Your ad has already attracted visitors to your website, but some haven’t converted? It’s time to leverage Google Remarketing, a powerful digital advertising tool that helps re-engage “warm” audiences and encourages them to complete a purchase, sign up, or take any other valuable action.
With precise targeting and relevant messaging, setting up remarketing in Google Ads enables you to turn potential customers into paying ones.
Why remarketing matters
Google remarketing isn’t just another advertising format, it’s a strategic tool that allows you to:
- Boost your website’s conversion rate
- Keep your brand top-of-mind at the right moment
- Encourage repeat purchases and upsells
- Cross-sell relevant or complementary products
- Gather post-purchase feedback and reviews
According to the international B2B platform Allbiz, professionally managed Google Ads remarketing can increase conversion rates from 1% to 5–8%, and in certain niches, even up to 45%, while requiring significantly lower ad spend compared to standard search or display campaigns.
Unlike some platforms that charge by impressions (CPM model), Google’s pay-per-click (PPC) approach helps you maximise the efficiency of your ad budget – ensuring you only pay when someone takes action.
When should use remarketing
If your website has a steady flow of traffic, remarketing campaigns can be launched straight away. However, in highly competitive sectors, remarketing alone may not be enough. For new websites or those with low traffic, it’s advisable to start with search or display advertising to attract visitors – then use remarketing to follow up with users who didn’t convert.
Step-by-step: setting up Google remarketing
1. Define your audience. Who are you targeting? Homepage visitors? Users who added products to their cart but didn’t check out? Or those who browsed specific categories? Create your audiences using Google Analytics or directly in Google Ads.
2. Install the remarketing tag. This is a small piece of code that collects user behaviour data on your site. You can generate it in your Google Ads account and install it across all website pages. Ideally, implement the tag 48 hours before launching your campaigns to allow time for audience data collection. Note: You’ll need a minimum of 100 unique users over the past 30 days for your campaign to go live.
3. Segment audience. Tailor your messages based on user behaviour. For example, those who viewed a product but didn’t buy could receive a time-limited offer. Customers who’ve already purchased can be shown complementary items or loyalty discounts.
4. Create campaign. Set up your remarketing campaign in Google Ads – select your ad format (display banners or text), location targeting, demographics, and ad schedule. Consider displaying ads during evenings or weekends if that’s when your audience is more likely to engage.
5. Set frequency caps. Aim for no more than 3 ad impressions per user per day. Too much exposure can cause irritation. In industries with longer decision-making cycles, like property or B2B, limit to one impression per week or fortnight.
6. Add UTM tags. To track the performance of your remarketing ads, attach UTM parameters. Google Ads offers automatic tagging, which allows detailed tracking in Google Analytics. However, if you’re using third-party analytics tools, manual UTM tags ensure you don’t lose visibility on this traffic source.Google Remarketing is a smart investment in people who already know your brand. With the right setup and strategy, you’ll do more than just stay visible – you’ll drive more sales, increase loyalty, and grow repeat conversions.
Oksana Tymchuk, Web Analyst at the International Centre for E-commerce Allbiz
Published on businessfun.club