Visitors to Your Website

The simplest type of audience list comprises visitors to your website.

Retrieving remarketing tag

All Google Ads accounts have exactly one account-level remarketing tag, created automatically when the account is opened. The tag is available even if you haven't yet initiated remarketing. The first step is to retrieve your account's account-level remarketing tag by issuing a search request against the remarketing_action resource:

Java

String query =
    String.format(
        "SELECT remarketing_action.id,"
            + " remarketing_action.name,"
            + " remarketing_action.tag_snippets "
            + "FROM remarketing_action "
            + "WHERE remarketing_action.resource_name = '%s'",
        remarketingActionResourceName);
      

C#

var query = $"SELECT remarketing_action.id, remarketing_action.name, " +
    $"remarketing_action.tag_snippets FROM remarketing_action " +
    $"WHERE remarketing_action.resource_name = '{remarketingActionResourceName}'";
      

PHP

$query =
    "SELECT remarketing_action.id, "
    . "remarketing_action.name, "
    . "remarketing_action.tag_snippets "
    . "FROM remarketing_action "
    . "WHERE remarketing_action.resource_name = '$remarketingActionResourceName'";
      

Python

query = f"""
    SELECT
      remarketing_action.id,
      remarketing_action.name,
      remarketing_action.tag_snippets
    FROM remarketing_action
    WHERE remarketing_action.resource_name = '{resource_name}'"""
      

Ruby

query = <<~EOQUERY
  SELECT
    remarketing_action.id,
    remarketing_action.name,
    remarketing_action.tag_snippets
  FROM
    remarketing_action
  WHERE
    remarketing_action.resource_name = "#{remarketing_action_resource_name}"
EOQUERY
      

Perl

my $search_query =
  sprintf "SELECT remarketing_action.id, remarketing_action.name, " .
  "remarketing_action.tag_snippets FROM remarketing_action " .
  "WHERE remarketing_action.resource_name = '%s'",
  $remarketing_action_resource_name;
      

Installing remarketing tag

The next step is to install your account-level remarketing tag on all of your site's pages. Learn more about adding the remarketing tag to your site or mobile app.

You can also use the Google Tag Assistant in Chrome to validate your tag installation.

Creating user lists

Next, you need to create a user list that contains the people who've triggered the remarketing tag. You create and manage user lists with UserListService.

There are different kinds of user lists with different characteristics. To create a list that captures everyone who visited any page on your website, set the rule_based_user_list field of your UserList with a RuleBasedUserListInfo object.

Then, specify a FlexibleRuleUserListInfo field on your RuleBasedUserListInfo object, which contains a rule targeting people who visited your website. Refer to Rule-based User Lists for further details on using rule-based remarketing lists.

Java

private String createUserList(GoogleAdsClient googleAdsClient, long customerId) {
  // Creates a rule targeting any user that visited a url containing 'example.com'.
  UserListRuleItemInfo rule =
      UserListRuleItemInfo.newBuilder()
          // Uses a built-in parameter to create a domain URL rule.
          .setName("url__")
          .setStringRuleItem(
              UserListStringRuleItemInfo.newBuilder()
                  .setOperator(UserListStringRuleItemOperator.CONTAINS)
                  .setValue("example.com")
                  .build())
          .build();

  // Specifies that the user list targets visitors of a page based on the provided rule.
  FlexibleRuleUserListInfo flexibleRuleUserListInfo =
      FlexibleRuleUserListInfo.newBuilder()
          .setInclusiveRuleOperator(UserListFlexibleRuleOperator.AND)
          // Inclusive operands are joined together with the specified inclusiveRuleOperator.
          .addInclusiveOperands(
              FlexibleRuleOperandInfo.newBuilder()
                  .setRule(
                      UserListRuleInfo.newBuilder()
                          .addRuleItemGroups(
                              UserListRuleItemGroupInfo.newBuilder().addRuleItems(rule)))
                  // Optional: adds a lookback window for this rule, in days.
                  .setLookbackWindowDays(7L))
          .build();

  // Defines a representation of a user list that is generated by a rule.
  RuleBasedUserListInfo ruleBasedUserListInfo =
      RuleBasedUserListInfo.newBuilder()
          // Optional: To include past users in the user list, set the prepopulation_status to
          // REQUESTED.
          .setPrepopulationStatus(UserListPrepopulationStatus.REQUESTED)
          .setFlexibleRuleUserList(flexibleRuleUserListInfo)
          .build();

  // Creates the user list.
  UserList userList =
      UserList.newBuilder()
          .setName("All visitors to example.com" + getPrintableDateTime())
          .setDescription("Any visitor to any page of example.com")
          .setMembershipStatus(UserListMembershipStatus.OPEN)
          .setMembershipLifeSpan(365)
          .setRuleBasedUserList(ruleBasedUserListInfo)
          .build();

  // Creates the operation.
  UserListOperation operation = UserListOperation.newBuilder().setCreate(userList).build();

  // Creates the user list service client.
  try (UserListServiceClient userListServiceClient =
      googleAdsClient.getLatestVersion().createUserListServiceClient()) {
    // Adds the user list.
    MutateUserListsResponse response =
        userListServiceClient.mutateUserLists(
            Long.toString(customerId), ImmutableList.of(operation));
    String userListResourceName = response.getResults(0).getResourceName();
    // Prints the result.
    System.out.printf("Created user list with resource name '%s'.%n", userListResourceName);
    return userListResourceName;
  }
}
      

C#

private string CreateUserList(GoogleAdsClient client, long customerId)
{
    // Get the UserListService client.
    UserListServiceClient userListServiceClient =
        client.GetService(Services.V14.UserListService);

    // Create a rule targeting any user that visited a url containing 'example.com'.
    UserListRuleItemInfo rule = new UserListRuleItemInfo
    {
        // Use a built-in parameter to create a domain URL rule.
        Name = "url__",
        StringRuleItem = new UserListStringRuleItemInfo
        {
            Operator = UserListStringRuleItemOperator.Contains,
            Value = "example.com"
        }
    };

