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Glossary Term

Custom Audiences.

Learn what Custom Audiences means in modern search and SEO.

Part of speechnounOriginLatin consuetudo (custom) + Latin audire (to hear)

Ad targeting segments built from a brand's own data—website visitors, email lists, CRM records, or app users—uploaded to an ad platform.

Custom Audiences allow advertisers on platforms like Meta Ads, Google Ads, and LinkedIn to target their advertising at people they already have a relationship with—website visitors tracked via pixel, email subscribers, CRM contacts matched by email or phone, or app users. This first-party data targeting bypasses the need for third-party cookies.

Types of Custom Audience

Website Custom Audiences (retargeting) show ads to people who visited specific pages. Customer List Audiences upload hashed email addresses or phone numbers matched against platform user accounts. Engagement Audiences target users who interacted with your social content, videos, or lead forms within the platform.

Custom Audiences and GDPR Compliance

Uploading customer data to ad platforms requires a valid legal basis under GDPR—typically legitimate interest or explicit consent. Data should be hashed before upload, and advertisers must have clear privacy policies disclosing that email data may be matched against ad platform users.

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