This page details the targeting schema and options for Sponsored Search campaigns.

¶ Targeting Schema Requirements

Sponsored Search requires targeting - you cannot create or update an ad group without providing targeting. If you omit targeting or provide an empty targeting object, your request will be rejected.

Sponsored Search has strict schema requirements and only accepts keyword targeting. Any other targeting type will be rejected.

Important: Each level corresponds to a criteria object in your targeting configuration. Level 1 is required for Sponsored Search. Level 2 is optional and only used for negative keywords.

You must follow this exact structure:

Level 1 (Root Level - Required)

• Operator: Must be AND
• Negation: Must be false
• Number of options: Must have 1 or 2 options
  • Required: 1 positive keyword option
  • Optional: 1 negative keyword wrapper (using a criteria object for Level 2)

Level 2 (Negative Keywords Wrapper - Optional)

• Operator: Must be OR
• Negation: Must be true
• Number of options: Must have exactly 1 keyword option
• Important: This is the maximum nesting depth - you cannot nest further

¶ Keyword Targeting Rules

Positive Keywords (Required)

• Location: Must be at the root level (Level 1)
• Match Types: Choose one - EXACT or BROAD
• If you include negative keywords, positive keywords must also use BROAD match type

Negative Keywords (Optional)

• Location: Must be wrapped in a negated criteria object at Level 2
• Match Types: Only BROAD is supported
• Structure: Must follow the exact Level 2 schema shown above

¶ Targeting Examples

Example 1: Positive keywords only (simplest structure)

Targets users searching for exact matches of “pizza”, “italian”, or “delivery”:

{
  "targeting": {
    "negation": false,
    "operator": "AND",
    "criteria": [
      {
        "keyword_targeting": {
          "keywords": ["pizza", "italian", "delivery"],
          "match_type": "EXACT"
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

Example 2: Positive keywords with negative keywords

Targets users searching for broad matches of “pizza” or “italian” but excludes broad matches of “frozen” or “cheap”:

{
  "targeting": {
    "negation": false,
    "operator": "AND",
    "criteria": [
      {
        "keyword_targeting": {
          "keywords": ["pizza", "italian"],
          "match_type": "BROAD"
        }
      },
      {
        "criteria": {
          "negation": true,
          "operator": "OR",
          "criteria": [
            {
              "keyword_targeting": {
                "keywords": ["frozen", "cheap"],
                "match_type": "BROAD"
              }
            }
          ]
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}