    // Specify that the user list targets visitors of a page based on the provided rule.
    FlexibleRuleUserListInfo flexibleRuleUserListInfo = new FlexibleRuleUserListInfo();
    FlexibleRuleOperandInfo flexibleRuleOperandInfo = new FlexibleRuleOperandInfo() {
        Rule = new UserListRuleInfo()
    };
    UserListRuleItemGroupInfo userListRuleItemGroupInfo = new UserListRuleItemGroupInfo();
    userListRuleItemGroupInfo.RuleItems.Add(rule);
    flexibleRuleOperandInfo.Rule.RuleItemGroups.Add(userListRuleItemGroupInfo);
    flexibleRuleUserListInfo.InclusiveOperands.Add(flexibleRuleOperandInfo);

    // Define a representation of a user list that is generated by a rule.
    RuleBasedUserListInfo ruleBasedUserListInfo = new RuleBasedUserListInfo
    {
        // Optional: To include past users in the user list, set the prepopulation_status to
        // REQUESTED.
        PrepopulationStatus = UserListPrepopulationStatus.Requested,
        FlexibleRuleUserList = flexibleRuleUserListInfo
    };

    // Create the user list.
    UserList userList = new UserList
    {
        Name = $"All visitors to example.com #{ExampleUtilities.GetRandomString()}",
        Description = "Any visitor to any page of example.com",
        MembershipStatus = UserListMembershipStatus.Open,
        MembershipLifeSpan = 365L,
        RuleBasedUserList = ruleBasedUserListInfo
    };

    // Create the operation.
    UserListOperation userListOperation = new UserListOperation
    {
        Create = userList
    };

    // Add the user list, then print and return the new list's resource name.
    MutateUserListsResponse mutateUserListsResponse = userListServiceClient
        .MutateUserLists(customerId.ToString(), new[] { userListOperation });
    string userListResourceName = mutateUserListsResponse.Results.First().ResourceName;
    Console.WriteLine($"Created user list with resource name '{userListResourceName}'.");

    return userListResourceName;
}
      

PHP

private static function createUserList(
    GoogleAdsClient $googleAdsClient,
    int $customerId
): string {
    // Creates a rule targeting any user that visited a URL containing 'example.com'.
    $rule = new UserListRuleItemInfo([
        // Uses a built-in parameter to create a domain URL rule.
        'name' => 'url__',
        'string_rule_item' => new UserListStringRuleItemInfo([
            'operator' => UserListStringRuleItemOperator::CONTAINS,
            'value' => 'example.com'
        ])
    ]);

    // Specifies that the user list targets visitors of a page based on the provided rule.
    $flexibleRuleUserListInfo = new FlexibleRuleUserListInfo([
        'inclusive_rule_operator' => UserListFlexibleRuleOperator::PBAND,
        // Inclusive operands are joined together with the specified inclusive rule operator.
        'inclusive_operands' => [
            new FlexibleRuleOperandInfo([
                'rule' => new UserListRuleInfo([
                    'rule_item_groups' =>
                        [new UserListRuleItemGroupInfo(['rule_items' => [$rule]])]
                ]),
                // Optionally add a lookback window for this rule, in days.
                'lookback_window_days' => 7
            ])
        ],
        'exclusive_operands' => []
    ]);

    // Defines a representation of a user list that is generated by a rule.
    $ruleBasedUserListInfo = new RuleBasedUserListInfo([
        'flexible_rule_user_list' => $flexibleRuleUserListInfo,
        // Optional: To include past users in the user list, set the prepopulation_status to
        // REQUESTED.
        'prepopulation_status' => UserListPrepopulationStatus::REQUESTED
    ]);

    // Creates the user list.
    $userList = new UserList([
        'name' => "All visitors to example.com #" . Helper::getPrintableDatetime(),
        'description' => "Any visitor to any page of example.com",
        'membership_status' => UserListMembershipStatus::OPEN,
        'membership_life_span' => 365,
        'rule_based_user_list' => $ruleBasedUserListInfo
    ]);

    // Creates the operation.
    $operation = new UserListOperation();
    $operation->setCreate($userList);

    // Issues a mutate request to add a user list.
    $userListServiceClient = $googleAdsClient->getUserListServiceClient();
    /** @var MutateUserListsResponse $userListResponse */
    $userListResponse = $userListServiceClient->mutateUserLists(
        MutateUserListsRequest::build($customerId, [$operation])
    );

    $userListResourceName = $userListResponse->getResults()[0]->getResourceName();
    printf("Created user list with resource name '%s'.%s", $userListResourceName, PHP_EOL);

    return $userListResourceName;
}
      

Python

def create_user_list(client, customer_id):
    """Creates a user list targeting users that have visited a given URL.

    Args:
        client: an initialized GoogleAdsClient instance.
        customer_id: a str client customer ID used to create a user list.

    Returns:
        a str resource name for the newly created user list.
    """
    # Creates a UserListOperation.
    user_list_operation = client.get_type("UserListOperation")
    # Creates a UserList.
    user_list = user_list_operation.create
    user_list.name = f"All visitors to example.com #{uuid4()}"
    user_list.description = "Any visitor to any page of example.com"
    user_list.membership_status = client.enums.UserListMembershipStatusEnum.OPEN
    user_list.membership_life_span = 365
    # Optional: To include past users in the user list, set the
    # prepopulation_status to REQUESTED.
    user_list.rule_based_user_list.prepopulation_status = (
        client.enums.UserListPrepopulationStatusEnum.REQUESTED
    )
    # Specifies that the user list targets visitors of a page with a URL that
    # contains 'example.com'.
    user_list_rule_item_group_info = client.get_type(
        "UserListRuleItemGroupInfo"
    )
    user_list_rule_item_info = client.get_type("UserListRuleItemInfo")
    # Uses a built-in parameter to create a domain URL rule.
    user_list_rule_item_info.name = "url__"
    user_list_rule_item_info.string_rule_item.operator = (
        client.enums.UserListStringRuleItemOperatorEnum.CONTAINS
    )
    user_list_rule_item_info.string_rule_item.value = "example.com"
    user_list_rule_item_group_info.rule_items.append(user_list_rule_item_info)

