Google launches Display & Video 360 Structured Data Files v11 with expanded targeting

Google released Structured Data Files (SDF) v11 for Display & Video 360, introducing new audience targeting capabilities, updated YouTube vendor configurations and support for additional campaign formats.

What’s new. SDF v11 is now generally available, allowing all Display & Video 360 users to download and upload files using the updated format directly within the platform.

Expanded audience targeting. Lookalike audience inclusion and exclusion targeting is now supported across all ad groups, except those belonging to YouTube Ad Sequence line items. This gives advertisers more flexibility when applying audience expansion and exclusion strategies at scale.

Location targeting. Google added Business Chain proximity targeting to the line item file format, allowing advertisers to configure targeting around business locations through bulk campaign management workflows.

YouTube changes. Four existing third-party vendor columns have been updated to incorporate reporting IDs and support multiple vendor assignments. Separate reporting ID columns have been removed because they’re no longer needed.

New campaign support. SDF v11 also introduces columns and restrictions for YouTube Instant Deal line items, ad groups and ads.

The catch. YouTube Instant Deals remain in beta and are available only to allowlisted partners. These campaigns won’t appear in downloaded SDFs and can only be uploaded through the dedicated Instant Deal creation workflow in Display & Video 360.

Why we care. For agencies and advertisers managing large DV360 accounts, the update makes it easier to apply audience and location targeting consistently across campaigns. However, teams using automated SDF workflows will need to review their templates and scripts to accommodate the new column formats.

The deadline. Google is also reminding advertisers that SDF versions earlier than v10 are deprecated and will stop being supported in January 2027. Advertisers using older formats should plan their migration to avoid disruptions to bulk campaign management.

The bottom line. SDF v11 brings more flexibility to bulk campaign management, particularly for audience targeting and YouTube advertising, while giving advertisers another reason to update their existing workflows before older versions are retired.

Dig deeper. SDF v11 release notes and Google’s migration guide.