ads accounts, streamlining the process and reducing manual work.
Key benefits.
- Broader reach: Customer Match boosts your addressable audience in Google Ads, even when cookies are limited.
- Efficiency: No need to manually create customer lists in Google Ads — just activate in Analytics, and you’re set.
- Smart optimization: Campaigns using Smart Bidding and optimized targeting automatically leverage Customer Match lists for better performance.
Why we care. Customer Match could become a strategic way to future-proof your campaigns. Despite Google giving up on their plans to kill third party cookies, leveraging first-party data is still important to build strong customer relationships. By leveraging first-party data, on top of the customer strength benefits you also stand a chance to scale effectively and stay competitive in a privacy-first world.
What to watch.
- Auto-Inclusion: By default, Smart Bidding includes all available Customer Match lists. To opt out:
- Disable auto-inclusion through account settings.
- Remove specific lists from campaigns if needed.
- Scope: Available for YouTube and Video Action campaigns. Support for Search ads is on the horizon.
What to watch out for.
- Manual bidding exclusion: Customer Match won’t apply if you’re using manual bidding strategies.
- Real-time learning: Even if lists seem irrelevant, Google’s algorithms continuously optimize performance by identifying which lists drive results.
Activation steps. To activate Customer Match in Google Analytics:
- Set up user-provided data collection in Analytics.
- Link Analytics to Google Ads or other Google ad platforms.
- Enable personalized advertising (note: no need for Google Signals to enable remarketing).
Analytics vs. Google Ads: What’s the difference?
- In Google Ads: You upload customer data manually via a CSV or connect data sources.
- In Analytics: Customer Match supplements existing audiences, offering a seamless integration with less manual effort.
Bottom line. First-party data continues to be vital for brands to run successful campaigns for customer growth. Customer Match in Google Analytics offers a powerful way to harness this data, optimize campaigns, and drive better outcomes.
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About the author
Anu Adegbola has been Paid Media Editor of Search Engine Land since 2024. She covers paid search, paid social, retail media, video and more.
In 2008, Anu’s career started with
delivering digital marketing campaigns (mostly but not exclusively Paid Search) by building strategies, maximising ROI, automating repetitive processes and bringing efficiency from every part of marketing departments through inspiring leadership both on agency, client and marketing tech side.
Outside editing Search Engine Land article she is the founder of PPC networking event – PPC Live and host of weekly podcast PPCChat Roundup.
She is also an international speaker with some of the stages she has presented on being SMX (US), SMX (Munich), Friends of Search (Amsterdam), brightonSEO, The Marketing Meetup, HeroConf (PPC Hero), SearchLove, BiddableWorld, SESLondon, PPC Chat Live, AdWorld Experience (Bologna) and more.