    # Specify that the user list targets visitors of a page based on the
    # provided rule.
    flexible_rule_user_list_info = (
        user_list.rule_based_user_list.flexible_rule_user_list
    )
    flexible_rule_user_list_info.inclusive_rule_operator = (
        client.enums.UserListFlexibleRuleOperatorEnum.AND
    )
    # Inclusive operands are joined together with the specified
    # inclusive rule operator.
    rule_operand = client.get_type("FlexibleRuleOperandInfo")
    rule_operand.rule.rule_item_groups.extend([user_list_rule_item_group_info])
    rule_operand.lookback_window_days = 7
    flexible_rule_user_list_info.inclusive_operands.append(rule_operand)

    user_list_service = client.get_service("UserListService")
    response = user_list_service.mutate_user_lists(
        customer_id=customer_id, operations=[user_list_operation]
    )
    resource_name = response.results[0].resource_name
    print(f"Created user list with resource name: '{resource_name}'")
    return resource_name
      

Ruby

def create_user_list(client, customer_id)
  # Creates the user list operation.
  operation = client.operation.create_resource.user_list do |ul|
    ul.name = "All visitors to example.com ##{(Time.new.to_f * 1000).to_i}"
    ul.description = "Any visitor to any page of example.com"
    ul.membership_status = :OPEN
    ul.membership_life_span = 365
    # Defines a representation of a user list that is generated by a rule.
    ul.rule_based_user_list = client.resource.rule_based_user_list_info do |r|
      # To include past users in the user list, set the prepopulation_status
      # to REQUESTED.
      r.prepopulation_status = :REQUESTED
      # Specifies that the user list targets visitors of a page based on
      # the provided rule.
      r.flexible_rule_user_list = client.resource.flexible_rule_user_list_info do |frul|
        frul.inclusive_rule_operator = :AND
        frul.inclusive_operands << client.resource.flexible_rule_operand_info do |froi|
          froi.rule = client.resource.user_list_rule_info do |u|
            u.rule_item_groups << client.resource.user_list_rule_item_group_info do |group|
              group.rule_items << client.resource.user_list_rule_item_info do |item|
                # Uses a built-in parameter to create a domain URL rule.
                item.name = "url__"
                item.string_rule_item = client.resource.user_list_string_rule_item_info do |s|
                  s.operator = :CONTAINS
                  s.value = "example.com"
                end
              end
            end
          end
          # Optionally add a lookback window for this rule, in days.
          froi.lookback_window_days = 7
        end
      end
    end
  end

  # Issues a mutate request to add the user list.
  response = client.service.user_list.mutate_user_lists(
    customer_id: customer_id,
    operations: [operation],
  )
  user_list_resource_name = response.results.first.resource_name
  puts "Created user list with resource name '#{user_list_resource_name}'"

  user_list_resource_name
end
      

Perl

sub create_user_list {
  my ($api_client, $customer_id) = @_;

  # Create a rule targeting any user that visited a url containing 'example.com'.
  my $rule = Google::Ads::GoogleAds::V14::Common::UserListRuleItemInfo->new({
      # Use a built-in parameter to create a domain URL rule.
      name           => "url__",
      stringRuleItem =>
        Google::Ads::GoogleAds::V14::Common::UserListStringRuleItemInfo->new({
          operator => CONTAINS,
          value    => "example.com"
        })});

  # Specify that the user list targets visitors of a page based on the provided rule.
  my $user_list_rule_item_group_info =
    Google::Ads::GoogleAds::V14::Common::UserListRuleItemGroupInfo->new(
    {ruleItems => [$rule]});
  my $flexible_rule_user_list_info =
    Google::Ads::GoogleAds::V14::Common::FlexibleRuleUserListInfo->new({
      inclusiveRuleOperator => AND,
      # Inclusive operands are joined together with the specified inclusiveRuleOperator.
      inclusiveOperands => [
        Google::Ads::GoogleAds::V14::Common::FlexibleRuleOperandInfo->new({
            rule => Google::Ads::GoogleAds::V14::Common::UserListRuleInfo->new({
                ruleItemGroups => [$user_list_rule_item_group_info]}
            ),
            # Optionally add a lookback window for this rule, in days.
            lookbackWindowDays => 7
          })
      ],
      exclusiveOperands => []});

  # Define a representation of a user list that is generated by a rule.
  my $rule_based_user_list_info =
    Google::Ads::GoogleAds::V14::Common::RuleBasedUserListInfo->new({
      # Optional: To include past users in the user list, set the
      # prepopulationStatus to REQUESTED.
      prepopulationStatus  => REQUESTED,
      flexibleRuleUserList => $flexible_rule_user_list_info
    });

  # Create the user list.
  my $user_list = Google::Ads::GoogleAds::V14::Resources::UserList->new({
    name               => "All visitors to example.com #" . uniqid(),
    description        => "Any visitor to any page of example.com",
    membershipLifespan => 365,
    membershipStatus   => OPEN,
    ruleBasedUserList  => $rule_based_user_list_info
  });

  # Create the operation.
  my $user_list_operation =
    Google::Ads::GoogleAds::V14::Services::UserListService::UserListOperation->
    new({
      create => $user_list
    });

  # Add the user list, then print and return the new list's resource name.
  my $user_lists_response = $api_client->UserListService()->mutate({
      customerId => $customer_id,
      operations => [$user_list_operation]});

  my $user_list_resource_name =
    $user_lists_response->{results}[0]{resourceName};
  printf "Created user list with resource name '%s'.\n",
    $user_list_resource_name;

  return $user_list_resource_name;
}
      

Two important attributes of a user list are membership_life_span and 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 will accept new users.

