Google Ads: Take Back Control of Your Online Experience

Why Taking Control of Google Ads Matters for Everyone

Want to control Google ads? Here’s how you can take charge of your online experience:

For Users:

• Use My Ad Center to customize which ads you see
• Turn off personalized ads completely
• Block sensitive topics like gambling or dating
• Report problematic advertisements

For Advertisers:

• Set up Google Ads Manager Accounts for centralized control
• Use exclusion lists to prevent wasted ad spend
• Target specific locations and audiences precisely
• Monitor and optimize campaign performance

Google dominates 90.1% of the search market, making it impossible to avoid their advertising ecosystem entirely. Whether you’re a user tired of irrelevant ads or a business owner struggling with ad performance, understanding how to control Google’s advertising platform is essential.

The good news? Google provides powerful tools for both sides. Users can customize their ad experience through My Ad Center, while businesses can achieve better ROI through strategic campaign management and exclusions.

I’m Matt Maglodi, founder of Online Advantages, and I’ve helped dozens of businesses control Google ads campaigns to reduce wasted spend and improve lead generation over my 15+ years in digital marketing. This guide will show you exactly how to take back control of your Google Ads experience, whether you’re on the receiving end or the advertising end.

For Users: Customize the Ads You See with My Ad Center

We know that seeing irrelevant or even irritating ads can be a drag. You might feel like ads are just something you have to put up with, but that’s simply not true! Google has actually put a lot of power in your hands to control Google ads that appear on their services like Search, YouTube, and Find. This is primarily done through a fantastic tool called My Ad Center.

My Ad Center is your personal ad control panel, designed to give you transparency and choice over the ads you encounter. It allows you to tailor your ad experience to see more of what you like and less of what you don’t. Think of it as a remote control for your ad universe – pretty neat, right?

What is My Ad Center and How Does It Work?

My Ad Center is Google’s centralized hub for all your ad preferences. It’s where you can understand what information Google uses to show you ads and then manage that information to ensure your ad experience is just right. Google uses your activity on their services – like the sites you visit, the apps you use, and the things you’ve searched for – to deliver more helpful and relevant experiences, including ads. But they emphasize that they never sell your personal information to anyone, and they don’t use sensitive information like health, race, religion, or sexual orientation for ad tailoring. Plus, data from Drive, Gmail, and Photos is off-limits for ad purposes.

One of the most powerful features within My Ad Center is the ability to customize topics and brands. You can tell Google you want to see more ads about “hiking gear” and fewer about “luxury cars.” This doesn’t necessarily reduce the number of ads you see, but it certainly improves their relevance. We’ve found that a little personalization can go a long way in making ads feel less like intrusions and more like helpful suggestions.

Another brilliant transparency feature is ‘Why this ad’. Ever wondered why a specific ad popped up? This feature, often accessible by clicking “More” or “Info” next to an ad, explains the data used to show you that particular ad. It’s like getting a peek behind the curtain! For instance, if you searched for cameras or visited photography websites, you might see camera ads. This transparency also extends to Advertiser Identity Verification. Google requires advertisers to complete a verification program, and you can learn more about who is advertising to you by visiting the Ads Transparency Center, which is a searchable hub of all ads served from verified advertisers. This helps ensure you know who’s behind the ads you’re seeing.

Ready to explore your ad universe? You can jump straight into the action here: Go to My Ad Center.

How to Control Google Ads Personalization Settings

The level of control you have over personalized ads is surprisingly extensive. While Google uses your activity to make ads more useful by showing you things relevant to your interests, you have the ultimate say.

First, let’s talk about turning off personalized ads completely. Yes, you absolutely can! If you choose to turn off personalized ads, you’ll still see advertisements, but they will likely be less relevant to your interests. Your settings will apply anywhere you’re signed in with your Google Account, ensuring consistency across your devices. We always recommend trying out some personalization first, as it can lead to genuinely helpful ads, but the choice is yours.

Google uses a few key pieces of information to personalize ads:

• Google Account info: This includes basic details like your age range, gender, and language preference. You can manage and update this information directly in your Google Account.
• Web & App Activity: This includes your searches on Google, the websites you visit, and the apps you use. This data helps Google understand your interests. You can control whether this activity is used for ad personalization directly within My Ad Center.
• YouTube History: Your viewing history on YouTube is a powerful indicator of your interests. Just like Web & App Activity, you can decide if this history contributes to ad personalization.
• Location data: The areas where you’ve used Google services can also influence ads, helping you see local businesses or relevant offers. For example, if you search for coffee and your location data is on, you might see ads for local coffee shops. You can control the use of this data for ad personalization.

