Google Ads Segments

Segments in the Google Ads API let you break down metrics by additional dimensions not available through the core resource fields.

Segments Overview

Segments are added to a GAQL query with the segments. prefix:

SELECT
  campaign.name,
  segments.date,
  segments.device,
  metrics.impressions
FROM campaign
WHERE segments.date DURING LAST_7_DAYS

Time Segments

Segment	Type	Format	Description
segments.date	DATE	YYYY-MM-DD	Date (day)
segments.week	DATE	YYYY-MM-DD	Start of week (Monday)
segments.month	DATE	YYYY-MM	Month
segments.quarter	STRING	YYYY-Q	Quarter
segments.year	INTEGER	YYYY	Year
segments.day_of_week	ENUM	MONDAY..SUNDAY	Day of week
segments.hour	INTEGER	0..23	Hour of day

Device and Network Segments

Segment	Type	Values
segments.device	ENUM	DESKTOP, MOBILE, TABLET, CONNECTED_TV, OTHER
segments.network	ENUM	SEARCH, SEARCH_PARTNERS, DISPLAY, YOUTUBE_SEARCH, YOUTUBE_WATCH, SHOPPING
segments.slot	ENUM	TOP, OTHER (position on the page)

Geographic Segments

Segment	Type	Description
segments.geo_target_city	STRING	City
segments.geo_target_region	STRING	Region/state
segments.geo_target_country	STRING	Country
segments.geo_target_metro	STRING	Metro area (US)

Conversion Segments

Segment	Type	Description
segments.conversion_action	STRING	Conversion action resource
segments.conversion_action_name	STRING	Action name
segments.conversion_action_category	ENUM	Conversion category
segments.conversion_lag_bucket	ENUM	Conversion lag
segments.conversion_adjustment	BOOLEAN	Whether it's an adjustment

Auction Segments

Segment	Type	Description
segments.auction_insight_domain	STRING	Competitor domain
segments.auction_insight_search_term	STRING	Auction search term

Limitations and Rules

Compatibility

Not all segment combinations are supported. Main rules:

1. Time-based + any other: segments.date can be combined with most segments
2. Conversion + time-based: supported, but increases data volume
3. Auction segments: often require a separate query

Performance

• Maximum of 5 segments per query
• Each additional segment multiplies the number of rows
• For large accounts, limit the period when using segments

Practical Combinations

Daily Performance by Device

SELECT
  segments.date,
  segments.device,
  metrics.impressions,
  metrics.clicks,
  metrics.conversions
FROM campaign
WHERE segments.date DURING LAST_7_DAYS

Conversions with Lag

SELECT
  segments.conversion_action_name,
  segments.conversion_lag_bucket,
  metrics.conversions
FROM campaign
WHERE segments.date DURING LAST_30_DAYS

Related Pages

• Query Parameters
• Metrics
• Conversions