Retargeting ads give you a second chance to connect with potential customers who’ve already shown interest in your business. Whether they’ve browsed your site, checked out specific products, or even started but didn’t finish a purchase, these ads help remind them what they’re missing and bring them back to complete the deal.
In this article, we’ll break down how to get started with Google retargeting ads step by step. From adding tracking tags to building tailored audience lists and creating ads that speak directly to those lost opportunities, this guide will give you everything you need to launch a successful campaign. Whether you want to re-engage visitors or boost conversions, you’ll be ready to take full advantage of retargeting.
To set up retargeting ads on Google, you need three main components: the ability to capture and segment your audience, where you want to show your ads (deliver), and targeted messages that can be static or dynamic(offer).
We’ll use the Google Analytics method to show you how to set up a retargeting campaign for lead generation.
Audience:
Delivery:
Offer:
I generally use GA4 to define audience segments. It’s easier for reporting and analysis.
If you’ve already installed GA4, you can skip this step. If not, navigate to GA4 and then select admin –> data streams –> select your website stream and copy the measurement ID.
Go to Google Tag Manager and install the tag across all pages.
Once you’ve connected GA4, you can start defining and segmenting your audiences. You can do this in both GA4 and Google Ads.
In GA4, navigate to admin and you’ll find “audiences” under Data Display.
In Google Ads, navigate to Tools –>Shared Library –> Audience Manager. You can choose to create the GA4 audience directly in Google Ads by hitting the plus button and then navigating to Google Analytics.
In both cases, you can choose prebuilt audiences or define an audience.
In our case, we are going to set up an audience segment for “high intent”. We define those as users who have visited booking or service pages. Other ideas could be cart pages, pricing pages or content pages. Set a membership duration relative to your business requirements.
Tip: I do not recommend any exclusion conditions within audience targeting segments which can get messy. It’s best to set up a separate audience for exclusions only and add that to your campaigns.
Tip: Remember to switch off any type of audience expansion settings (such as optimised targeting) since you don’t want to reach new audiences through remarketing campaigns.
Remarketing creatives should stand out from your business-as-usual (BAU) campaigns. There’s no benefit in segmenting and structuring your campaigns differently if the creative approach remains the same.
This is where the creative elements and the “offer” play a crucial role. You can choose to run either static ads, similar to your BAU campaigns, or dynamic ads tailored to user behavior.
Each option should focus on engaging your audience and driving conversions with a distinct, compelling message.
Static Ads
Static ads function just like any other ads in your campaign—they follow the same setup process. The key difference is that static ads have a fixed design and message, meaning they don’t adapt to the user’s browsing history or interactions with your site. These ads are ideal when you want to maintain consistency in your branding or promote a specific offer across all audiences.
Despite being non-personalized, they can still drive results when paired with strong visuals and clear calls to action.
Setting up retargeting ads on Google is an essential strategy for reconnecting with potential customers who have already shown interest in your business. By leveraging the power of audience segmentation, tailoring your message delivery across platforms like Display, YouTube, and Search, and creating personalized, relevant ads, you can significantly boost your chances of converting leads into customers.
If you’re looking to take your Google Ads strategy further and learn how to generate leads more effectively, check out my Google Ads Lead Generation Course.
I’m a seasoned Digital Marketing Consultant with over 11,700 hours of hands-on platform experience. Let’s discuss how I can help you unlock the full potential of your digital marketing.
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