The compatibility between Google Ads campaign types and various audience segments. This should make the concept of “Audience selection does not match with audience targeting” easier to understand:

Campaign Type	Supported Audience Segments	Notes
Search Campaigns	In-Market Audiences- Custom Segments (based on keywords and URLs)- Remarketing Lists- Customer Match	Search campaigns use keywords as the primary targeting method. Audiences layer on top to refine targeting but won’t replace keyword-based ads.- Best for Intent-based targeting.
Display Campaigns	In-Market Audiences Affinity Audiences Custom Segments (keywords, apps, or URLs) Remarketing Lists	Ideal for broad brand awareness. Audience selection is crucial as it replaces keyword targeting.
Performance Max	In-Market Audiences Affinity Audiences Custom Segments Remarketing Lists Customer Match	Automatically uses audience signals to guide machine learning. Doesn’t strictly limit to selected audiences.
Video Campaigns (YouTube)	In-Market Audiences Affinity Audiences Custom Segments Remarketing Lists Demographics	Works well for targeting interest-based or behavior-based segments. Best for storytelling and engagement.
Shopping Campaigns	Remarketing Lists Customer Match	Shopping ads rely on product feeds. Limited audience use (mainly for remarketing or customer match).
Discovery Campaigns	In-Market Audiences Affinity Audiences Custom Segments Remarketing Lists	Best for discovery-focused content. Audience targeting replaces any keyword intent.
App Campaigns	No manual audience targeting (uses Google’s AI for automated targeting)	Audiences aren’t directly selectable, as Google optimizes ads for installs or engagement goals.

Key Highlights:

Search Campaigns:

Audiences are used to refine targeting but require keywords to trigger ads.

Example: If you select In-Market Audiences for “Healthcare Services,” only users searching relevant keywords and in that audience will see your ads.

Display Campaigns:

Audience targeting is the primary focus, as there are no keywords.

Example: Use Affinity Audiences like “Health Enthusiasts” for brand awareness or Custom Segments based on competitor websites for niche targeting.

Performance Max:

Uses audience signals to guide AI, but ads are shown to users beyond the selected audiences.

Example: Add Custom Segments with keywords like “urgent care near me” as signals to optimize performance.

Video Campaigns:

Best for Affinity (broad interests) or In-Market Audiences (active shoppers).

Example: Use Affinity Audiences for fitness products or Custom Segments for viewers who searched specific health-related topics.

Shopping Campaigns:

Google Ads Audience targeting is limited to Remarketing or Customer Match.

Example: Show ads to users who previously viewed products on your website (remarketing).

App Campaigns:

Google Ads handles targeting automatically based on app install or engagement goals.

How This Relates to “Mismatch” Errors:

If you’re using Search Campaigns but select broad Affinity Audiences, Google Ads may flag this as a mismatch since Search focuses on intent-based targeting (keywords + in-market/custom audiences).

Similarly, using unsupported audience segments (like Affinity for Shopping Campaigns) will trigger errors.