How Does Google Adwords Remarketing Work?

Google Adwords Remarketing is a great way to reach out to people who have previously paid a visit to your website and remind them of your presence by displaying adverts that speak directly to them whenever they visit other Google Display Network sites.

How Remarketing works:

All you need to do is add a piece of code to the pages of your website. When people visit your website, they will have a cookie placed in their browser and will be included on your 'remarketing list' (a list you can slice and dice to target as you wish with ads based on what list they are in).You can then target them whenever they browse other sites on the Google Display Network, limiting your ads to the sites on which you know they will perform best, should you wish to do so.

When to use Remarketing:

You should use remarketing whenever you want to increase your sales activity, registrations, and brand awareness. It provides you with another chance to target people who have already visited your website, providing you with one last crack at getting their business or contact details.

How to use Remarketing:

The incorporation of a piece of Google remarketing code on specific sites will enable you to focus on a precise target and will therefore increase the relevancy of your campaign.

You may choose to start your campaign by targeting anyone and everyone who visits your homepage. However, this will increase your remarketing costs as your ads will target at a greater number of people and you will not have the freedom to produce narrowly defined ads.

It is best to create lists based on something that “they do not complete” on your site, for instance, a purchase. Someone may add product onto your website and get all the way to the end of the shopping cart process, only to pull out or “abandon” at the last step. This is an ideal opportunity for you to then remarket to this person with a specific product-based message to try and tempt them back to your website. Even better if it is a special offer that is only provided to those your are remarketing to.

Here is a screen shot within the Adwords dashboard showing how to create different remarketing lists:

To produce remarketing lists, it is necessary to choose the “Display Network only – Remarketing” option for your campaign type in your Google Adwords account. You can create multiple advertising messages through text-only ads or use the Google Display Ad Builder tool, which enables you to select from a range of pre-existing templates and produce enticing video or image ads that suit your business’ unique needs.

If, for example, you sell mother and baby products, you may choose to use remarketing to display adverts about baby toys on the Display Network to people who have viewed the baby toy section of your website. Alternatively, you may wish to target people who have added items to their shopping basket but failed to take them through the checkout.

The benefits of Google Adwords Remarketing:

Remarketing is particularly beneficial when you hold the desire to draw visitors back to your site to make purchases. By presenting them with ads that will attract their attention while they are browsing other sites, you will gain brand exposure and increase your sales.When you combine remarketing with other targeting methods, such as demographics, you will further improve your return on investment.