Targeting ads to user lists

The final step is to target ads to members of your user list. The process is similar to other types of targeting criteria in the API. The following code demonstrates how you can use an AdGroupCriterion to target ads in an ad group to a user list:

Java

private String targetAdsInAdGroupToUserList(
    GoogleAdsClient googleAdsClient, long customerId, long adGroupId, String userList) {
  // Creates the ad group criterion targeting members of the user list.
  AdGroupCriterion adGroupCriterion =
      AdGroupCriterion.newBuilder()
          .setAdGroup(ResourceNames.adGroup(customerId, adGroupId))
          .setUserList(UserListInfo.newBuilder().setUserList(userList).build())
          .build();

  // Creates the operation.
  AdGroupCriterionOperation operation =
      AdGroupCriterionOperation.newBuilder().setCreate(adGroupCriterion).build();

  // Creates the ad group criterion service.
  try (AdGroupCriterionServiceClient adGroupCriterionServiceClient =
      googleAdsClient.getLatestVersion().createAdGroupCriterionServiceClient()) {
    // Adds the ad group criterion.
    MutateAdGroupCriteriaResponse response =
        adGroupCriterionServiceClient.mutateAdGroupCriteria(
            Long.toString(customerId), ImmutableList.of(operation));
    // Gets and prints the results.
    String adGroupCriterionResourceName = response.getResults(0).getResourceName();
    System.out.printf(
        "Successfully created ad group criterion with resource name '%s' "
            + "targeting user list with resource name '%s' with ad group with ID %d.%n",
        adGroupCriterionResourceName, userList, adGroupId);
    return adGroupCriterionResourceName;
  }
}
      

C#

private string TargetAdsInAdGroupToUserList(
    GoogleAdsClient client, long customerId, long adGroupId, string userListResourceName)
{
    // Get the AdGroupCriterionService client.
    AdGroupCriterionServiceClient adGroupCriterionServiceClient = client.GetService
        (Services.V14.AdGroupCriterionService);

    // Create the ad group criterion targeting members of the user list.
    AdGroupCriterion adGroupCriterion = new AdGroupCriterion
    {
        AdGroup = ResourceNames.AdGroup(customerId, adGroupId),
        UserList = new UserListInfo
        {
            UserList = userListResourceName
        }
    };

    // Create the operation.
    AdGroupCriterionOperation adGroupCriterionOperation = new AdGroupCriterionOperation
    {
        Create = adGroupCriterion
    };

    // Add the ad group criterion, then print and return the new criterion's resource name.
    MutateAdGroupCriteriaResponse mutateAdGroupCriteriaResponse =
        adGroupCriterionServiceClient.MutateAdGroupCriteria(customerId.ToString(),
            new[] { adGroupCriterionOperation });

    string adGroupCriterionResourceName =
        mutateAdGroupCriteriaResponse.Results.First().ResourceName;
    Console.WriteLine("Successfully created ad group criterion with resource name " +
        $"'{adGroupCriterionResourceName}' targeting user list with resource name " +
        $"'{userListResourceName}' with ad group with ID {adGroupId}.");
    return adGroupCriterionResourceName;
}
      

PHP

private static function targetAdsInAdGroupToUserList(
    GoogleAdsClient $googleAdsClient,
    int $customerId,
    int $adGroupId,
    string $userListResourceName
): string {
    // Creates the ad group criterion targeting members of the user list.
    $adGroupCriterion = new AdGroupCriterion([
        'ad_group' => ResourceNames::forAdGroup($customerId, $adGroupId),
        'user_list' => new UserListInfo(['user_list' => $userListResourceName])
    ]);

    // Creates the operation.
    $operation = new AdGroupCriterionOperation();
    $operation->setCreate($adGroupCriterion);

    // Issues a mutate request to add an ad group criterion.
    $adGroupCriterionServiceClient = $googleAdsClient->getAdGroupCriterionServiceClient();
    /** @var MutateAdGroupCriteriaResponse $adGroupCriterionResponse */
    $adGroupCriterionResponse = $adGroupCriterionServiceClient->mutateAdGroupCriteria(
        MutateAdGroupCriteriaRequest::build($customerId, [$operation])
    );

    $adGroupCriterionResourceName =
        $adGroupCriterionResponse->getResults()[0]->getResourceName();
    printf(
        "Successfully created ad group criterion with resource name '%s' " .
        "targeting user list with resource name '%s' with ad group with ID %d.%s",
        $adGroupCriterionResourceName,
        $userListResourceName,
        $adGroupId,
        PHP_EOL
    );

    return $adGroupCriterionResourceName;
}
      

Python

def target_ads_in_ad_group_to_user_list(
    client, customer_id, ad_group_id, user_list_resource_name
):
    """Creates an ad group criterion that targets a user list with an ad group.

    Args:
        client: an initialized GoogleAdsClient instance.
        customer_id: a str client customer ID used to create an ad group
            criterion.
        ad_group_id: a str ID for an ad group used to create an ad group
            criterion that targets members of a user list.
        user_list_resource_name: a str resource name for a user list.

    Returns:
        a str resource name for an ad group criterion.
    """
    ad_group_criterion_operation = client.get_type("AdGroupCriterionOperation")
    # Creates the ad group criterion targeting members of the user list.
    ad_group_criterion = ad_group_criterion_operation.create
    ad_group_criterion.ad_group = client.get_service(
        "AdGroupService"
    ).ad_group_path(customer_id, ad_group_id)
    ad_group_criterion.user_list.user_list = user_list_resource_name

    ad_group_criterion_service = client.get_service("AdGroupCriterionService")
    response = ad_group_criterion_service.mutate_ad_group_criteria(
        customer_id=customer_id, operations=[ad_group_criterion_operation]
    )
    resource_name = response.results[0].resource_name
    print(
        "Successfully created ad group criterion with resource name: "
        f"'{resource_name}' targeting user list with resource name: "
        f"'{user_list_resource_name}' and with ad group with ID "
        f"{ad_group_id}."
    )
    return resource_name
      

Ruby

def target_ads_in_ad_group_to_user_list(
  client,
  customer_id,
  ad_group_id,
  user_list
)
  # Creates the ad group criterion targeting members of the user list.
  operation = client.operation.create_resource.ad_group_criterion do |agc|
    agc.ad_group = client.path.ad_group(customer_id, ad_group_id)
    agc.user_list = client.resource.user_list_info do |info|
      info.user_list = user_list
    end
  end

  # Issues a mutate request to create the ad group criterion.
  response = client.service.ad_group_criterion.mutate_ad_group_criteria(
    customer_id: customer_id,
    operations: [operation],
  )
  ad_group_criterion_resource_name = response.results.first.resource_name
  puts "Successfully created ad group criterion with resource name " \
    "'#{ad_group_criterion_resource_name}' targeting user list with resource name " \
    "'#{user_list}' with ad group with ID #{ad_group_id}"

  ad_group_criterion_resource_name
end
      

Perl

sub target_ads_in_ad_group_to_user_list {
  my ($api_client, $customer_id, $ad_group_id, $user_list_resource_name) = @_;

