Retargeting & Remarketing: Complete Beginner's Guide

By Lukas Schmidt

Performance Marketing Specialists Reviewed by Senior Media Buyers

Published May 4, 2026

11 min read · Strategy

97% of website visitors leave without converting on their first visit. Retargeting, also called remarketing, brings them back by showing targeted ads to people who've already interacted with your brand. It's one of the highest-ROI advertising strategies available, typically delivering 2-3x the conversion rates of cold prospecting campaigns.

What Is Retargeting?

Retargeting (or remarketing) is an advertising strategy that shows ads to people who have previously visited your website, used your app, or engaged with your content. It works through tracking pixels, small pieces of code placed on your website that identify visitors and add them to audience lists you can target with ads.

How Retargeting Works

1. Install tracking pixel: Place your retargeting pixel (Google Ads tag, Meta Pixel, etc.) on your website
2. Build audience lists: The pixel automatically adds visitors to your retargeting audiences
3. Create segmented campaigns: Build campaigns targeting specific audience segments (homepage visitors, product viewers, cart abandoners)
4. Show relevant ads: Display personalised ads that reference what the user previously viewed or did
5. Convert: Users return to your site with higher intent, resulting in significantly higher conversion rates

Types of Retargeting

Pixel-Based Retargeting (Most Common)

Uses tracking pixels on your website to identify and retarget visitors. Available on every major platform (Google, Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, Microsoft). Advantages: automatic audience building, real-time targeting, behavioural segmentation.

List-Based Retargeting

Upload your email list or phone numbers to advertising platforms to match against their user base. Available on Meta (Custom Audiences), Google (Customer Match), LinkedIn (Matched Audiences). Best for targeting existing customers or leads from your CRM.

Dynamic Retargeting

Automatically shows ads featuring the specific products or services a user viewed on your site. Most powerful for e-commerce, shows the exact product someone browsed with current pricing and availability.

Video Retargeting

Target people who watched your videos on YouTube, TikTok, or Meta. Segment by watch duration (25%, 50%, 75%, 100%) to identify high-intent viewers.

Audience Segmentation Strategy

Platform-Specific Setup

Google Ads Remarketing

• Install Google Ads tag and enable Google Analytics 4 audiences
• Create audience lists in Google Ads (minimum 100 users for display, 1,000 for search)
• Launch Display remarketing campaigns and Remarketing Lists for Search Ads (RLSA)
• Use dynamic remarketing with your product feed for e-commerce

Meta (Facebook/Instagram) Retargeting

• Install Meta Pixel on all pages and configure standard events (ViewContent, AddToCart, Purchase)
• Create Custom Audiences based on website activity, video views, or customer lists
• Build Lookalike Audiences from your best retargeting segments
• Use Advantage+ catalogue ads for dynamic product retargeting

Creative Best Practices for Retargeting

• Acknowledge the return: "Still thinking about it?" or "You left something behind" recognises the prior visit
• Create urgency: Limited stock notices, countdown timers, or expiring discounts drive action
• Social proof: Display reviews, ratings, and testimonials to address customer concerns
• Offer incentives: Small discounts (5-10%) can be just the thing to persuade cart abandoners
• Sequential messaging: Rotate different messages over time rather than showing the same ad repeatedly

For advanced retargeting techniques, see our Retargeting Strategies for 2026 and Complete PPC Strategy Guide.