In 2025, audience signals are one of the most powerful — and misunderstood — levers in Google Ads.
With automation taking the lead in Performance Max, Discovery, and even Search, Google increasingly relies on the audience data you feed it. For NZ and AU advertisers, mastering this step can be the difference between AI guesswork and predictable growth.
This blog breaks down what audience signals are, how to use them strategically, and where most advertisers go wrong.
What Are Audience Signals in 2025?
Audience signals are not targeting — they’re guidance. In PMax and other automated formats, you provide Google with data about who your ideal customer is.
This can include:
- Customer Match lists
- Website visitors
- GA4 audiences
- In-market or affinity audiences
- First-party CRM segments
Google uses this input to steer machine learning — especially during early campaign learning phases.
Why Audience Signals Matter More Than Ever
- Signal quality affects campaign ramp-up speed
- Better signals = stronger creative match = higher relevance
- They reduce reliance on poor-fit traffic or guess-based bidding
- Signals are now used to improve not just who sees ads, but how they see them
Best Practices for NZ & AU Advertisers
1. Start with First-Party Data
Use Customer Match lists exported from email platforms or CRMs. These consistently outperform interest-based segments.
2. Layer Value with Behaviour
Segment users by lifecycle stage or expected revenue. For example, high LTV customers vs first-time visitors.
3. Use GA4 Predictive Audiences
If enabled, predictive audiences (e.g. likely purchasers, churning users) are high-signal sources.
4. Regularly Refresh Your Lists
Outdated signals mislead the algorithm. Update data monthly or integrate automated syncing.
5. Don’t Rely Solely on Google’s Suggestions
In-market categories are a start — not a strategy.
Case Study – AU Subscription Retailer
An AU-based skincare brand segmented its PMax campaigns by customer tier (trial, subscriber, VIP). Using different audience signals for each, they tailored creative and bidding logic, resulting in a 2.4x increase in conversion value and 19% higher ROAS over 60 days.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using generic audiences like ‘All Visitors’ across all campaigns
- Never updating Customer Match or GA4 audiences
- Feeding PMax too many segments without intent-based grouping
- Overlapping audiences without exclusions
Final Thoughts
Mastering audience signals isn’t about ‘tricking the algo’ — it’s about giving Google the right clues.
When you provide high-quality data about who your ideal customer is, how they behave, and what they value — the algorithm delivers. Do it poorly, and you’re just funding Google’s learning without getting value in return.
Metrics Media helps NZ and AU brands craft smarter audience signal strategies to get the most from Google Ads automation.
📧 Book your strategy call today: info@metricsmedia.co.nz