  # Create the ad group criterion targeting members of the user list.
  my $ad_group_criterion =
    Google::Ads::GoogleAds::V14::Resources::AdGroupCriterion->new({
      adGroup => Google::Ads::GoogleAds::V14::Utils::ResourceNames::ad_group(
        $customer_id, $ad_group_id
      ),
      userList => Google::Ads::GoogleAds::V14::Common::UserListInfo->new({
          userList => $user_list_resource_name
        })});

  # Create the operation.
  my $ad_group_criterion_operation =
    Google::Ads::GoogleAds::V14::Services::AdGroupCriterionService::AdGroupCriterionOperation
    ->new({
      create => $ad_group_criterion
    });

  # Add the ad group criterion, then print and return the new criterion's resource name.
  my $ad_group_criteria_response =
    $api_client->AdGroupCriterionService()->mutate({
      customerId => $customer_id,
      operations => [$ad_group_criterion_operation]});

  my $ad_group_criterion_resource_name =
    $ad_group_criteria_response->{results}[0]{resourceName};
  printf "Successfully created ad group criterion with resource name '%s' " .
    "targeting user list with resource name '%s' with ad group with ID %d.\n",
    $ad_group_criterion_resource_name, $user_list_resource_name, $ad_group_id;

  return $ad_group_criterion_resource_name;
}
      

As with other types of criteria, you can assign other properties to the AdGroupCriterion object, such as bid overrides.

Switching targeting levels

If you are switching from ad group level user list criteria to campaign level, you must first remove the existing user list criteria from each enabled or paused ad group under that campaign.

First, retrieve all of the AdGroupCriteria under a given campaign:

Java

private List<String> getUserListAdGroupCriterion(
    GoogleAdsClient googleAdsClient, long customerId, long campaignId) {
  List<String> userListCriteria = new ArrayList<>();
  // Creates the Google Ads service client.
  try (GoogleAdsServiceClient googleAdsServiceClient =
      googleAdsClient.getLatestVersion().createGoogleAdsServiceClient()) {
    // Creates a request that will retrieve all of the ad group criteria under a campaign.
    SearchGoogleAdsRequest request =
        SearchGoogleAdsRequest.newBuilder()
            .setCustomerId(Long.toString(customerId))
            .setPageSize(PAGE_SIZE)
            .setQuery(
                "SELECT ad_group_criterion.criterion_id"
                    + " FROM ad_group_criterion"
                    + " WHERE campaign.id = "
                    + campaignId
                    + " AND ad_group_criterion.type = 'USER_LIST'")
            .build();
    // Issues the search request.
    SearchPagedResponse searchPagedResponse = googleAdsServiceClient.search(request);
    // Iterates over all rows in all pages. Prints the results and adds the ad group criteria
    // resource names to the list.
    for (GoogleAdsRow googleAdsRow : searchPagedResponse.iterateAll()) {
      String adGroupCriterionResourceName = googleAdsRow.getAdGroupCriterion().getResourceName();
      System.out.printf(
          "Ad group criterion with resource name '%s' was found.%n",
          adGroupCriterionResourceName);
      userListCriteria.add(adGroupCriterionResourceName);
    }
  }
  return userListCriteria;
}
      

C#

private List<string> GetUserListAdGroupCriteria(
    GoogleAdsClient client, long customerId, long campaignId)
{
    // Get the GoogleAdsService client.
    GoogleAdsServiceClient googleAdsServiceClient =
        client.GetService(Services.V14.GoogleAdsService);

    List<string> userListCriteriaResourceNames = new List<string>();

    // Create a query that will retrieve all of the ad group criteria under a campaign.
    string query = $@"
        SELECT ad_group_criterion.criterion_id
        FROM ad_group_criterion
        WHERE
          campaign.id = {campaignId}
          AND ad_group_criterion.type = 'USER_LIST'";

    // Issue the search request.
    googleAdsServiceClient.SearchStream(customerId.ToString(), query,
        delegate (SearchGoogleAdsStreamResponse resp)
        {
            // Display the results and add the resource names to the list.
            foreach (GoogleAdsRow googleAdsRow in resp.Results)
            {
                string adGroupCriterionResourceName =
                    googleAdsRow.AdGroupCriterion.ResourceName;
                Console.WriteLine("Ad group criterion with resource name " +
                    $"{adGroupCriterionResourceName} was found.");
                userListCriteriaResourceNames.Add(adGroupCriterionResourceName);
            }
        });

    return userListCriteriaResourceNames;
}
      

PHP

private static function getUserListAdGroupCriteria(
    GoogleAdsClient $googleAdsClient,
    int $customerId,
    int $campaignId
): array {
    // Creates a query that retrieves all of the ad group criteria under a campaign.
    $query = sprintf(
        "SELECT ad_group_criterion.criterion_id " .
        "FROM ad_group_criterion " .
        "WHERE campaign.id = %d " .
        "AND ad_group_criterion.type = 'USER_LIST'",
        $campaignId
    );

    // Creates the Google Ads service client.
    $googleAdsServiceClient = $googleAdsClient->getGoogleAdsServiceClient();

    // Issues the search request.
    $response = $googleAdsServiceClient->search(
        SearchGoogleAdsRequest::build($customerId, $query)->setPageSize(self::PAGE_SIZE)
    );

    $userListCriteria = [];
    // Iterates over all rows in all pages. Prints the user list criteria and adds the ad group
    // criteria resource names to the list.
    foreach ($response->iterateAllElements() as $googleAdsRow) {
        /** @var GoogleAdsRow $googleAdsRow */
        $adGroupCriterionResourceName = $googleAdsRow->getAdGroupCriterion()->getResourceName();

        printf(
            "Ad group criterion with resource name '%s' was found.%s",
            $adGroupCriterionResourceName,
            PHP_EOL
        );

        $userListCriteria[] = $adGroupCriterionResourceName;
    }

    return $userListCriteria;
}
      

Python

def get_user_list_ad_group_criteria(client, customer_id, campaign_id):
    """Finds all of user list ad group criteria under a campaign.

    Args:
        client: an initialized GoogleAdsClient instance.
        customer_id: a str client customer ID.
        campaign_id: a str campaign ID.

