Many users browse through a website without committing to a purchase immediately. They might need more time to think it over and compare options, or they might get distracted and leave the site entirely.
This common scenario is exactly where search retargeting comes in. It allows businesses to reconnect with these visitors, ensuring that the products they showed interest in don’t fall off their radar.
Say you’re shopping online for a new coffee maker. You search for it on Google or some other search engine and check out a few options but decide not to buy it just yet. Later, as you’re reading news online or scrolling through social media, you notice ads for coffee makers popping up in various places. This is what search retargeting does. Let’s understand clearly what search retargeting is, how it works, how it’s different from site retargeting, and how to set up Google Search Retargeting.
What is Search Retargeting?
Search retargeting is a targeted advertising method where businesses show search ads to users based on their previous searches in search engines such as Google, Yahoo, or Bing. This strategy is based on the ‘search intent’ of users, i.e., what they are actively looking to find or buy online.
Unlike traditional advertising, search retargeting doesn’t rely on users having previously visited your website. It works by identifying potential customers through their search behaviors and displaying relevant ads to them on different platforms, effectively increasing brand exposure and customer acquisition. It’s an efficient way to connect with users at the early stages of their buying journey, making search retargeting a potent tool for boosting online visibility and sales.
But how does search retargeting work? Let’s understand.
How Does Search Retargeting Work?
Search retargeting works by using data from users’ keyword searches to trigger relevant search ads on various platforms they visit later, including social media sites, other websites, and search engine results pages (SERPs). When a user searches for a specific term related to your products or services, your ads can then be targeted to appear in their subsequent online sessions.
This targeting is made possible through cookies and tracking technology that follows the user’s search habits, enabling marketers to customize search ads that are more likely to appeal based on the user’s demonstrated interests.
Types of Search Retargeting
Search retargeting is a smart digital marketing strategy that helps businesses reconnect with users through different types of targeted ads. Here are three common types of search retargeting used by marketers to improve engagement and conversions:
General Website Retargeting
This type of retargeting focuses on users who have already visited your website but left without making a purchase or taking a desired action. Once these users leave your site, they are targeted with search ads as they browse other parts of the internet.
The goal here is to remind them of what they saw on your site, enticing them to return and complete their action. This is particularly effective for keeping your brand top-of-mind and increasing the likelihood of converting visitors into customers.
For example, if someone visits an online clothing store and looks at a pair of jeans but doesn’t buy them, they might see ads for those jeans on different websites or social media platforms they visit later. The idea is to remind them of what they left behind and encourage them to return to complete the purchase.
Search Network Retargeting
Search network retargeting takes a slightly different approach by targeting users based on their search behaviors across different search engines, not just your website. This method strategically utilizes the keywords that potential customers use when they search for products or services similar to yours.
By analyzing this keyword data, relevant search ads are then displayed to these users on various networks where they are active. This type ensures that your search ads reach users who have shown a specific interest in your industry or product type, making it a highly targeted marketing move.
For example, if someone searches for “best wireless headphones” on a search engine, they could later see ads for wireless headphones while browsing technology blogs or forums. This type of retargeting ensures that your search ads are shown to people who are already interested in similar products, thereby increasing the likelihood of a conversion.
Remarketing Lists for Search Ads
Remarketing Lists for Search Ads (RLSA) is a feature available in Google Ads that allows you to customize your search ad campaigns specifically for people who have previously visited your website.
By using information about their past interactions with your site, you can customize your search ads and bids more effectively to meet their interests and needs. This approach is highly personalized, increasing the relevance of your ads and the chances of your past visitors engaging with your campaigns again.
For example, if a user previously visited a car dealership website and looked at SUVs, the dealership can later target that user with specific search ads about SUV promotions or new SUV arrivals when they search for related terms on Google.
Benefits of Search Retargeting
Search retargeting, as a digital marketing strategy, brings multiple benefits, helping businesses reach their marketing goals efficiently.
Let’s explore the various advantages of implementing search retargeting in your marketing campaigns:
Improve Brand Awareness
Search retargeting significantly increases brand exposure by repeatedly showing your search ads to potential customers who have shown interest in similar products or services. In fact, more than 70% of marketers opt for search retargeting to amplify their brand awareness.
For example, a user who searches for hiking boots might see your outdoor gear brand multiple times across different platforms, reinforcing your brand’s presence.
Increase Visitors to Your Site
Using search retargeting ads based on user’s search behaviors, this strategy pulls in traffic from people already interested in related topics. This makes them more likely to visit your site, as the ads they see are relevant to their interests.
For instance, if someone searches for “organic coffee beans” and then sees search retargeting ads for your organic coffee shop, they’re more likely to click through to your website.
Convert More Consumers
Search retargeting makes use of the intent behind user searches, allowing businesses to place ads strategically based on user search history. This targeting results in higher conversion rates than general advertising because the search ads are more relevant to the user’s immediate needs and interests, making them more compelling and likely to result in a sale.
Driving Cost-efficiency
This method is cost-effective because it focuses on users who have already expressed interest in similar keywords or products, reducing the wastage of resources on uninterested audiences. This targeted approach helps ensure that your advertising budget is spent on reaching the most promising leads.
