To get them back to your site after they have visited, you need a strategy. Remarketing is one of the most effective and inexpensive ways to do this.

Remarketing with Google comes in a couple of flavours:

• Advertise on the Display Network
• Remarketing List Search Ads (RLSA)

While both of these methods are effective and use cookies, the ads for each show up in different places.  Display Network ads appear on other websites your visitors go to after being on your site; RLSA ads show up as text ads on Google search results pages. Both of these remarketing types require setting up audiences so Google knows who to show the ads to.

Let’s take a closer look at them:

Google Display Network

Google’s Display Network places your ads on websites by matching your website’s remarketing cookie with available advertising spaces on other websites. Google’s Display network is estimated to be around two million different websites, including major media outlets (CBC, NY Times, Washington Post, etc.), small niche blogs, mobile applications (games, tools, etc.) and other types of sites.

Making your Display Network Ads

Ads on the Display Network are not limited to text. Most include images and text together. Google even makes creating ads with properly sized graphics easy, with a tool that copies pictures right off your website.  I’ve created a few high-converting ads for clients using this handy tool.

Targeting Your Display Network Ads

The first step in any remarketing campaign is setting up the audience, so Google knows who should see your ads. For your Display campaigns, audiences are established in Google Analytics (Admin>Property>Audiences).

Google’s Display Network ads are an effective remarketing tactic, and simple to set up relative to setting up a Remarketing List Search Ad (RLSA).

Remarketing with RLSA lists

Unlike the Display Network ads, RLSA ads show in Google’s search results. They are effectively search ads only shown to people who have already visited your website.

For example, let’s say I search for mens’ running shoes on Google, and I click your ad and land on your website. After looking around your site, I leave and do a new search for mens’ shoes. Your RLSA ad could be presented in the results of the new search.

Setting up RLSA audiences is actually done by taking code from your Google AdWords account and pasting it on the website pages you to be included in the audience. Many businesses have their website developer handle inserting the AdWords code onto their website pages.

RLSA is deployed less frequently by small businesses because:

• The audience set up is more technical than display ads; and
• You need a minimum audience size of 1,000 before you can advertise.

Which is right for your Business

Most small businesses get started in remarketing with the Google Display Network. It’s pretty simple and has only a 100-user minimum list size. While both are effective, the key to success is setting up the right audience!