What are digital content labels in Google Ads, and where do they still apply?
Part of Google Ads placements
The short answer
Digital content labels are Google's maturity ratings for websites, pages, apps and videos: DL-G, DL-PG, DL-T, DL-MA and Not yet labeled. Advertisers exclude labels to keep ads off more mature content on the Display Network, Google video partners and mobile app inventory. Since September 2024 they no longer apply to YouTube ads, and selecting every label stops a campaign.
Key takeaways
- Each label rates the maturity of the content itself, not the age of the person viewing it.
- Google says that as of September 2024 YouTube ads no longer use digital content labels, and that sensitive content exclusions apply to the Display Network and Google video partners.
- Google's coverage table, checked October 22, 2026, lists label exclusions for Display ads, Google video partners and mobile app inventory, and for no YouTube surface.
- Your campaign won't run if you select all content labels, so read every checked box as an exclusion before saving.
What are digital content labels in Google Ads?
Google's content suitability page (opens in a new tab) says videos, channels, websites and apps on the Display Network and Google video partner inventory are analyzed by Google classification technology and given a digital content label. The advertiser does not assign labels; it chooses which ones to exclude. Google's older Video campaign article compares the labels to movie ratings such as G and PG.
| Label | Google's definition | Checking it excludes |
|---|---|---|
| DL-G | Content suitable for general audiences | General audience content |
| DL-PG | Content suitable for most audiences with parental guidance | Content rated for parental guidance |
| DL-T | Content suitable for teen and older audiences | Content rated for teens and older |
| DL-MA | Content suitable only for mature audiences | Content rated for mature audiences only |
| Not yet labeled | Content that hasn't completed the classification process | Unrated content, whatever it contains |
One older pairing has moved. Google now lists Content suitable for families, which includes Made for Kids videos on YouTube, under Excluded content themes, as a checkbox separate from DL-G.
Which surfaces do digital content labels apply to?
Labels are a Display and partner inventory control. Google's note on the change says digital content labels will still apply to the Google Display Network, including App inventory, and that content labels apply to all campaigns running on the Display Network. The coverage table on the same page, checked October 22, 2026, gives the surface by surface view.
| Surface | Content label exclusions | Maturity control that does apply |
|---|---|---|
| Google Display ads | Yes | Labels, sensitive content, inventory type and content themes |
| Google video partners | Yes | Labels, sensitive content, inventory type and content themes |
| Mobile app inventory | Yes | Labels, inventory type and content themes except News themes |
| YouTube in-stream, watch next and Shorts | No | Inventory type and content themes (themes not for Shorts in Performance Max) |
| YouTube Home and Subscriptions feeds | No | Inventory type only |
| Search and Search Partner Network | No | Placement and keyword exclusions, no maturity control |
| Discover and Gmail | No | Inventory type and content themes on Discover; nothing on Gmail |
Google lists two more limits. Content exclusions may give limited coverage of mobile and connected TV inventory on the Display Network and Google video partners. And Google may categorize some apps by their main function, such as dating, social media and meme sharing apps, rather than by the content inside them.
Why do digital content labels no longer apply to YouTube?
Because Google retired them there. Google says that as of September 2024 YouTube ads no longer use digital content labels, and that sensitive content exclusions apply to the Display Network and Google video partners. Its Video campaign exclusions article (opens in a new tab) adds that the change applies to every buying door: Google Ads, Display & Video 360 and Connect Reserve. Neither page gives a reason, so a buyer should not invent one for the client.
What Google does document is the YouTube control that remains. The inventory types apply to YouTube: Maximum "lets you show ads across all available inventory", Moderate "excludes strong profanity, dramatized violence, and sexually suggestive themes", and Limited "is intended to exclude as much sensitive content as possible". The YouTube content exclusions guide covers the other YouTube controls.
What are the sensitive content exclusions?
Sensitive content exclusions sit beside labels but answer a different question. A label grades how mature content is; a sensitive content category names a subject some brands avoid. Google says these exclusions apply to Display Network and Google video partner inventory and do not apply to YouTube Sponsorship campaigns. Google's Performance Max suitability guide (opens in a new tab) places them on the account's Content suitability page under Advanced settings.
| Category | Google's description | Outside its wording |
|---|---|---|
| Tragedy and conflict | Excludes graphic content of combat or war | Non graphic reporting on a conflict |
| Sensitive social issues | Excludes content intended to elicit a response about controversial issues | Neutral explainers on the same issues |
| Profanity and rough language | Excludes content with infrequent or mild profanity, or profanity used in entertainment, comedy, satire, or music | Clean pages about comedy or music |
| Sexually suggestive content | Excludes content about sex or sexual products | Content that is not about sex or sexual products |
| Sensational and shocking | Excludes content of disasters or accidents that show casualties or death | Accident coverage that shows no casualties |
Google adds that it cannot guarantee that all related content will be excluded. The right column reads Google's wording only, not classification behavior. A client who needs more distance from a subject can pair a category with named placement exclusions or content themes.