    Returns:
        a list of ad group criterion resource names.
    """
    # Creates a query that retrieves all of the ad group criteria under a
    # campaign.
    query = f"""
        SELECT
          ad_group_criterion.criterion_id
        FROM ad_group_criterion
        WHERE campaign.id = {campaign_id}
        AND ad_group_criterion.type = USER_LIST"""

    googleads_service = client.get_service("GoogleAdsService")
    search_request = client.get_type("SearchGoogleAdsRequest")
    search_request.customer_id = customer_id
    search_request.query = query
    search_request.page_size = _DEFAULT_PAGE_SIZE
    response = googleads_service.search(request=search_request)

    # Iterates over all rows in all pages. Prints the user list criteria and
    # adds the ad group criteria resource names to the list.
    user_list_criteria = []
    for row in response:
        resource_name = row.ad_group_criterion.resource_name
        print(
            "Ad group criterion with resource name '{resource_name}' was "
            "found."
        )
        user_list_criteria.append(resource_name)

    return user_list_criteria
      

Ruby

def get_user_list_ad_group_criterion(
  client,
  customer_id,
  campaign_id
)
  user_list_criteria = []

  # Creates a query that will retrieve all of the ad group criteria 
  # under a campaign.
  query = <<~QUERY
    SELECT ad_group_criterion.criterion_id
    FROM ad_group_criterion
    WHERE campaign.id = #{campaign_id}
    AND ad_group_criterion.type = 'USER_LIST'
  QUERY

  # Issues the search request.
  response = client.service.google_ads.search(
    customer_id: customer_id,
    query: query,
    page_size: PAGE_SIZE,
  )

  # Iterates over all rows in all pages. Prints the results and adds the ad
  # group criteria resource names to the list.
  response.each do |row|
    ad_group_criterion_resource_name = row.ad_group_criterion.resource_name
    puts "Ad group criterion with resource name " \
      "'#{ad_group_criterion_resource_name}' was found"
    user_list_criteria << ad_group_criterion_resource_name
  end

  user_list_criteria
end
      

Perl

sub get_user_list_ad_group_criteria {
  my ($api_client, $customer_id, $campaign_id) = @_;

  my $user_list_criterion_resource_names = [];

  # Create a search stream request that will retrieve all of the user list ad
  # group criteria under a campaign.
  my $search_stream_request =
    Google::Ads::GoogleAds::V14::Services::GoogleAdsService::SearchGoogleAdsStreamRequest
    ->new({
      customerId => $customer_id,
      query      => sprintf(
        "SELECT ad_group_criterion.criterion_id " .
          "FROM ad_group_criterion " .
          "WHERE campaign.id = %d AND ad_group_criterion.type = 'USER_LIST'",
        $campaign_id
      )});

  my $search_stream_handler =
    Google::Ads::GoogleAds::Utils::SearchStreamHandler->new({
      service => $api_client->GoogleAdsService(),
      request => $search_stream_request
    });

  # Issue a search request and process the stream response.
  $search_stream_handler->process_contents(
    sub {
      # Display the results and add the resource names to the list.
      my $google_ads_row = shift;

      my $ad_group_criterion_resource_name =
        $google_ads_row->{adGroupCriterion}{resourceName};
      printf "Ad group criterion with resource name '%s' was found.\n",
        $ad_group_criterion_resource_name;
      push(@$user_list_criterion_resource_names,
        $ad_group_criterion_resource_name);
    });

  return $user_list_criterion_resource_names;
}
      

Then, remove all of the ad group criteria target that were returned:

Java

private void removeExistingListCriteriaFromAdGroup(
    GoogleAdsClient googleAdsClient, long customerId, long campaignId) {
  // Retrieves all of the ad group criteria under a campaign.
  List<String> adGroupCriteria =
      getUserListAdGroupCriterion(googleAdsClient, customerId, campaignId);

  List<AdGroupCriterionOperation> operations = new ArrayList<>();

  // Creates a list of remove operations.
  for (String adGroupCriterion : adGroupCriteria) {
    operations.add(AdGroupCriterionOperation.newBuilder().setRemove(adGroupCriterion).build());
  }

  // Creates the ad group criterion service.
  try (AdGroupCriterionServiceClient adGroupCriterionServiceClient =
      googleAdsClient.getLatestVersion().createAdGroupCriterionServiceClient()) {
    // Removes the ad group criterion.
    MutateAdGroupCriteriaResponse response =
        adGroupCriterionServiceClient.mutateAdGroupCriteria(
            Long.toString(customerId), operations);
    // Gets and prints the results.
    System.out.printf("Removed %d ad group criteria.%n", response.getResultsCount());
    for (MutateAdGroupCriterionResult result : response.getResultsList()) {
      System.out.printf(
          "Successfully removed ad group criterion with resource name '%s'.%n",
          result.getResourceName());
    }
  }
}
      

C#

private void RemoveExistingListCriteriaFromAdGroup(GoogleAdsClient client, long customerId,
    long campaignId)
{
    // Get the AdGroupCriterionService client.
    AdGroupCriterionServiceClient adGroupCriterionServiceClient =
        client.GetService(Services.V14.AdGroupCriterionService);

    // Retrieve all of the ad group criteria under a campaign.
    List<string> adGroupCriteria =
        GetUserListAdGroupCriteria(client, customerId, campaignId);

    // Create a list of remove operations.
    List<AdGroupCriterionOperation> operations = adGroupCriteria.Select(adGroupCriterion =>
        new AdGroupCriterionOperation { Remove = adGroupCriterion }).ToList();

    // Remove the ad group criteria and print the resource names of the removed criteria.
    MutateAdGroupCriteriaResponse mutateAdGroupCriteriaResponse =
        adGroupCriterionServiceClient.MutateAdGroupCriteria(customerId.ToString(),
            operations);

    Console.WriteLine($"Removed {mutateAdGroupCriteriaResponse.Results.Count} ad group " +
        "criteria.");
    foreach (MutateAdGroupCriterionResult result in mutateAdGroupCriteriaResponse.Results)
    {
        Console.WriteLine("Successfully removed ad group criterion with resource name " +
            $"'{result.ResourceName}'.");
    }
}
      

