A new Google Ads recommendation has been popping up in some accounts that many advertisers haven’t seen before:
“Create a new ad group for a broader audience.”
The suggestion encourages advertisers to create a separate ad group that uses only audience targeting, removing contextual signals like keywords, topics, or placements.
According to the recommendation, campaigns that combine audience targeting and contextual targeting may be limiting reach. By isolating audience targeting into its own ad group, Google claims advertisers can expand visibility and access a broader pool of users.
On paper, that sounds like a simple reach expansion tactic. In practice, it represents another step in Google’s ongoing shift toward signal-based targeting instead of query-based precision.
What’s Changing
The recommendation specifically suggests:
- Creating a new ad group with audience targeting only
- Removing contextual targeting signals like keywords, topics, or placements
- Allowing Google to serve ads wherever users in that audience appear across the network
Essentially, instead of targeting what someone is searching or viewing, the campaign targets who Google believes the user is.
Why This Matters
For some advertisers, especially in ecommerce or awareness campaigns, audience-only targeting can expand reach efficiently.
But in industries like legal services, where intent is everything, removing contextual signals can dramatically change traffic quality.
Without those signals, ads may appear:
- On unrelated websites
- In loosely relevant content environments
- To users who match an audience profile but aren’t actively seeking legal help
That can increase impressions and clicks while diluting lead quality.
Our Take
This recommendation fits squarely into Google’s broader push toward automation and signal-based advertising.
Instead of advertisers controlling where ads appear based on context or search intent, the platform increasingly encourages campaigns to rely on machine learning interpretation of user behavior.
That doesn’t automatically make the strategy wrong—but it does change the risk profile.
For high-cost verticals like law firms, expanding reach without maintaining strong intent signals can quickly introduce expensive, low-quality traffic.
Audience signals can be useful, but they tend to perform best when layered alongside intent—not replacing it.
What ADSQUIRE Is Doing
We approach new targeting recommendations like this cautiously and strategically.
Protecting High-Intent Targeting
- Maintaining keyword and contextual targeting where intent is critical
- Avoiding audience-only structures in campaigns built around active legal searches
Testing in Controlled Environments
- Running isolated experiments before expanding reach strategies
- Monitoring engagement quality and lead behavior closely
Prioritizing Lead Quality
- Evaluating traffic not just by clicks or impressions, but by actual case potential
- Preventing budget from drifting toward low-intent audiences
Using Audiences Strategically
- Layering audiences as signals, not replacements for search intent
- Applying them where they strengthen targeting instead of broadening it blindly
Bottom Line
Google Ads continues to move toward AI-driven audience targeting, often encouraging advertisers to loosen the structural controls that historically defined campaigns.
While audience-only ad groups may increase reach, they also remove the contextual guardrails that help maintain relevance—especially in high-value industries like legal services.
Expanding reach can be useful, but doing it without protecting intent and lead quality is rarely the right move.
