Did you know that, on average, 97% of ecommerce visitors leave without making a purchase? That’s a massive chunk of potential revenue slipping through your fingers. But don’t worry – there’s good news.
With the right retargeting strategy, you can bring those visitors back and turn them into loyal customers. Even better? Setting it up in Google Ads is easier than you might think.
Here’s how to set up and optimise your Google Ads retargeting campaigns for maximum impact, complete with six advanced strategies to scale your sales and boost your ROAS.
Setting Up Your Retargeting Campaign the Right Way
Before diving into advanced strategies, you need a solid foundation. Here’s a quick recap of the essential steps:
Build Your Audiences in Google Ads: Go to Tools > Audience Manager and manually create your retargeting audiences. Avoid relying on pre-populated audiences, as these can be inaccurate. Define specific URL rules for your audiences (e.g., cart visitors might have a URL rule of “URL contains: /checkout”).
Create Your Retargeting Campaign:
Choose the Display Campaign type.
Link your Google Merchant Center feed to enable dynamic ads.
Start with a low budget and use “Maximise Conversion Value” bidding without setting a ROAS target initially.
Set Up Ad Groups: Use a single audience per ad group. Start with one ad group (e.g., Cart Abandoners), then duplicate and adjust settings for other audiences like Product Viewers, Category Viewers, Homepage Visitors, and Previous Purchasers.
Turn Off Optimised Targeting: Ensure Google doesn’t waste your budget on cold traffic by disabling this setting. Keep your campaign focused on retargeting.
Now that the basics are in place, let’s explore six pro strategies to supercharge your campaigns.
Strategy 1: Segment Your Audience for Maximum Relevance
Creating tailored audiences ensures your ads are as relevant as possible. Here’s how to segment effectively:
Cart Abandoners: High-intent users who almost bought. Use a longer timeframe, 60-90 days or up to 540 days for high-ticket items. These are your top performers.
Product Viewers: Target those who viewed specific products but didn’t act. Attach your product feed to show them the exact items they browsed. A timeframe of 30-60 days works best.
Category Viewers: Focus on visitors who browsed categories without viewing individual products. Try a 30-day timeframe.
Homepage Visitors: Broader and less committed, this group’s performance can vary. Start with 30 days and adjust. Shorten to 7-14 days if they’re less engaged.
Previous Purchasers: Upsell and cross-sell to your loyal customers. Tailor your timeframe based on your repeat purchase data, e.g., 90 days if that’s the typical repurchase window.
Strategy 2: Use Personalised, Dynamic Ad Creatives
Dynamic ads pull product details (e.g., images, names, prices) from your Google Merchant Center feed to create highly relevant ads. For example:
Someone views a red handbag on your site.
The dynamic ad shows that exact handbag, perhaps with a discount or free shipping offer.
This level of personalisation outperforms static ads and drives better results. Ensure your feed is well-optimised, as it’s the backbone of both Shopping and retargeting campaigns.
Strategy 3: Add High-Quality Assets
While dynamic ads do the heavy lifting, adding high-quality assets improves overall performance. Here’s what to include:
Images: Use clear, high-resolution visuals with products front and centre.
Headlines: Focus on benefits, not just features. For instance, “Stylish Office Chair” becomes “Upgrade Your Home Office with Comfort and Style.”
Descriptions: Keep it short, sweet, and value-driven. A simple line like “Fast, free shipping on all orders” works wonders.
Test different combinations to see what resonates best with your audience.
Strategy 4: Use Time-Sensitive Offers
Urgency is a powerful motivator. Add time-sensitive messaging to your ads to push hesitant buyers over the line:
“Only 24 hours left to save 20%!”
“Hurry – limited stock available!”
This works particularly well for cart abandoners or product viewers.
Strategy 5: Upsell and Cross-Sell with Custom Feeds
Previous purchasers are a goldmine for increasing customer lifetime value. Create dedicated ad groups to show complementary or premium products. Examples:
Someone buys a laptop; you show them a high-end laptop bag or wireless mouse.
A skincare customer sees ads for related products in the same line.
Strategy 6: Build a Smart Campaign Structure
Keep your retargeting campaigns separate from prospecting campaigns to avoid overlap. Use dedicated ad groups for each audience and exclude lower-funnel audiences to prevent duplication. For example:
Homepage Visitors Ad Group: Exclude category, product, cart abandoners, and purchasers.
Category Viewers Ad Group: Exclude product viewers, cart abandoners, and purchasers.
Product Viewers Ad Group: Exclude cart abandoners and purchasers.
Cart Abandoners Ad Group: Exclude purchasers.
This structure ensures precise targeting and optimal budget allocation.
Wrapping It Up
Retargeting is about precision and relevance. By segmenting your audiences, using dynamic creatives, and following these advanced strategies, you can turn lost traffic into loyal customers. Nail your setup and you’ll see consistent growth in both sales and ROAS.
Conclusion
In this guide, we explored how to set up and optimise Google Ads retargeting campaigns, from building your audiences to implementing advanced strategies. Key takeaways include:
Segmenting audiences for maximum relevance.
Leveraging dynamic creatives for personalised ads.
Using time-sensitive offers to create urgency.
Upselling and cross-selling to previous purchasers.
Structuring campaigns to avoid overlap and maximise efficiency.
Implement these strategies, and you’ll turn lost visitors into paying customers.