To manage these settings, simply head to your privacy controls within My Ad Center. We’ve made it easy for you: Manage your privacy settings. Here, you can toggle on or off the use of Web & App Activity, YouTube History, and location data for ad personalization. Keeping you in control of your data is Google’s priority. They even automatically delete activity data tied to accounts after 18 months by default!

Limiting Sensitive Topics and Blocking Problematic Ads

Sometimes, it’s not just about relevance, but about comfort. My Ad Center allows you to limit ads related to sensitive topics, which can be a huge relief. We understand that certain subjects might be personal or challenging, and you have the power to reduce ads about them. This includes categories like:

• Alcohol
• Dating
• Gambling
• Pregnancy and parenting
• Weight loss

While Google aims to reduce these ads, it’s important to note that you might still see some, as it’s not a complete block. However, it’s a significant step towards a more comfortable online experience. You can easily manage these preferences in My Ad Center. For more details, you can learn about limiting sensitive ad categories here: Learn about limiting sensitive ad categories.

What if you encounter an ad that is genuinely problematic, perhaps violating Google’s ad policies? You don’t have to just scroll past it. Google provides options to report or block ads. If an ad is irrelevant but not offensive, you can simply block it. This tells Google you don’t want to see ads from that specific advertiser for at least six months. On the other hand, if an ad seems to violate Google’s policies (e.g., promoting illegal activities, misrepresenting products, or being misleading), you can report it. This helps Google maintain a safe and trustworthy advertising ecosystem for everyone. We believe that user feedback is crucial in keeping the online advertising space clean and relevant.

For Advertisers: How to Control Google Ads for Better ROI

Now, let’s shift gears from managing the ads you see to managing the ads you run. For businesses, control Google ads is paramount for success. We’re talking about optimizing campaign management, maximizing ad spend efficiency, and ultimately, driving a higher return on ad spend (ROAS) and generating more leads. Google Ads is a powerful tool for driving traffic and conversions. Businesses lost $84 billion in 2023 to fraud, highlighting the critical need for tight control over your ad budget.

Google Ads allows us to meet our customers at every point in their journey. There really is no better platform than Google Ads to reach the entire world. This year already, we have seen clients achieve a 300% ROI in their Google Ads, and some, like Asutra, earned an astonishing 675% return on ad spend with Google Ads. That kind of success doesn’t happen by accident; it’s the result of meticulous control and optimization.

At Online Advantages, we specialize in helping businesses harness this power. If you’re looking for expert assistance, explore our Google Ads Services from Online Advantages.

Getting Started: Account Setup and Campaign Types

The journey to effective Google Ads management begins with a proper setup. Creating a Google Ads account is straightforward, but setting it up for success requires a strategic approach.

Here are the key steps to create a Google Ads account:

1. Sign Up: Visit the Google Ads website and create a new account using your Google login.
2. Add Business Information: Provide your business name and URL. This helps Google suggest keywords and headlines.
3. Link Accounts (Optional but Recommended): You can link your YouTube channel or Google Business Profile for faster setup and better insights.
4. Choose Your Goal: Select a primary objective like “Get more calls,” “Get more website sales or leads,” or “Get more store visits.”
5. Set Your Budget: Determine your daily or monthly spend. Google Ads allows you to stay in full control of your budget.
6. Enter Payment Details: Set up your billing country, time zone, and payment method.
7. Create Your First Campaign (or skip for now): You can either build your first campaign immediately or choose to create an account without a campaign and build it later.

For new advertisers, Google often offers enticing incentives. You can leverage Google Ads credits or promotions to jumpstart your advertising efforts. For instance, some offers provide up to $600 in ad credit, often requiring you to meet a minimum spend requirement within a certain period. This is an excellent way to amplify your reach and maximize your ROI without immediately diving deep into your own funds.

Google Ads offers various campaign types, each designed to meet different business goals:

• Search Ads: Appear on Google Search results pages, ideal for capturing intent when users are actively looking for products or services.
• Performance Max Campaigns: An AI-powered, goal-based campaign type that leverages Google’s automation across all its channels (Search, Display, YouTube, Find, Gmail, Maps) to find customers and drive conversions. Google’s AI is a huge contributor to the platform’s ability to find new customers, build creative, and open up performance opportunities.
• Display Ads: Visual ads appearing across Google’s Display Network (millions of websites and apps), great for brand awareness and reaching audiences at various stages of the buyer’s journey.
• Demand Gen Campaigns: Focus on driving demand and engagement across YouTube, Find, and Gmail.
• Shopping Ads: Showcase your products directly in Google Search results, perfect for e-commerce businesses.
• Video Ads: Run on YouTube and other video partner sites, excellent for storytelling and brand building.
• App Ads: Promote your mobile app across Google Search, Display, YouTube, and Google Play.