What happens if all content labels are selected?
The campaign stops. Google states: "Your campaign won't run if you select all content labels." One cause is a setup sheet written as the labels the client accepts, entered into checkboxes that mean exclude. Google's sentence does not say whether Not yet labeled counts toward all, so leave at least one rated label open and read the saved settings back before launch.
Read label settings back before a Display campaign goes live
- Write the policy as exclusions. For example: exclude DL-MA and DL-T, keep DL-G and DL-PG, decide Not yet labeled separately.
- Open the saved settings. Check the account's Content suitability page and any older campaign level content exclusions still visible.
- Say what stays eligible. A second person states in plain words which maturity levels ads can still reach.
- Save the evidence. Keep a dated screenshot with the surface named, Display Network or Google video partners.
Google's pages give two routes to the account setting. The content suitability page says to go to Content suitability in the Tools menu. The Display content exclusions article (opens in a new tab) describes the Admin menu, Account settings, then Excluded types and labels, and also shows labels under More settings when a Display campaign is created. Google notes that older campaigns can still show their previous settings, and its Demand Gen migration page (opens in a new tab) says campaign level content exclusions must move to the account before a Display campaign can migrate.
Why is some content not yet labeled?
Google Ads Help defines Not yet labeled only as content that has not completed classification. The Display & Video 360 label article (opens in a new tab) gives more detail, for that product: labels there are updated monthly, and content may be unlabeled because a site is new (it normally receives a label a month later), because its URLs are masked, or because it is in a language labels do not support.
The same article says a URL carries one label at a time, and that semi transparent inventory takes the label of its least suitable URL. These explain why unlabeled inventory exists, not what a given unlabeled page contains, so excluding Not yet labeled is a policy choice about unknowns, not a finding that those pages are unsafe.
What does a label setup look like on a real brief?
Fictional example
A Nova Scotia swim school sets its Display labels
An unnamed fictional children's swim school with pools in Halifax and Dartmouth plans a Display campaign aimed at parents, beside parenting, local family events and water safety content. Its owner wants nothing near mature content and nothing near drowning tragedies, but does want water safety articles.
The planner excludes DL-MA and DL-T, keeps DL-G and DL-PG open, and keeps Not yet labeled open so small local parenting sites still in classification stay eligible. Content suitable for families stays unchecked as a theme, since family content is the point of the brief.
For the tragedy concern the planner selects Sensational and shocking, whose wording covers accidents that show casualties or death, and notes that it does not block non graphic accident reports. A content keyword exclusion for drowning is rejected because it would also remove water safety guides. YouTube is set up separately with an inventory type.
How does PlacementGraph judge content maturity before a site reaches the plan?
What should a buyer check before approving label settings?
Digital content label checklist
- The approval names the surface: Display Network, Google video partners or mobile app inventory, never YouTube.
- Label choices are written as exclusions, and at least one rated label stays open.
- Not yet labeled has its own decision, with the reason recorded.
- Sensitive content categories are chosen from Google's wording, not from their names alone.
- Content suitable for families is treated as a theme decision, separate from DL-G.
- YouTube maturity is set with an inventory type and themes, in a separate line of the plan.
For the full map of placement and content controls by campaign type, start at the placement targeting hub. For suitability categories and how to set tolerances, see the brand suitability guide.
Frequently asked questions
Do digital content labels apply to ads inside mobile apps?
Yes. Google says labels continue to apply to the Display Network, including App inventory, and its coverage table lists label exclusions for mobile app inventory. Google also says some apps are categorized by their main function, such as dating or social media apps, rather than the content shown inside them.
How often does Google update digital content labels?
Google Ads Help gives no schedule. The Display & Video 360 label article says its classification is updated monthly and that a new site normally receives a label about a month later. Treat that as a Display & Video 360 statement and confirm current behavior in Google Ads before relying on it.
Can one website carry several digital content labels?
Yes, at the page level. Display & Video 360's label article says a URL is categorized by only one label at a time, but a site may have different URLs with different labels. Excluding DL-MA can therefore remove some sections of a site while leaving its other pages eligible.
Do inventory types replace content labels on the Display Network?
No. Both apply there. Google's coverage table lists inventory types and content label exclusions for Display ads and Google video partners, while on YouTube only the inventory type remains. Inventory types do not apply to App campaigns, meaning campaigns that promote an app.
Sources
- About content suitability (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- About content exclusions for Video campaigns (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- Set content exclusions for Display campaigns (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- How to use brand suitability features in Performance Max (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- Digital content labels in Display & Video 360 (opens in a new tab)Display & Video 360 Help
- Google Display Ads campaigns have a new home in Demand Gen (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
Researched and written by PlacementGraph Research. Read how we research, source and update these pages. Corrections: diana@placementgraph.com.