Keyword targeting is used to target ad placements based on the contextual content of the publisher’s website that matches your custom set of keywords.
For the Keyword Targeting option in Outbrain DSP, we consider textual content that we get from the crawler (mostly body textual content) and find an exact match with keywords provided in your custom lists. We do not use any third-party information from ad exchanges to power keyword targeting.
You can apply this targeting by inclusion or exclusion, using custom keyword lists on your ad groups to either target content relevant to your brand or avoid targeting placements within publishers’ content not relevant to your brand, product, or services (for example, blocking COVID-19-related topics).
Keyword inclusion enables you to reach people on the open web who engage with content containing specific keywords. In contrast, keyword exclusion puts you in the best position when considering brand safety and when you need to reach the right audiences to drive engagement and increase conversions.
PLEASE NOTE: Outbrain DSP will still bid and potentially serve ads on publishers' websites where our crawler has not yet examined the content.
Uploading Custom Keyword Lists
To start applying keywords to your ad groups, you’ll need to prepare and upload a custom list of keywords you’d like to target.
1. Click on the Inventory Management tab in the main menu, which is located on the left side of your screen.
2. Click the + Add new list in the Keywords section to start.
3. Give your new custom list a name.
IMPORTANT: We recommend including information on the topic of the keywords in the name for better viewability and uploading separate custom lists split by topics.
4. Select whether this list will target inclusion, exclusion, or both.
5. Prepare the file containing the keywords list:
Leave the A1 cell intact containing the value Keyword.
Insert keyword phrases, one phrase per line.
IMPORTANT: More than one word can be included in one line, but it shouldn't exceed 256 characters. Add at least 25 relevant keywords to the list and never exceed 5,000 keywords. Keywords shouldn't include symbols like . ! @ % ^ () = {} ; ~ ` <> ? \ | “ [] {} +
If your keyword list includes special characters, we recommend uploading your file in a .xlsx format instead of .csv.
Think carefully about your list of keywords. Get suggestions for new keywords by relying on some helpful third-party tools, such as:
IMPORTANT: Manually enter alternate forms, as Outbrain DSP does not automatically pluralize or canonicalize the keywords. Keyword Targeting works on the exact match rule condition, but it is not case-sensitive. Make sure to double-check misspellings.
Example: If you would like to include the keyword “custom” as a traditional and widely accepted way of behaving or doing something and “customs” as the official department that administers and collects the duties levied by a government on imported goods, you need to insert both keywords, each in a separate line.
Save the CSV or Excel file on your local disk.
5. Choose the file to upload or drop it into the File option.
6. Select which level you will let the custom list be used on: Agency or Account. For the latter, define the right Account.
7. Click the Save button to finish uploading the list.
Setting up Keyword Targeting on the Ad Group
Once you have at least one custom list of keywords ready and uploaded to Outbrain DSP, you can navigate to the campaign where you would like to apply Keyword Targeting.
1. Add a new ad group or edit an existing one. Scroll down to find the Targetings section and add the Keywords targeting option by clicking on the + Add button.
2. From the drop-down menu, select either Include or Exclude your custom keyword list. The logic between lists applied to targeting is OR.
PLEASE NOTE: Outbrain DSP will target or prevent ads from serving when the keywords provided in your custom lists exactly match the keywords detected on the publisher’s website. We do not consider contextual relevance in this case.
EXAMPLE: If your custom list contains the keyword “gambling,” we will also prevent serving ads on placements where the surrounding context does not necessarily promote gambling activities. We always consider the exact match of the word when excluding it from targeting.
3. Click the Save button to apply new settings to the ad group.
Applying lists to your targeting strategy will narrow down your audiences. Be careful when setting up excluded Keyword lists since this action can noticeably impact your reach.
The Keyword Targeting option applies only to ads served in website placements across Native, Display, and Video channels. It is not available on CTV placements.