Standard Remarketing: Re-engaging Previous Visitors with Targeted Ads

Introduction to Standard Remarketing

Standard remarketing is a powerful Google Ads feature that allows businesses to re-engage users who have previously interacted with their website or mobile app. By displaying targeted ads to these users as they browse other sites on the Google Display Network, businesses can effectively remind them of their products or services and encourage them to return and complete a desired action, such as making a purchase.

To enable standard remarketing, advertisers need to create audience lists by implementing tracking codes on their website or mobile app. These codes, known as remarketing tags or Google Ads tags, collect data on user interactions and add them to specific lists based on predefined criteria.

How Standard Remarketing Works

1. When a user visits a website or mobile app with a remarketing tag, the tag captures information about their interactions, such as the pages they viewed or products they added to their cart.
2. Based on these interactions, the user is added to one or more audience lists defined by the advertiser. For example, a list could include users who visited a specific product page or abandoned their shopping cart.
3. As the user browses other websites within the Google Display Network, which includes millions of sites that partner with Google to display ads, they will see targeted ads from the advertiser.
4. These ads are designed to be relevant to the user's previous interactions and encourage them to return to the advertiser's site to complete a desired action, such as making a purchase.

Benefits of Standard Remarketing

• Increased brand awareness: By repeatedly exposing users to your ads, standard remarketing helps keep your brand top-of-mind and increases the likelihood of users returning to your site.
• Higher conversion rates: Since remarketing ads target users who have already shown interest in your products or services, they are more likely to convert compared to users who have never interacted with your site.
• Cost-effectiveness: Remarketing campaigns often have lower costs-per-click (CPC) and higher return on investment (ROI) than traditional display advertising, as they focus on a more qualified and engaged audience.

Practical Example

Consider an e-commerce store selling outdoor gear. A user visits the site, browses through several product pages, and adds a hiking backpack to their cart but leaves without completing the purchase. The site's remarketing tag adds this user to a "Shopping Cart Abandoners" audience list.

The store creates a remarketing campaign targeting this list, displaying ads featuring the hiking backpack the user left in their cart, along with a special discount code to incentivize them to return and complete the purchase. As the user browses other sites on the Google Display Network, they see these targeted ads, which remind them of the backpack and the potential savings. Intrigued, the user clicks on the ad, returns to the e-commerce store, and completes the purchase using the discount code.

Setting up Standard Remarketing

Step 1: Implement Remarketing Tags

1. Log into your Google Ads account.
2. Navigate to the "Tools and Settings" menu and select "Audience Manager" under the "Shared Library" section.
3. Click on the "Audience sources" tab and choose "Google Ads tag."
4. Follow the provided instructions to generate your remarketing tag code.
5. Add the tag code to all pages of your website or mobile app where you want to track user interactions.

Note: If you're using Google Analytics, you can also enable remarketing through the "Audience Definitions" section in your Analytics account.

Step 2: Create Remarketing Lists

1. Navigate back to the "Audience lists" tab in the "Audience Manager."
2. Click the plus button (+) to create a new audience list.
3. Choose "Website visitors" as the list type.
4. Define the specific criteria for your list, such as users who visited a particular page or completed a specific action.
5. Set the membership duration, which determines how long users remain on the list (e.g., 30 days).
6. Give your list a descriptive name and save it.

Repeat this process to create multiple lists based on different user interactions or criteria.

Step 3: Create Remarketing Ads

1. Navigate to the "Campaigns" tab in your Google Ads account.
2. Click the plus button (+) to create a new campaign.
3. Select "Display Network" as the campaign type.
4. Choose "Standard remarketing" as the campaign subtype.
5. Select the remarketing lists you want to target with your ads.
6. Create compelling ad copy and visuals that appeal to your target audience and encourage them to take action.
7. Set your budget, bids, and other campaign settings.
8. Launch your remarketing campaign and monitor its performance regularly.

Dynamic Remarketing: Personalized Ads Based on User Behavior

1. Understanding Dynamic Remarketing

Dynamic remarketing differs from standard remarketing by delivering highly personalized ads tailored to individual user interactions with your website or app. While standard remarketing shows the same ad to all users who visited your site, dynamic remarketing customizes the ad content based on the specific products or pages a user engaged with.

For example, if a user viewed a particular product on your e-commerce site but didn't make a purchase, dynamic remarketing would display an ad featuring that exact product, along with similar or complementary items, to entice the user back to complete the transaction.

2. Implementation Process of Dynamic Remarketing

To set up dynamic remarketing, you'll need to place specific tags on your website that collect data about user interactions. These tags, such as the Google Ads remarketing tag and the dynamic remarketing event snippet, gather information about the products users view, add to cart, or purchase.