Choosing the right campaign type is crucial and depends heavily on your marketing goals, brand strategy, and the time you can invest. We can help you steer these choices to ensure you’re on the right track: Choose the right campaign for your business.

Gaining Granular Control with Exclusions

One of the most effective ways to control Google ads and optimize your ad spend is through diligent use of exclusions. We’ve seen how ignoring these can lead to significant wasted ad spend, which, given the $84 billion lost to fraud in 2023, is a risk no business can afford. Exclusions ensure your ads don’t appear in irrelevant, low-performing, or even fraudulent contexts.

Here’s how you can gain granular control:

• Negative Keywords: This is your first line of defense. By adding negative keywords, you prevent your ads from showing for irrelevant search queries. For example, if you sell “electrician services,” you’d want to add “free” or “jobs” as negative keywords to avoid showing up for “free electrician advice” or “electrician jobs near me.” We often start with hundreds of negative keywords to immediately filter out wasted clicks.
• Placement Exclusions: For Display and Video campaigns, this is vital. You can exclude specific websites, mobile apps, or even individual videos where you don’t want your ads to appear. This helps you avoid spammy sites, low-quality content, or places that don’t align with your brand image. We regularly review placement reports to identify underperforming or irrelevant placements and add them to exclusion lists.
• Content Exclusions: Beyond specific placements, you can exclude entire categories of content, sensitive content labels (like tragedy or profanity), or even specific content types (e.g., forums, error pages). This ensures brand safety and relevance.
• Audience Exclusions: If certain audience segments are not converting or are too expensive, you can exclude them from your targeting. You can even exclude audiences who have already converted to avoid showing them ads for products they’ve already purchased.
• IP Address Blocking: This is a powerful way to combat ad fraud, particularly click fraud from competitors, bots, or even internal employees. You can block specific IP addresses from seeing your ads, preventing wasted clicks and budget drain. Tools like Fraud Blocker can automate this process, saving you time and protecting your ad budget.

Implementing these exclusions requires ongoing monitoring and refinement. It’s a continuous process of analyzing your performance data and making informed decisions to tighten your targeting. We can help you steer this complex but crucial aspect of ad management: How to Stop Wasted Ad Spend in Google Ads.

Scaling Your Efforts with Google Ads Manager Accounts

For businesses managing multiple Google Ads accounts, whether for different brands, locations, or clients, a Google Ads Manager Account (MCC) is an absolute game-changer. It’s the ultimate tool to control Google ads at scale, saving you immense time and effort.

What are Manager Accounts and how do they help?

• Centralized Dashboard: A single login gives you access to a unified dashboard where you can view and manage all your linked Google Ads accounts. No more logging in and out of individual accounts!
• Efficiency and Scale: Manager accounts allow you to create and manage campaigns, compare performance, and run reports across multiple accounts simultaneously. This is invaluable for agencies or large businesses with complex advertising structures.
• Access Control: You can invite users to your manager account and grant them specific access levels (e.g., administrative, standard), ensuring your team has the right permissions without compromising security.
• Consolidated Billing: For agencies, this is a lifesaver. You can consolidate billing for multiple client accounts into a single monthly invoice, simplifying financial management.
• Performance Tracking: Easily monitor performance metrics across all managed accounts, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions. This bird’s-eye view is critical for optimizing overall ad spend.

We understand that managing multiple clients and campaigns can be overwhelming. Manager accounts streamline workflows, allowing you to focus on strategy rather than administrative tasks.

Furthermore, Manager Accounts facilitate advanced control mechanisms like automated uploads for placement exclusion lists. Imagine having a dynamic list of problematic websites that automatically updates across all your managed accounts, ensuring your ads are always placed in brand-safe environments. You can schedule these lists to upload from sources like Google Sheets, HTTPS, or SFTP, maintaining continuous protection without manual intervention. This level of automation is key to truly control Google ads effectively at scale.

To dig deeper into the power of Manager Accounts and how they can transform your multi-account management: Learn about Manager Accounts.

Frequently Asked Questions about Controlling Google Ads

We often get asked similar questions about how to control Google ads, both from users who are tired of irrelevant ads and businesses looking to optimize their campaigns. Here are some of the most common ones we hear:

Can you turn off personalized Google ads completely?