PHP

private static function removeExistingListCriteriaFromAdGroup(
    GoogleAdsClient $googleAdsClient,
    int $customerId,
    int $campaignId
) {
    // Retrieves all of the ad group criteria under a campaign.
    $allAdGroupCriteria = self::getUserListAdGroupCriteria(
        $googleAdsClient,
        $customerId,
        $campaignId
    );

    $removeOperations = [];
    // Creates a list of remove operations.
    foreach ($allAdGroupCriteria as $adGroupCriterionResourceName) {
        $operation = new AdGroupCriterionOperation();
        $operation->setRemove($adGroupCriterionResourceName);
        $removeOperations[] = $operation;
    }

    // Issues a mutate request to remove the ad group criteria.
    $adGroupCriterionServiceClient = $googleAdsClient->getAdGroupCriterionServiceClient();
    /** @var MutateAdGroupCriteriaResponse $adGroupCriteriaResponse */
    $adGroupCriteriaResponse = $adGroupCriterionServiceClient->mutateAdGroupCriteria(
        MutateAdGroupCriteriaRequest::build($customerId, $removeOperations)
    );

    foreach ($adGroupCriteriaResponse->getResults() as $adGroupCriteriaResult) {
        printf(
            "Successfully removed ad group criterion with resource name '%s'.%s",
            $adGroupCriteriaResult->getResourceName(),
            PHP_EOL
        );
    }
}
      

Python

def remove_existing_criteria_from_ad_group(client, customer_id, campaign_id):
    """Removes all ad group criteria targeting a user list under a campaign.

    This is a necessary step before targeting a user list at the campaign level.

    Args:
        client: an initialized GoogleAdsClient instance.
        customer_id: a str client customer ID.
        campaign_id: a str ID for a campaign that will have all ad group
            criteria that targets user lists removed.
    """
    # Retrieves all of the ad group criteria under a campaign.
    all_ad_group_criteria = get_user_list_ad_group_criteria(
        client, customer_id, campaign_id
    )

    # Creates a list of remove operations.
    remove_operations = []
    for ad_group_criterion_resource_name in all_ad_group_criteria:
        remove_operation = client.get_type("AdGroupCriterionOperation")
        remove_operation.remove = ad_group_criterion_resource_name
        remove_operations.append(remove_operation)

    ad_group_criterion_service = client.get_service("AdGroupCriterionService")
    response = ad_group_criterion_service.mutate_ad_group_criteria(
        customer_id=customer_id, operations=remove_operations
    )
    print(
        "Successfully removed ad group criterion with resource name: "
        f"'{response.results[0].resource_name}'"
    )
      

Ruby

def remove_existing_list_criteria_from_ad_group(
  client,
  customer_id,
  campaign_id
)
  # Retrieves all of the ad group criteria under a campaign.
  ad_group_criteria = get_user_list_ad_group_criterion(
    client, customer_id, campaign_id)

  # Creates a list of remove operations.
  operations = []
  ad_group_criteria.each do |agc|
    operations << client.operation.remove_resource.ad_group_criterion(agc)
  end

  # Issues a mutate request to remove all ad group criteria.
  response = client.service.ad_group_criterion.mutate_ad_group_criteria(
    customer_id: customer_id,
    operations: operations,
  )
  puts "Removed #{response.results.size} ad group criteria."
  response.results.each do |result|
    puts "Successfully removed ad group criterion with resource name " \
      "'#{result.resource_name}'"
  end
end
      

Perl

sub remove_existing_list_criteria_from_ad_group {
  my ($api_client, $customer_id, $campaign_id) = @_;

  # Retrieve all of the ad group criteria under a campaign.
  my $ad_group_criteria =
    get_user_list_ad_group_criteria($api_client, $customer_id, $campaign_id);

  # Create a list of remove operations.
  my $operations = [];
  foreach my $ad_group_criterion (@$ad_group_criteria) {
    push(
      @$operations,
      Google::Ads::GoogleAds::V14::Services::AdGroupCriterionService::AdGroupCriterionOperation
        ->new({
          remove => $ad_group_criterion
        }));
  }

  # Remove the ad group criteria and print the resource names of the removed criteria.
  my $ad_group_criteria_response =
    $api_client->AdGroupCriterionService()->mutate({
      customerId => $customer_id,
      operations => $operations
    });

  printf "Removed %d ad group criteria.\n",
    scalar @{$ad_group_criteria_response->{results}};
  foreach my $result (@{$ad_group_criteria_response->{results}}) {
    printf "Successfully removed ad group criterion with resource name '%s'.\n",
      $result->{resourceName};
  }
}
      

Existing campaign level user list criteria must also be removed when switching to ad group level user lists, and the process mirrors the example shown above.

Targeting ads in a campaign to a user list is done similarly with a CampaignCriterion:

Java

private String targetAdsInCampaignToUserList(
    GoogleAdsClient googleAdsClient, long customerId, long campaignId, String userList) {
  // Creates the campaign criterion.
  CampaignCriterion campaignCriterion =
      CampaignCriterion.newBuilder()
          .setCampaign(ResourceNames.campaign(customerId, campaignId))
          .setUserList(UserListInfo.newBuilder().setUserList(userList).build())
          .build();

  // Creates the operation.
  CampaignCriterionOperation operation =
      CampaignCriterionOperation.newBuilder().setCreate(campaignCriterion).build();

  // Creates the campaign criterion service client.
  try (CampaignCriterionServiceClient campaignCriterionServiceClient =
      googleAdsClient.getLatestVersion().createCampaignCriterionServiceClient()) {
    // Adds the campaign criterion.
    MutateCampaignCriteriaResponse response =
        campaignCriterionServiceClient.mutateCampaignCriteria(
            Long.toString(customerId), ImmutableList.of(operation));
    // Gets and prints the campaign criterion resource name.
    String campaignCriterionResourceName = response.getResults(0).getResourceName();
    System.out.printf(
        "Successfully created campaign criterion with resource name '%s' "
            + "targeting user list with resource name '%s' with campaign with ID %d.%n",
        campaignCriterionResourceName, userList, campaignId);
    return campaignCriterionResourceName;
  }
}
      

C#

private string TargetAdsInCampaignToUserList(
    GoogleAdsClient client, long customerId, long campaignId, string userListResourceName)
{
    // Get the CampaignCriterionService client.
    CampaignCriterionServiceClient campaignCriterionServiceClient =
        client.GetService(Services.V14.CampaignCriterionService);

