In today’s crowded digital marketplace, getting a visitor to your website or landing page is only the first step. Most people don’t convert on their first visit—and that’s where retargeting comes in. Retargeting ads are designed to re-engage users who’ve already interacted with your brand, guiding them back to take the action they didn’t the first time.
If you’re investing in paid ads or content marketing and not retargeting your audience, you’re leaving serious revenue on the table.
Retargeting Ads: Re-engaging Potential Customers
Retargeting (also known as remarketing) is a form of digital advertising that serves personalized ads to site visitors who have previously visited your site, engaged with your content, or taken a specific action. These ads follow users across platforms—Google, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and more—reminding them about your brand and encouraging them to return.
Retargeting works through cookies or pixels—snippets of code embedded on your site that track user behavior and help deliver tailored messaging.
Introduction to Retargeting
Why Retargeting Is So Effective
On average, only about 2% of first-time visitors convert into a potential customer. Retargeting gives you a second (or third) chance to win them over.
Benefits include:
- Increased conversion rates: Retargeted visitors are 70% more likely to convert.
- Improved ROI: Because you’re targeting warm leads, your cost-per-conversion tends to be lower.
- Brand reinforcement: Seeing your brand multiple times builds familiarity and trust.
- Customized messaging: Tailor your message based on past actions (e.g., cart abandonment, product views, downloads).
- Retargeting helps transform these visitors into paying customers by continually engaging them with relevant ads.
Types of Retargeting Campaigns
Let’s break down the most common types of retargeting ads:
1. Site-Based Retargeting
These ads are triggered when a user visits your website or specific pages and leaves without converting. For example, someone visits your pricing page but doesn’t book a call—retargeting helps bring them back.
2. List-Based Retargeting
Upload a list of emails (from your CRM, newsletter signups, or past clients), and platforms like Facebook or LinkedIn will match those to user profiles to deliver ads to custom audiences.
3. Pixel-Based Retargeting
This method places a pixel on your site that tracks user behavior and enables ad delivery based on those behaviors. It’s highly dynamic and widely used.
4. Engagement-Based Retargeting
Used mostly on social platforms, this targets users who’ve interacted with your content (e.g., watched a video, liked a post, or clicked an ad).
Video ads are particularly effective in this strategy, as they can re-engage users who have watched your video content on platforms like YouTube.
Setting Up Remarketing Ads
To set up remarketing ads, businesses need to create a remarketing campaign and add a tracking code to their website. This code, also known as a pixel, allows businesses to track website visitors and add them to a remarketing list. Businesses can then use this list to target users with personalized ads on Google Ads, social media platforms, or other websites. When setting up remarketing ads, businesses should consider their target audience, ad spend, and marketing goals to ensure they are reaching the right people with the right message. By using web analytics and user feedback, businesses can optimize their remarketing campaigns and improve their conversion rates.
Crafting Effective Ad Copy and Creatives
Crafting effective ad copy and creatives is crucial for a successful remarketing campaign. Businesses should use language and imagery that speaks directly to their target audience and resonates with their interests and needs. By using personalized experiences and relevant messaging, businesses can increase user engagement and drive more conversions. When crafting ad copy and creatives, businesses should consider the user behavior and preferences of their target audience, as well as the marketing efforts and sales process of their business. By using data and analytics, businesses can test and optimize their ad copy and creatives to ensure they are performing well and driving results.
Smart Retargeting Strategies
To get the most from your retargeting efforts, apply these proven strategies:
1. Segment Your Audience
Don’t treat all users the same. Someone who visited your homepage should see a different message than someone who abandoned their cart. Segment by behavior, time spent on site, and page views to tailor your message.
2. Time It Right
Retargeting works best when ads are shown during a specific time window. For example:
- Show ads immediately after a cart abandonment (within 24 hours)
- Follow up on a blog reader within 3–7 days
- Reconnect with past customers after 30+ days for new offers
3. Rotate Your Creatives
Seeing the same ad multiple times can lead to ad fatigue. Rotate your visuals, headlines, and calls to action (CTAs) regularly to keep content fresh.
4. Use Dynamic Product Ads
If you’re in e-commerce or have multiple service offerings, use dynamic retargeting to show users the exact product or services they previously viewed.
5. Test and Optimize
Retargeting should be treated like any other campaign—test formats, messaging, and platforms. Track click-through rates (CTR), conversions, and frequency to avoid overexposure.
Landing Page Optimization
Landing page optimization is a critical component of a successful remarketing campaign. Businesses should ensure that their landing pages are optimized for conversion, with clear and concise language, prominent calls-to-action, and a seamless user experience. By using landing page optimization techniques, businesses can increase the chances of conversion and drive more sales. When optimizing landing pages, businesses should consider the pricing pages, product pages, and other web pages that are relevant to their remarketing campaign. By using user research and testing, businesses can identify areas for improvement and optimize their landing pages to better meet the needs of their target audience.
Platforms Best Suited for Retargeting
• Google Display Network (GDN)
Reach users across millions of websites, apps, and even YouTube with retargeting ads via Google Ads.
• Facebook & Instagram
Create highly personalized retargeting campaigns using Meta’s Ads Manager, especially powerful for visual storytelling.
Ideal for B2B audiences. Retarget based on visits to case studies, pricing pages, or contact forms.
• YouTube
Serve video retargeting ads to viewers who’ve watched your YouTube videos but haven’t taken the next step.
• Programmatic Ad Networks
For more advanced use cases, programmatic platforms allow real-time ad bidding across the web based on behavioral data.
Metrics That Matter
When measuring the success of a retargeting campaign, pay attention to these KPIs:
- Conversion rate
- Click-through rate (CTR)
- Return on ad spend (ROAS)
- Frequency (how often a user sees your ad)
- Cost per acquisition (CPA)
- Return on marketing dollars: Measure how effectively your marketing dollars are being spent to achieve your campaign goals.
A well-optimized retargeting campaign typically shows a 3–10x improvement in ROAS compared to standard display or awareness ads.
Re-Engaging Website Visitors
Re-engaging website visitors is a key goal of remarketing campaigns. By targeting users who have previously interacted with their brand, businesses can re-engage them and encourage them to take a desired action. This can include making a purchase, filling out a form, or signing up for a newsletter. By using targeted ads and personalized experiences, businesses can increase user engagement and drive more conversions. When re-engaging website visitors, businesses should consider the customer journey and the sales process, as well as the marketing efforts and user behavior of their target audience. By using data and analytics, businesses can track the success of their remarketing campaigns and make informed decisions about how to optimize and improve them.
When Retargeting Goes Wrong
Even though retargeting is powerful, it can backfire if misused:
- Creepy personalization: Don’t make users feel like they’re being stalked.
- Overexposure: Showing the same ad too many times can annoy potential customers.
- Mismatched messaging: Ensure your ads align with the user’s last action or intent.
Retargeting is about building trust and relevance—not pushing for the hard sell at the wrong moment.
Don’t Let Interested Customers Slip Away
You’ve already done the hard work of attracting attention—retargeting helps ensure you don’t lose it. By implementing smart segmentation, creative testing, and proper timing, you can convert more leads, improve your ROI, and close the loop on your marketing funnel.
If you’re not running retargeting campaigns yet—or if your current strategy isn’t yielding results—it’s time to bring in the pros.
👉 Ready to bring more leads back to your business?
Schedule a free discovery call with PS Creative today, and let’s map out a retargeting strategy designed to convert attention into action.
