Retargeting means showing ads to people who have already met your business: they visited the site, watched a video or opened a form and left. For a service business it can be useful. It can also be an expensive way to remind people who never intended to buy, or to pester people who already did.
First check whether there is anyone to retarget
An audience needs to be large enough to run ads to. If your site has a few visitors a day, a retargeting campaign has little to work with, and the small group will see the ad too often. In that case, spend on reaching new people first.
Choose the audience by behaviour
| Group | What they did | What to show |
|---|---|---|
| Warm visitors | Read the service page, did not enquire | A reason to act, or an answer to the likely objection |
| Nearly enquired | Opened the form and left | A gentler nudge, and possibly an easier way to reach you, such as WhatsApp |
| Video viewers | Watched most of a video | The next step in the story, or a proof point |
| Existing customers and leads | Already enquired | Exclude from acquisition ads. Consider separate ads for referrals or repeat service |
Set a window
People who visited yesterday are warmer than people who visited three months ago. Use shorter windows for higher intent and longer ones for lower intent. Tune the length by how long your customers normally take to decide. A quick service has a short decision cycle. A big commitment has a long one.
Do not repeat the first ad
A person who saw your ad and clicked has already seen that message. Show them something new: an answer, a piece of proof, the process, a real example. The purpose is to move the decision forward, not to repeat the introduction.
Watch the frequency
Small audiences hit high frequency quickly. If you see it climbing and results dropping, reduce the budget or rest the ad. See when frequency is too high.
Where retargeting audiences come from
- People who visited specific pages, such as a service page or a pricing page.
- People who watched a set share of a video.
- People who engaged with your page or profile.
- People who opened a form and did not send it.
Each list has a different level of interest. Combine them thoughtfully and avoid overlapping lists that bid against each other.
What to exclude
Exclude people who have already enquired or become customers, from acquisition ads. Exclude very old visitors if their interest has probably faded. Excluding well is as valuable as targeting well.
Creative ideas for people who nearly enquired
- A short answer to the question they probably had, in the words a customer would use.
- A real example of a similar customer, described honestly.
- A simple explanation of the next step and how long it takes.
- An easy way to talk: a message, a call, a booking link.
Know the limits
Retargeting cannot create interest. It can only bring back people who already had some. If very few visitors show interest, work on the page and the offer before you spend on bringing them back.
Privacy and consent
Retargeting depends on recording visits. That has to sit properly with your consent banner and privacy policy, and the recorded audience will be smaller when people decline. Tell your developer or agency what your banner does, and plan on a smaller audience than raw traffic suggests. Tracking foundations are covered in conversion tracking setup.