Retargeting

Retargeting (also called remarketing) is a form of online advertising that follows up with people who have already visited your website. After someone browses your site without making a purchase or filling out a form, retargeting displays your ads to them as they browse other websites, scroll through social media, or watch YouTube videos. It’s a second chance to bring back visitors who showed initial interest but weren’t ready to convert.

The reason retargeting works so well is that most website visitors don’t convert on their first visit. Studies consistently show that 96-98% of website visitors leave without taking a desired action. Some were just researching. Others got distracted. Some needed more time to decide. Retargeting keeps your business visible during this consideration period, gently reminding prospects that you exist and giving them another opportunity to come back.

For small businesses, retargeting is one of the most cost-effective forms of paid advertising. Because you’re targeting people who already know your business (they visited your website), click-through rates and conversion rates are typically much higher than standard display ads. You’re not introducing yourself to a cold audience — you’re following up with warm prospects. This makes retargeting budgets work harder and produce better returns per dollar spent.

Setting up retargeting requires adding a small piece of tracking code (called a pixel) to your website. Both Google Ads and Meta (Facebook/Instagram) offer retargeting options. Start simple: create one campaign that targets all website visitors from the past 30 days with a compelling offer or reminder. As you get more comfortable, you can create more specific audiences — like people who visited your pricing page but didn’t request a quote — with tailored messaging for each group.