"Cannot Target Any Syndicatable Types" (Google Only)

When creating new campaigns with only Mobile Device Targeting set in the Devices field, you may encounter the following error message:

Google Error: Cannot target any syndicatable types

 

What Causes The Issue?

There are a number of things that can cause this error message. We'll describe these below to help you diagnose the cause.

  • When a client attempts to create new campaigns through the user interface and they uncheck Desktop and Laptop Computers, to only target Mobile devices. The campaigns will appear in the Activity Log with a failed status and the following Google error: "Cannot target any syndicatable types."
    • The user needs to log into Google Ads and edit the targeting settings and sync back the changes into Marin via a manual synchronization.
  • This error is also seen when in the bulk upload sheet, the Devices column is left blank. When using the bulk upload tool, it is best practice to remove blank columns from the bulk sheet prior to uploading/editing.

The Google Grants Program

If your account is part of the Google Grants program, there are a number of specific restrictions in place that could result in this error message. If you are part of the program, use the following list of restrictions to troubleshoot your error:

Campaign

  • Networks/Devices: Google Grants accounts are only allowed to run on Google, so it's important that you only opt in to Google Search and opt out of Search partners (seen as Search Network in the platform) and the entire Content Network (including Managed Placements).
  • Bidding: Do not select Use Google Enhanced CPC.
  • All bids for Google Grants account should be at the maximum CPC bid of no more than US$1.00.
  • Daily Budget: You can designate a daily budget of no more than $329 USD (or less if you plan to have more than one campaign).
  • Placements: No placements.

Groups

  • Please set the Default Bid to no more than US$1.00. Do not enter any bids for Content or Placements.

Ads

  • Creative Type can only be a Text ad.

How To Fix The Issue

For the first case listed above, you can upload the campaigns directly through the publisher interface and pull back changes into the platform via a manual synchronization. In the second case, you should remove all empty columns and try to re-upload the campaigns.

If you have violated a Google Grants restriction, you should fix the issue then try to re-upload the campaigns.

Written by Marketing @ Marin Software

Last published at: June 30th, 2023