Have you ever felt like a mind reader was determining the advertisements you see on web pages and social media? It can be a little spooky when, once you take an interest in a particular product, it suddenly seems like relevant ads for the item are everywhere. Turns out, there’s nothing supernatural going on: You’re just experiencing a successful search retargeting campaign. This type of marketing strategy can be an easy, cost-effective way to connect with a target audience. Learn more about setting up retargeting ads to provide your next customer with relevant content.
What is search retargeting?
Search retargeting is a digital marketing strategy that targets an audience on the keywords related to a product or service they previously used in search engines, regardless of which websites they originally landed on as a result of their search.
Search retargeting is an automated process. After a user searches a keyword, the search engine anonymously collects the search query data using cookies or other tracking technology. Advertisers then use this data to display relevant targeted ads for that user as they navigate across websites and social media.
This allows users to learn about your brand for the first time when they are actively seeking more information on a product your company offers. Ideally, the display ad reminds a user of their interest in the item, or they discover your brand and revisit your site when they are ready to make a purchase.
Search retargeting vs. site retargeting
Search retargeting and site retargeting are digital advertising strategies to engage potential customers. Both strategies can enhance the customer journey and increase conversions, but they focus on different stages in the ecommerce conversion funnel and different target audiences based on user behavior.
Search retargeting displays ads based on search behavior, to users who have shown interest in your products or topics through their search engine queries, and aims to bring new visitors to your site. With search retargeting, advertisements can remind potential customers of their interest and encourage them to visit your website for the first time as a solution to their problem. Search retargeting results in display ads appearing in the margins of other websites.
Meanwhile, site retargeting advertises to users who have previously visited your website, demonstrating an interest in your particular brand, and it typically guides users to revisit and move down the sales funnel. This might include completing actions like purchasing items in their shopping carts or signing up for a newsletter. Site retargeting utilizes paid ads at the top of a search results page.
How to set up and use Google search retargeting
- Start a new campaign
- Set audience targeting options
- Determine bidding
- Create ad groups
- Create search ads
- Analyze the results
Google search retargeting campaigns involve displaying your ads to users who have previously searched for relevant keywords through the search engine. Google keeps all the first-party search data collected in-house, so the only way to utilize it in your marketing efforts is to leverage Google Ads. Setting up search retargeting with Google Ads involves these straightforward steps:
1. Start a new campaign
If you don’t already have one, create a Google Ads account. Navigate through campaigns to click “New campaign” and select “Search” as the campaign type.
2. Set audience targeting options
After creating your campaign, select your targeting options. To determine your target audience, consider the people who might be interested in your business: Are they likely to be ready to buy a product or sign up for your newsletter?
Google Display Network targeting lets you adjust your audience preferences based on location, language, interests, demographics, and online activity. Location is an important factor in determining your target audience, since it’s possible to omit irrelevant locations to save on advertising spend (for example, if you don’t ship internationally). Or if you are marketing something location-specific, such as a product launch event, choose “people searching for your targeted locations” in the location options.
3. Determine bidding
Targeting will determine who sees your ads, but “bidding” refers to what action you want users to take when they see your ad. Are you hoping to increase your overall website traffic? Then choose “Clicks” when setting up bidding in your Google Ads campaign. Focused on sales or leads? Choose “Conversions.” With the “Conversion value” option, it’s even possible to target a specific return on ad spend.
4. Create ad groups
After selecting your campaign settings, you’ll create “ad groups,” which are groups of specific keywords relevant to the term potential customers will search for on Google. Let’s say you own a stationery business. You might create an ad group named “birthday cards” and target keywords like “birthday card,” “30th birthday card,” and “birthday card for mom.” Then you would create your ads for these products and link to the birthday card page of your website. You might also create a different ad group and set of associated keywords for other products, such as planners and other types of stationery and greeting cards.
5. Create search ads
Now you must create customized ads for each ad group. Arguably, the most important part is to thoughtfully create your keyword lists for search ads. Include your keywords in the ads’ headlines and descriptions. It’s valuable to focus on long-tail keywords (search terms that are several words long, rather than just a one-word term) because these are more likely to relate to a specific set of users.
It’s best practice to create three different ads for each ad group. Aim to write three headlines with corresponding descriptions, which can include up to 90 characters to describe your product and entice customers to learn more. When you create ads for search, remember that they are display ads, so the visuals play an important role. Use high-quality, relevant branding photography.
6. Analyze the results
Congratulations! You’ve activated Google search retargeting for your business. View the results of your ads in the Overview or Campaigns page in your Google Ads account. Take these steps to improve your existing search campaign and better strategize for a future retargeting campaign:
- Analyze the click-through rate. If you need to improve your click-through rate (CTR), write engaging ad text and prioritize including keywords. Utilize keyword research tools to inform your decisions.
- Track conversions on your website. Good average ecommerce conversion rates vary depending on the business and industry, but if yours is below 0.5% you likely have room to improve.
- Improve your retargeting strategy. Gain insights from the high-performing keywords, which will inform where to keep focusing your efforts. If a keyword is underperforming, remove it from the campaign.
Identify themes or trends through your website’s platform to discover the user’s customer journey. If someone visited your site through search retargeting, you may want to know what other pages the user viewed on your website.
Search retargeting FAQ
What is the purpose of search retargeting?
The purpose of search retargeting is to advertise to potential customers who have demonstrated their interest in a product through their search behavior but have not yet visited your website specifically. By introducing your brand to the user at this critical stage and reminding them of their initial interest, you encourage them to continue down the sales funnel.
What does search retargeting mean in advertising?
In advertising, search retargeting means strategically displaying ads to users who have demonstrated interest in a product or service. Advertisers utilize data on a user’s search intent to create targeted advertisements that introduce possible customers to their brand.
What is an example of search retargeting?
Consider the following example of search retargeting: A user searches “winter coat” on Google and views a few of the top results from familiar brands on the search engine results pages. A few days later, they notice display ads for winter coats from other websites and brands they have never interacted with before. As a result of their recent search query, they are now seeing search retargeting ads tailored to their recent search behavior that are likely aligned with other key demographic factors as well.
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