    // Create the campaign criterion.
    CampaignCriterion campaignCriterion = new CampaignCriterion
    {
        Campaign = ResourceNames.Campaign(customerId, campaignId),
        UserList = new UserListInfo
        {
            UserList = userListResourceName
        }
    };

    // Create the operation.
    CampaignCriterionOperation campaignCriterionOperation = new CampaignCriterionOperation
    {
        Create = campaignCriterion
    };

    // Add the campaign criterion and print the resulting criterion's resource name.
    MutateCampaignCriteriaResponse mutateCampaignCriteriaResponse =
        campaignCriterionServiceClient.MutateCampaignCriteria(customerId.ToString(),
            new[] { campaignCriterionOperation });

    string campaignCriterionResourceName =
        mutateCampaignCriteriaResponse.Results.First().ResourceName;
    Console.WriteLine("Successfully created campaign criterion with resource name " +
        $"'{campaignCriterionResourceName}' targeting user list with resource name " +
        $"'{userListResourceName}' with campaign with ID {campaignId}.");

    return campaignCriterionResourceName;
}
      

PHP

private static function targetAdsInCampaignToUserList(
    GoogleAdsClient $googleAdsClient,
    int $customerId,
    int $campaignId,
    string $userListResourceName
): string {
    // Creates the campaign criterion.
    $campaignCriterion = new CampaignCriterion([
        'campaign' => ResourceNames::forCampaign($customerId, $campaignId),
        'user_list' => new UserListInfo(['user_list' => $userListResourceName])
    ]);

    // Creates the operation.
    $operation = new CampaignCriterionOperation();
    $operation->setCreate($campaignCriterion);

    // Issues a mutate request to create a campaign criterion.
    $campaignCriterionServiceClient = $googleAdsClient->getCampaignCriterionServiceClient();
    /** @var MutateCampaignCriteriaResponse $campaignCriteriaResponse */
    $campaignCriteriaResponse = $campaignCriterionServiceClient->mutateCampaignCriteria(
        MutateCampaignCriteriaRequest::build($customerId, [$operation])
    );

    $campaignCriterionResourceName =
        $campaignCriteriaResponse->getResults()[0]->getResourceName();
    printf(
        "Successfully created campaign criterion with resource name '%s' " .
        "targeting user list with resource name '%s' with campaign with ID %d.%s",
        $campaignCriterionResourceName,
        $userListResourceName,
        $campaignId,
        PHP_EOL
    );

    return $campaignCriterionResourceName;
}
      

Python

def target_ads_in_campaign_to_user_list(
    client, customer_id, campaign_id, user_list_resource_name
):
    """Creates a campaign criterion that targets a user list with a campaign.

    Args:
        client: an initialized GoogleAdsClient instance.
        customer_id: a str client customer ID used to create an campaign
            criterion.
        campaign_id: a str ID for a campaign used to create a campaign
            criterion that targets members of a user list.
        user_list_resource_name: a str resource name for a user list.

    Returns:
        a str resource name for a campaign criterion.
    """
    campaign_criterion_operation = client.get_type("CampaignCriterionOperation")
    campaign_criterion = campaign_criterion_operation.create
    campaign_criterion.campaign = client.get_service(
        "CampaignService"
    ).campaign_path(customer_id, campaign_id)
    campaign_criterion.user_list.user_list = user_list_resource_name

    campaign_criterion_service = client.get_service("CampaignCriterionService")
    response = campaign_criterion_service.mutate_campaign_criteria(
        customer_id=customer_id, operations=[campaign_criterion_operation]
    )
    resource_name = response.results[0].resource_name
    print(
        "Successfully created campaign criterion with resource name "
        f"'{resource_name}' targeting user list with resource name "
        f"'{user_list_resource_name}' with campaign with ID {campaign_id}"
    )
    return resource_name
      

Ruby

def target_ads_in_campaign_to_user_list(
  client,
  customer_id,
  campaign_id,
  user_list
)
  # Creates the campaign criterion targeting members of the user list.
  operation = client.operation.create_resource.campaign_criterion do |cc|
    cc.campaign = client.path.campaign(customer_id, campaign_id)
    cc.user_list = client.resource.user_list_info do |info|
      info.user_list = user_list
    end
  end

  # Issues a mutate request to create the campaign criterion.
  response = client.service.campaign_criterion.mutate_campaign_criteria(
    customer_id: customer_id,
    operations: [operation],
  )
  campaign_criterion_resource_name = response.results.first.resource_name
  puts "Successfully created campaign criterion with resource name " \
    "'#{campaign_criterion_resource_name}' targeting user list with resource name " \
    "'#{user_list}' with campaign with ID #{campaign_id}"

  campaign_criterion_resource_name
end
      

Perl

sub target_ads_in_campaign_to_user_list {
  my ($api_client, $customer_id, $campaign_id, $user_list_resource_name) = @_;

  # Create the campaign criterion.
  my $campaign_criterion =
    Google::Ads::GoogleAds::V14::Resources::CampaignCriterion->new({
      campaign => Google::Ads::GoogleAds::V14::Utils::ResourceNames::campaign(
        $customer_id, $campaign_id
      ),
      userList => Google::Ads::GoogleAds::V14::Common::UserListInfo->new({
          userList => $user_list_resource_name
        })});

  # Create the operation.
  my $campaign_criterion_operation =
    Google::Ads::GoogleAds::V14::Services::CampaignCriterionService::CampaignCriterionOperation
    ->new({
      create => $campaign_criterion
    });

  # Add the campaign criterion and print the resulting criterion's resource name.
  my $campaign_criteria_response =
    $api_client->CampaignCriterionService()->mutate({
      customerId => $customer_id,
      operations => [$campaign_criterion_operation]});

  my $campaign_criterion_resource_name =
    $campaign_criteria_response->{results}[0]{resourceName};
  printf "Successfully created campaign criterion with resource name '%s' " .
    "targeting user list with resource name '%s' with campaign with ID %d.\n",
    $campaign_criterion_resource_name, $user_list_resource_name, $campaign_id;

  return $campaign_criterion_resource_name;
}