Next, you'll create a product feed that contains details about your inventory, such as product IDs, names, descriptions, prices, and URLs. This feed is used to generate the personalized ad content based on the user data collected by the tags.

When creating your dynamic remarketing campaign in Google Ads, you'll define the ad layout and specify which user actions (e.g., product page views, cart abandonments) will trigger specific ad content. Google Ads will then automatically generate ads featuring the relevant products based on each user's interactions.

3. Advantages of Dynamic Remarketing

The primary benefit of dynamic remarketing is the increased relevance of your ads. By showing users products they've already expressed interest in, you're more likely to capture their attention and drive them back to your site to complete a purchase. This personalization can lead to higher engagement rates and improved conversion rates compared to generic remarketing ads.

Dynamic remarketing also saves time by automating the ad creation process. Instead of manually designing individual ads for each product, the ads are dynamically generated based on the user data and product feed, ensuring the right products are shown to the right users at the right time.

4. Setup Guide for Dynamic Remarketing

To get started with dynamic remarketing, ensure you have a well-structured product feed that includes the following attributes for each item:

• id: Unique identifier for the product
• title: Name of the product
• description: Detailed product description
• link: URL of the product page
• image_link: URL of the product image
• price: Product price
• availability: Stock status (e.g., "in stock", "out of stock")

Upload your product feed to the Google Merchant Center and link it to your Google Ads account.

Next, add the dynamic remarketing tag to your website. This tag should be placed on all pages, with additional event snippets on specific pages to track user interactions:

1. On product pages, include the ecomm_prodid parameter to pass the product ID.
2. On the cart page, use the ecomm_totalvalue parameter to pass the total cart value.
3. On the purchase confirmation page, include the ecomm_prodid and ecomm_totalvalue parameters to track purchased products and total transaction value.

In Google Ads, create a new remarketing campaign and choose the "Dynamic remarketing" option. Select your product feed and define your target audiences based on the user interactions you want to target (e.g., product viewers, cart abandoners).

Design your ad layouts using the dynamic ad builder, specifying which product attributes (e.g., image, name, price) should be included. Google Ads will automatically populate the ads with the relevant product data based on each user's interactions.

Set your bids, budget, and targeting options, and launch your dynamic remarketing campaign. Monitor its performance regularly and make adjustments as needed to optimize results.

By following these steps and leveraging the power of dynamic remarketing, you can create highly personalized, effective ads that drive users back to your site and boost conversions.

Choosing the Right Remarketing Strategy

1. Decision Factors

When deciding between standard and dynamic remarketing, consider your business goals, product or service nature, and target audience behavior.

Business Goals: If your primary objective is to build brand awareness and keep your business top-of-mind, standard remarketing may be sufficient. However, if you aim to drive sales and conversions, dynamic remarketing's personalized approach may be more effective.

Product or Service Nature: Dynamic remarketing is particularly well-suited for businesses with a large, diverse product inventory, such as e-commerce stores. If you offer a limited number of products or services, or if your offerings are not visually distinct, standard remarketing may be a better fit.

Target Audience Behavior: Consider how your target audience interacts with your website. If users tend to browse multiple products or categories before making a purchase, dynamic remarketing can help guide them back to the items they showed interest in. If your audience typically converts on the first visit or interacts with a single key page, standard remarketing may suffice.

2. Strategy Recommendations

Based on the factors above, here are some general recommendations:

• Use standard remarketing when:
  • Your main goal is brand awareness
  • You have a limited product or service offering
  • Your audience tends to convert quickly without browsing extensively
• Use dynamic remarketing when:
  • Your primary objective is driving sales and conversions
  • You have a large, diverse product inventory
  • Your audience tends to browse multiple products before converting

To maximize the effectiveness of your remarketing campaigns:

• Segment your audience based on their interactions and buyer journey stage
• Tailor your ad messaging and creative to each segment
• Set appropriate frequency caps to avoid overwhelming users with too many ads
• Continuously monitor and optimize your campaigns based on performance data

3. Best Practices for Remarketing

Regardless of the remarketing strategy you choose, follow these best practices:

• Audience Segmentation: Divide your remarketing audience into smaller segments based on their interactions with your site (e.g., product categories viewed, cart abandonment). This allows for more targeted messaging.
• Ad Frequency and Cap Settings: Set a frequency cap to limit the number of times a user sees your ads within a given time period. This helps avoid ad fatigue and maintains a positive user experience.
• Ad Content Creation: Use compelling visuals and copy that align with your brand and resonate with your target audience. Highlight key selling points, promotions, or product benefits to entice users back to your site.
• Testing and Optimization: Continuously test different ad variations, targeting settings, and bidding strategies to identify what works best for your business. Use A/B testing to compare ad performance and iterate based on the results.