Retargeting Q&A For Google Ads and Facebook Ads

When you get started with Google Ads Remarketing and Facebook Ads Retargeting, you will have a lot of questions. You will want to know what types of audiences you can create and target with your ads.

I put together some common retargeting questions that you may have as you get started. You can watch the video below or watch it directly on YouTube.

Retargeting Questions and Answers

Retargeting has become a key part of digital marketing, allowing you to re-engage with people who have shown interest in your products or services. But many marketers still have questions about this powerful tool. In this post we’ll answer eight of the most common questions about retargeting to help you understand and use it properly.

---

---

1. What is retargeting?

Retargeting (also known as remarketing) is a digital marketing strategy that shows ads to people who have visited your website or mobile app. The goal is to bring those people back to your site to do a desired action, such as buy or sign up for a newsletter.

2. What’s an example of retargeting?

A classic example of retargeting is the “abandoned cart” scenario:

1. A user visits an online store and adds items to their cart but leaves without buying.
2. The user then sees ads for those specific items or the store in general while browsing other websites or social media.
3. Those personalized ads remind the user of their interest and encourage them to come back and buy.

3. What’s a retargeting strategy?

A retargeting strategy is a planned approach to re-engage with potential customers based on their past interactions with your brand. It involves:

1. Identifying valuable audience segments (e.g. cart abandoners, blog readers, product viewers)
2. Creating ads for each segment
3. Deciding which platforms to reach those audiences (e.g. display networks, social media)
4. Setting frequency caps to avoid ad fatigue
5. Testing and optimizing ad performance

4. What’s the difference between remarketing and retargeting?

While these terms are often used interchangeably, there’s a slight difference:

• Retargeting means serving ads to people who have visited your website or app across multiple platforms.
• Remarketing sometimes means re-engaging with customers through email campaigns.

But in reality, most marketers use these terms to mean the same thing: re-engage past website visitors with targeted ads.

5. What’s the difference between targeting and retargeting?

• Targeting means reaching a broad audience based on demographics, interests or behaviors that match your ideal customer profile.
• Retargeting means people who have already shown interest in your brand by visiting your website or app.

In short, targeting is a broad approach to attract new customers, while retargeting is to bring back those who have already shown interest.

6. How do I retarget?

To retarget:

1. Choose a retargeting platform (e.g. Google Ads, Facebook Ads, AdRoll)
2. Install the platform’s pixel or tag on your website
3. Define your audience segments based on user behavior
4. Create ads for each segment
5. Set up your campaigns with the right budgets and bids
6. Launch your campaigns and check the performance
7. Continuously test and optimize your ads and targeting

7. How does retargeting work technically?

Retargeting works through cookies and pixels:

1. A pixel (a small piece of code) is placed on your website.
2. When a user visits your site, the pixel drops a cookie in their browser.
3. As the user browses other websites, the retargeting platform recognizes the cookie.
4. The platform then serves your ads to that user on other websites or social media.

This way you can have personalized ad experiences based on the user’s past interactions with your site.

8. Can I still retarget?

Yes, retargeting is still a valid and working marketing strategy. But it’s evolving due to privacy concerns and regulations:

• GDPR and CCPA require explicit consent for tracking in many cases.
• Some browsers are killing third-party cookies.
• Apple’s iOS 14.5 update requires apps to ask permission to track users.

Despite these challenges retargeting is still possible and effective. Marketers are adapting by:

• Using first-party data
• Implementing consent management platforms
• Exploring cookieless tracking alternatives
• Focusing on contextual advertising