Starting March 2026, Lookalike segments will default to a suggestion mode for Demand Gen campaigns in Google Ads.
To help you find more valuable customers and improve campaign performance, Google is updating how Lookalike segments function within Demand Gen campaigns. Lookalike segments in Demand Gen will evolve from being limited to similarity thresholds to audience suggestions.
This article explains how Lookalike segments work in Demand Gen campaigns and the benefits of using it.
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Benefits
- Performance optimization: Lookalike segments are designed to drive clear improvements and uplift in conversions compared to the original version, prioritizing performance outcomes for ad groups.
- Goal alignment: Google AI can more effectively optimize for specific campaign goals, such as Conversions or CPA.
- Increased reach and inventory: By treating your seed list as a signal instead of a strict constraint, the system can unlock valuable inventory and reach highly qualified users that rigid similarity filters might miss.
How it works
Your seed list will act as a signal for Google’s models, and the system may reach highly qualified customers outside of similarity thresholds to help you reach your campaign goals. To reflect the Lookalike segments behaving as a signal, you will see a “signal” tag next to your Lookalike segments in the “Audience Reporting” table.
This update allows Google AI to optimize for your specific campaign goals, such as conversions or cost-per-action more effectively. It will enable us to unlock valuable inventory and highly qualified users that similarity filters might miss.
Opt-out option
The Lookalike-as-a-suggestion update will be available to all advertisers in March 2026 with UI opt-out controls coming later in the year. Google understands that some advertisers may not want to benefit from the Lookalike-as-a suggestion update. If you prefer to keep Lookalikes behavior consistent with the previous Lookalike version, you may opt out of this change by applying through this form. Expect removal in one week. Learn more about how to Use Lookalike segments in Demand Gen campaigns as a Targeting Constraint.
For more information on the Lookalike-as-a-suggestion update, check the FAQs below.
FAQs
How will the Lookalike reach slider (narrow, balanced, and broad) get affected with this change?
With the Lookalike-as-a-suggestion update, the reach slider (narrow, balanced, and broad) will no longer function as a targeting constraint. Instead of restricting your ad group's reach to specific similarity thresholds (2.5%, 5%, or 10% of the target location), the system will use your selected reach level and seed list as signals to help Google AI prioritize conversions. While the system will aim to find the most similar customers based on these signals, it may reach highly qualified users outside of these thresholds to better optimize for your campaign goals, such as conversions or cost-per-action (CPA). If you opt out of this update and prefer to maintain the previous behavior, the slider will continue to respect the original reach and similarity constraints.
Where should I expect to find the performance improvements from the Lookalike-as-a-suggestion update in Google Ads Reporting?
With the Lookalike-as-a-suggestion update, the improved performance of Lookalikes will continue being reported into the Lookalike segment row. The “signal” tag next to the Lookalike segment row will indicate that Lookalike is being used as a signal to drive better performance outcomes for you.
Does the Lookalike management and seedlist size requirement change with the new model update?
The Lookalike flow for creating and appending to Demand Gen campaigns still remains the same as before, details mentioned in the
How to create Lookalike segments. Keep in mind, Lookalike segments will default to a suggestion mode, unless that ad group has been opted-out of Lookalike-as-a-suggestion update. The minimum seed list size requirement of 100 users for Lookalike segment creation also stays the same as before.
What will happen when both Lookalike-as-a-suggestion and Optimized Targeting are enabled for an ad group?
Ad groups with both Lookalike-as-a-suggestion and Optimized Targeting enabled will find higher performance gains being captured by Lookalike-as-a-suggestion mode. This means you would find performance shift from Optimized Targeting towards Lookalike segment in the Campaign reporting table. However, Optimized Targeting might still capture performance gains by reaching users that are beyond Lookalike-as-a-suggestion’s reach.
How do the Best Practices for Lookalike segment creation change with the new update?
Google recommends that you provide high-intent seedlists during Lookalike segment creation and include users who have engaged with your brand on external media channels or recent converters to maximize the impact of your seedlist for your Lookalike performance.
How does this change affect the Lookalike segments used on other campaign types or platforms?
This change only affects Lookalike segments attached to Demand Gen campaigns in Google Ads. This does not affect Lookalike audiences used on other campaign types like Video brand campaigns or other buying doors like Display & Video 360.
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