Enhancing Brand Recall
Regular exposure to your brand through retargeted ads helps embed your brand in the memory of potential customers. When they’re ready to make a purchase, your brand is likely to be the first that comes to mind, thanks to the consistent reminders they’ve encountered during their online activities.
Marketing New or Popular Products
Search intent retargeting is particularly effective for promoting new or best-selling products directly to interested users. With a careful analysis of search trends, you can identify which products are currently popular or gaining interest and then target users with ads for these products, amplifying the relevance and timeliness of your marketing efforts.
Engaging Prospects Throughout the Buyer’s Journey
From the initial awareness stage to the decision-making phase, search retargeting keeps your brand visible to potential customers. By serving customized ads that are relevant to each stage of the buyer’s journey, you maintain engagement and keep your brand relevant, increasing the chances of converting interest into sales.
Customizing Ads
With search intent retargeting, ads can be customized to reflect users’ specific interests and previous search behaviors. This personalization makes the ads more relevant, increasing the effectiveness of your advertising efforts and improving the user experience by providing them with options that they are genuinely interested in.
Cross-selling and Upselling Opportunities
Search intent retargeting also offers opportunities to cross-sell and upsell by showing related products or upgrades to users based on their search history. For example, if a user searches for a basic model of a smartphone, you can retarget them with ads for higher-end models or accessories that complement their initial interest.
Site Retargeting vs. Search Retargeting
Site retargeting and search retargeting are two different yet effective digital marketing strategies used to reconnect with potential customers, but they focus on different stages of the customer journey and utilize different triggers for displaying ads.
Site Retargeting targets users who have already visited your website but left without making a purchase or completing another desired action. It uses cookies to track these users and then serves them targeted ads as they browse other parts of the internet.
The goal is to remind them of their previous interest and encourage them to return to your site to complete a purchase or engage in some other way. For example, if a user adds a product to a shopping cart but leaves the site without buying, site retargeting focuses on showing them ads for the carted items on other websites they visit.
Search Retargeting, on the other hand, targets users based on the keywords they have searched for on search engines like Google or other search engines, not minding if they have visited your site. This approach aims to capture new potential customers by tapping into their expressed interests, as shown by their search behaviors.
For example, if someone searches for “best running shoes,” they may start seeing ads for running shoes from various vendors, including those they have never visited before.
Here’s a table to understand the differences more clearly:
How to Set Up Google Search Retargeting
How to Set Up Google Search RetargetingSetting up Google search retargeting can seem like a complex process at first, but by breaking it down into steps, it becomes quite simple and straightforward. This is how you can set up search retargeting using Google Ads to effectively reach your target audience.
Set Up a Google Ads Account
The first step in launching a search retargeting campaign is to create a Google Ads account. If you don’t already have one, you can easily sign up by visiting the Google Ads website and following the registration process.
This account will serve as the control center for all your advertising activities, where you can create new search retargeting campaigns, set budgets, choose your audience, and track results.
Choose Relevant Keywords
Once your Google Ads account is active, the next important step is to choose the right keywords that you want to target. These keywords should be closely related to the products or services you offer.
They are the terms and phrases that potential customers might use in their search queries when looking for offerings similar to yours. Use Google’s Keyword Planner tool to find keywords that are popular and relevant, but also consider the competition and cost per click for these keywords to see that they fit within your budget.
Create Ads
With your keywords selected, it’s time to create the ads that will be displayed to users. These ads need to be engaging and must clearly convey the value of your offering. They should include a strong call to action (CTA) that prompts the viewer to visit your website or take another specific action.
Make sure that the content of your ads is directly related to the keywords you’re targeting to maintain relevance and improve your ads’ effectiveness. You can create various formats of ads, including text, image, or video ads, depending on what best suits your campaign goals.
Monitor Campaign Performance
After your ads are live, monitoring their performance is essential to understand what’s working and what isn’t. Use Google Analytics alongside Google Ads to track how well your ads are performing.
Pay attention to metrics such as click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates, cost per conversion, and overall ROI. Monitoring these metrics will help you see if your ads are reaching the right audience and driving the desired actions.
Adjust Campaigns Based on Performance
Based on the data you gather from Google Analytics, make necessary adjustments to optimize your search retargeting campaigns. This could mean changing up the keywords, modifying the ad copy, adjusting the budgets, or even revising the landing pages.
Continuous optimization is important for improving your campaign’s effectiveness and achieving better results over time.
Retargeting Options
Google Ads also offers specific retargeting options like RLSA, which allow you to customize your search campaigns for people who have previously visited your website.
You can customize your bids and ads to these visitors when they search on Google or any other search engine, increasing the likelihood of converting past visitors into customers.
Reach the Right Audience with Propellant Media Partners
Search retargeting, through its precise targeting capabilities, offers an effective way to connect with your audience. With this approach, businesses can improve their online marketing results, bringing more targeted traffic and increasing conversions more effectively than ever before.
Partnering with experts like Propellant Media can amplify your search retargeting efforts. Our deep understanding of search intent retargeting, combined with the strategic use of AdWords search retargeting and Google ads search retargeting, guarantees that your campaigns are optimized for maximum impact.