Yes, you absolutely can! Google provides you with the option to turn off personalized ads entirely through your My Ad Center. When you do this, you’ll still see advertisements on Google services like Search, YouTube, and Find, but they will be less relevant to your interests. Instead of seeing ads based on your search history or videos you’ve watched, you might see more generic ads.

The effect of turning off personalization is primarily on the relevance of the ads you encounter. You won’t necessarily see fewer ads, just different ones. Your settings will apply across all devices where you’re signed in with your Google Account, ensuring a consistent experience. So, if you prefer a more generalized advertising experience, My Ad Center is your go-to. You can easily adjust your settings here: Go to My Ad Center to adjust your settings.

How does Google use my data for ads?

Google uses your activity on its services to personalize ads and deliver more helpful experiences. This activity includes:

• Search history: What you’ve searched for on Google.
• Websites visited: Sites you’ve browsed while signed into your Google Account.
• YouTube history: Videos you’ve watched on YouTube.
• Location information: Areas where you’ve used Google services.

Based on this activity, Google estimates your interests to show you more relevant ads. For example, if you frequently search for “hiking trails” or watch “camping gear reviews,” you might see ads related to outdoor equipment.

However, Google is very clear about what it doesn’t use:

• They never use sensitive information like health, race, religion, or sexual orientation to tailor ads.
• They do not use data from your Gmail, Google Drive, or Google Photos for advertising purposes. Your emails and personal files remain private.

Google’s goal is to make ads useful, not intrusive, by connecting you with products and services that genuinely align with your potential needs or interests. You are always in control of what activity is used. To review and manage your activity data, visit: Manage your activity data.

What are the best ways for a business to reduce wasted ad spend?

Reducing wasted ad spend is a top priority for any business running Google Ads. With an average return of $2 for every $1 spent, you want to make sure every dollar works hard. We recommend a multi-faceted approach centered around strategic exclusions and precise targeting:

1. Leverage Negative Keywords: This is non-negotiable. Continuously add irrelevant search terms to your negative keyword lists. This prevents your ads from showing for searches that won’t convert, like “free,” “jobs,” or product reviews if you’re selling.
2. Precise Location Targeting: Ensure your ads only show to people in your target geographic areas. Avoid broad “interest in” targeting, and stick to “people in or regularly in your targeted locations” for tighter control.
3. Strategic Placement Exclusions: For Display and Video campaigns, regularly review your “Where ads showed” report. Exclude low-performing websites, apps, or videos, as well as any placements that are not brand-safe or seem fraudulent.
4. Consider Disabling Search Partner Network: While it can extend reach, the Search Partner Network (other search sites that partner with Google) can sometimes lead to lower quality traffic. For tighter control over your ad spend, you might consider disabling it.
5. Audience Exclusions: Exclude audiences that have already converted or those that consistently show poor performance metrics.
6. IP Address Exclusions: Block IP addresses of known competitors, bots, or even your own internal network to prevent invalid clicks and save budget.
7. Monitor Auto-Applied Recommendations: Google’s recommendations can be helpful, but some might suggest changes that increase spend without guaranteed ROI. Review them carefully and disable auto-apply for anything that could impact your budget or strategy negatively.

By diligently implementing these control measures, you can significantly reduce wasted ad spend and boost your campaign’s efficiency. For custom strategies and expert guidance on optimizing your ad budget, consider our Digital Consultancy Services from Online Advantages.

Conclusion

Whether you’re a user navigating the digital world or a business aiming to thrive within it, the ability to control Google ads is a powerful asset. For users, it’s about empowerment – changing a potentially overwhelming ad experience into one that is transparent, relevant, and respectful of your privacy. Tools like My Ad Center put the steering wheel in your hands, allowing you to customize preferences, limit sensitive topics, and block problematic ads with ease.

For businesses, control translates directly into efficiency and a stronger return on investment. From the foundational steps of setting up an account and choosing the right campaign types, to the granular precision of exclusion lists, and the scalable management offered by Manager Accounts, every lever allows you to direct your ad spend more effectively. In a landscape where online experiences begin with search, and billions are lost to ad fraud, meticulous control isn’t just a best practice – it’s a necessity.

We believe that understanding and utilizing these controls is key to open uping the full potential of Google Ads. At Online Advantages, we’re passionate about helping businesses like yours not just appear on Google, but truly dominate their space with intelligent, controlled, and highly effective advertising strategies.

Don’t let your ads run on autopilot, or let irrelevant ads clutter your digital life. Take control today. If you’re a business ready to optimize your Google Ads campaigns for maximum impact and minimal waste, we’re here to help you every step of the way.

Get professional help with your Google Ads campaigns.