When creating a LinkedIn ad campaign, you have the option to target or exclude certain devices that your ads will be shown on. This allows advertisers to customize their LinkedIn ad distribution for optimal results. One common question is whether you can exclude mobile devices from a LinkedIn ad campaign.
The short answer
Yes, you can exclude mobile devices from your LinkedIn ads. When setting up a LinkedIn ad campaign, you can select “Desktop only” under Devices in the targeting section. This will prevent your ads from being displayed on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. The ad will only be shown to LinkedIn users browsing on desktop.
Why exclude mobile?
There are a few reasons why an advertiser may want to exclude mobile devices for their LinkedIn ads:
- Drive traffic to a non-mobile optimized website – If the landing pages for your ads are not formatted properly for mobile, excluding mobile can improve the experience for users who click your ads.
- Target desktop only users – You may be promoting products or services that are only relevant to people browsing LinkedIn on desktop. Excluding mobile allows you to focus your ad spend on that audience.
- Lower cost per click (CPC) – Desktop only campaigns typically have lower competition and bid prices, so you may be able to get lower CPCs.
- Higher conversion rates – Visitors coming from desktop may be more likely to convert than mobile users who are often just browsing quickly on-the-go.
How to exclude mobile on LinkedIn ads
Excluding mobile devices from your LinkedIn ads is easy to set up during the ad creation process. Here are the steps:
- Access Ads Manager and click “+ Create ad”
- Select your objective, fill out ad details, set up targeting
- Under “Targeting” locate Devices and select “Desktop only”
- Complete remainder of ad setup and launch campaign
Once this setting is activated, your ads will only be delivered to members browsing LinkedIn on desktop. Any mobile users, even if they fall under your other targeting parameters, will not see the ads.
Key considerations
While excluding mobile on LinkedIn ads can be beneficial in some cases, there are a few important factors to keep in mind:
- Reduced reach – You will miss out on displaying your ads to all of LinkedIn’s mobile users, which account for a significant portion of the audience.
- May impact campaign performance – Mobile users are more likely to take quick actions like clicks, so overall ad engagement metrics may decrease.
- Test on small budget – When testing desktop-only campaigns, start with smaller budgets to evaluate performance vs. mobile-included campaigns.
- Segment mobile users – Instead of excluding all mobile devices, you may want to only remove certain mobile operating systems or device types that have poor conversion data.
Tips for success
To get the best results from desktop-only LinkedIn ad campaigns, here are some recommendations:
- Optimize landing pages for desktop – Simple, fast-loading pages will perform better.
- Use desktop-specific creatives – Make ad images and videos appropriate for larger screens.
- Run during business hours – Targeting weekday mornings or afternoons can improve engagement.
- Analyze performance data – Look at metrics segmented by device to optimize targeting.
- Retarget desktop visitors – Create remarketing campaigns focused on users who engaged on desktop.
The impact of mobile optimization
As more brands improve their mobile experiences, the need to exclude mobile traffic on LinkedIn ads may decrease over time. Here are some signs your mobile presence is ready for LinkedIn ads:
- Mobile website is fast, user-friendly
- Exists dedicated mobile landing pages
- Google Analytics shows strong mobile engagement
- Mobile conversion rates are satisfactory
- Mobile offers unique value to users
With those best practices in place, mobile traffic may convert at rates similar to or even better than desktop users for your LinkedIn ads.
Conclusion
Excluding mobile devices on LinkedIn ads can be a smart tactic in certain situations, especially when promoting a desktop-oriented product or service. However, with the steady rise of mobile usage, savvy marketers should look to provide excellent mobile experiences and then fully leverage LinkedIn’s mobile advertising capabilities with optimized campaigns.
By offering relevance across devices and continuously evaluating performance data, LinkedIn advertisers can develop omni-channel ad strategies that combine the extensive reach of mobile with the focused targeting of desktop.
Pros of Excluding Mobile | Cons of Excluding Mobile |
---|---|
Drive traffic to desktop-optimized sites | Lose out on large mobile audience |
Target only desktop users | Potentially lower engagement metrics |
May get lower CPC | Need to test performance carefully |
Higher desktop conversion potential | Fragmented omnichannel strategy |