Google Ads tests URL inclusions and exclusions for search

Google ads introduced a new feature for search campaigns – URL Inclusions and Exclusions – giving advertisers more control over which parts of their websites are used to generate dynamic ad content.

What’s new. Under the Keywords section in Search campaigns, users can now access:

• URL Exclusions, which let advertisers block specific website sections from being used in ad generation.
• URL Inclusions, which appear to allow prioritizing certain pages, but currently doesn’t seem to function as expected.

A notice in the interface reads. “Include specific pages from your website domain based on their category, page content, page title, or URL… or exclude pages you don’t want used for generating your ads.”

• Functionality seems limited to the campaign level for now – exclusions don’t work at the ad group level, according to early reports.

Why we care. This update gives you more control over which parts of your website feed into Google’s automated ad generation. This should prevent ads from being created around irrelevant or low-converting pages. With URL exclusions, brands can safeguard campaign quality and improve ad relevance, while URL inclusions (once fully functional) could enable more strategic bidding and targeting based on high-value site content.

First seen. This update was brought to our attention at first by Natasha Kaurra on X a few weeks ago with Nate Louis, founder and CEO of Water Bear Marketing, giving more clarity about the functionality today on X.

The bottom line. While not fully functional yet, this feature could become a key tool for advertisers looking to fine-tune automated ad generation, reducing irrelevant placements and improving campaign performance.