What is retargeting?

Retargeting

Retargeting is a digital advertising strategy that shows ads to people who have already visited your website or interacted with your brand but left without converting. Instead of reaching cold audiences, you're reconnecting with people who already know you exist.

The logic is simple: someone browsed your product page, read your pricing, or added something to their cart. They showed interest. Retargeting keeps your brand visible as they continue browsing other sites, scroll through social media, or watch videos online, giving them reasons to come back and complete the action.

How retargeting works

When someone visits your website, a small piece of code called a pixel places an anonymous cookie in their browser. This cookie doesn't collect personal information, but it does signal to advertising platforms that this person has been to your site.

Later, when that visitor browses other websites or social platforms, the ad network recognizes the cookie and serves your ads. The visitor sees your brand again on a news site, in their Facebook feed, or before a YouTube video.

The process happens automatically once you've set up your pixel and created your campaign. You define the audience (everyone who visited, people who viewed specific pages, cart abandoners), set your budget, and let the ads run.

Pixel-based vs. list-based retargeting

Not all retargeting works the same way. The two main approaches serve different purposes.

Pixel-based retargeting targets anyone who visits your site, even if you don't have their contact information. It's immediate: the moment someone lands on your page, they become eligible for your retargeting ads. This works well for reaching anonymous browsers and scaling your audience quickly.

List-based retargeting uses contact information you already have, like email addresses from your CRM. You upload a list to platforms like Facebook or Google, and they match those contacts to user profiles. This approach gives you more control over exactly who sees your ads, but your reach is limited to contacts you've already collected.

Most businesses use both. Pixel-based retargeting casts a wider net, while list-based retargeting lets you create highly specific campaigns for known contacts at different stages of your marketing automation strategy.

Retargeting vs. remarketing

These terms often get used interchangeably, but there's a distinction worth knowing.

Retargeting typically refers to paid display ads served across websites, social platforms, and ad networks. You're paying for impressions or clicks to bring people back.

Remarketing usually means re-engaging people through email. Think abandoned cart emails, browse abandonment sequences, or win-back campaigns for lapsed customers.

The goal is the same, reconnecting with interested people, but the channels differ. A complete strategy often combines both: retargeting ads keep you visible across the web while remarketing emails land directly in the inbox.

When to use retargeting

Retargeting works best when you already have traffic coming to your site. It's not a tool for generating new visitors; it's a tool for converting the ones you already have.

Consider retargeting when you want to:

• Recover abandoned carts. Someone added products but didn't check out. Show them exactly what they left behind, sometimes with a small incentive to complete the purchase.
• Promote bestsellers. Your most popular products already have social proof. Retargeting puts them in front of people who browsed but didn't buy.
• Launch new products. Past visitors already trust your brand. They're more likely to check out new arrivals than someone who's never heard of you.
• Move slow inventory. Retargeting lets you surface products to people who viewed similar items, giving stale stock a second chance.
• Stay top of mind during long sales cycles. B2B purchases and high-consideration products take time. Retargeting keeps you visible while prospects research and compare.

Common retargeting mistakes

Retargeting can backfire when it's poorly executed. A few pitfalls to avoid:

Showing ads to people who already converted. Nothing feels more tone-deaf than seeing ads for something you just bought. Exclude recent purchasers from your campaigns.

Overexposure. Seeing the same ad ten times doesn't build affinity; it builds annoyance. Set frequency caps to limit how often the same person sees your ad.

Generic creative. If someone viewed a specific product, show them that product. Dynamic retargeting pulls in the exact items a visitor browsed, making ads feel relevant rather than random.

No variation. Running the same ad for weeks gets stale. Rotate creative, test different messages, and refresh your campaigns regularly.

Ignoring the funnel. Someone who read a blog post needs different messaging than someone who abandoned checkout. Segment your audiences and tailor your approach to where they are in the ecommerce sales funnel.

Retargeting across channels

Retargeting isn't limited to banner ads on random websites. You can reach people across multiple platforms:

• Display networks like Google Display Network place your ads on millions of websites, from news outlets to niche blogs.
• Social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn let you retarget visitors within their feeds.
• Search retargeting shows ads to past visitors when they search for related keywords on Google.
• Video platforms like YouTube serve pre-roll or mid-roll ads to people who've been to your site.
• Email retargeting triggers automated messages based on site behavior, a core component of ecommerce marketing.

The best campaigns meet people where they already spend time, rather than hoping they'll stumble back to your site on their own.

FAQs

How is retargeting different from regular display ads?
Regular display ads target people based on demographics, interests, or the content they're viewing. Retargeting specifically targets people who have already interacted with your brand, making it more focused and typically more effective.

Does retargeting work for small businesses?
Yes. Because you're targeting warm audiences rather than cold ones, retargeting often delivers better returns than broad advertising, even on modest budgets.

How long should I retarget someone after they visit my site?
It depends on your sales cycle. For impulse purchases, a few days to a week may be enough. For higher-consideration products, you might retarget for 30 to 90 days. Test different windows to find what works for your audience.

Will retargeting still work without third-party cookies?
The landscape is shifting, but retargeting isn't disappearing. First-party data, server-side tracking, and platform-native audiences like Meta's Custom Audiences provide alternatives as cookie-based tracking becomes less reliable.

Ready to bring visitors back and turn interest into action? Start your free ActiveCampaign trial and see how automation and retargeting work together.