Digital Retargeting
What Is Digital Retargeting? (And How Does It Work?)
49 percent of people visit a website 2-4 times before making a purchase. How do you get those consumers to return? With a paid advertising strategy that includes digital retargeting, your business will stay fresh in consumers' minds as they research.
Did you know that 98% of your website visitors leave without taking an action, or that 49% of people will visit your site two to four times before ever making a purchase?
The path to making purchases can be quite complex for your customers. They often venture through multiple businesses and engage in thorough research across an array of platforms, including websites, social media, and Google listings. So, how do you entice those website visitors to make a return trip for that final nudge and encourage them to take action, such as making a call or completing a contact form? This is where digital retargeting comes into play.
Retargeting is a paid advertising strategy that enables you to showcase your ads to individuals who have previously visited your website but have since wandered off to other sites.
Let’s consider retargeting from a consumer's perspective. A couple of weeks ago, I was browsing for a pair of rain boots online, and I loved them so much that I shared the link with my best friend. A few days later, she texted me, saying she was seeing ads for rain boots everywhere she went online. They were following me around, too!
Here’s How Digital Retargeting Works:
You simply insert a snippet of code into your website's HTML, typically within the header or footer, allowing you to target advertisements to individuals who have previously visited your site. These users will encounter your retargeting ads as they browse other online platforms, including Facebook and YouTube. Did I find it unsettling that a pair of rain boots could trail me across the web? Not in the slightest. And I’m not alone in this sentiment; eighty-nine percent of users respond positively or neutrally to retargeting.
Thus, if potential customers explore your site without taking any action, retargeting becomes essential in bringing them back.
BroadProximity
Types of Retargeting Ads
Google calls digital retargeting “remarketing.” If you already have a Google Ads account, you'll need to set up retargeting, add the code to your website and create a remarketing list. You can set remarketing campaigns to display either in searches or on Google’s display network.
Facebook and Instagram Retargeting
Instead of just boosting a post and trying to get more Facebook reach, you can instead target users who have already visited your website, which means they're probably already interested in your products and services. Once you have Facebook’s pixel installed, you can track who is visiting your site and create an ad campaign using a custom audience of people who have visited your website. The great thing about social media retargeting is that pretty much everyone is using social media daily. So, by retargeting them on Facebook or Instagram, your ads are reaching people who are already interested in your business, and you're reaching them where they're already spending a lot of their time!
Digital Retargeting Banner Ads
When you retarget people who have previously visited your website using Google’s display network, you have a chance to reach a lot of people. Display Network ads reach 90 percent of internet users, with more than 2 million websites, from ESPN.com to Gmail, displaying banner ads. Retargeting ads on the Display Network also allow you to target in a different way than other display ads.
Normally, display ads have something to do with the website the user is viewing. So if they are looking at a recipe website, they will probably see ads about food. However, with retargeting, the ads don’t have to correspond to the website the user is browsing. They might be looking at a recipe, but if you’re running retargeting ads, they could also be seeing your ads on that recipe site. Your Display Network retargeting ads will start to work once you’ve accumulated 100 unique visitors within a 30 day period.
Digital Retargeting Search Ads
Retargeting with search ads allows you to target people who have not only visited your site but also searched for specific keywords. This is great because if I had forgotten where I found those boots I really liked, I’d search for them again. And if the website is running a search retargeting campaign, I would see their ad in the search results. Be aware, though, that you will need 1000 unique site visitors before your remarketing search ads will show up in Google search results.
89%
Of users have either a positive or neutral reaction to retargeting
49%
Of consumers visit a website 2-4 times before making a purchase
70%
Site visitors who are retargeted with display ads are 70% more likely to convert
Why Should You Have a Digital Retargeting Strategy?
We Think Retargeting is Extremely Important
Given the often intricate journey to making a purchase, we implement retargeting strategies for every paid advertising client we serve. Regardless of the budget, we understand that retargeting is the most effective method to bring consumers back to your website and provide that subtle push towards a purchase, phone call, or other actions. But don’t just take our word for it; take a look at these statistics:
Conversion rates increase with more retargeting ad impressions, so people are more likely to convert with more retargeting ad views
One study found that retargeting ads led to a 1046 percent increase in branded search and a 726 percent lift in site visits
Site visitors who are retargeted with display ads are 70 percent more likely to convert on your site
Want to learn more about how online ads can help grow your business? Check out our
paid advertising page.
