Digital Marketing Trainer and Consultant

How do you set up a remarketing campaign?

ajayaggarwal

Introduction

Setting up a remarketing campaign in Google Ads allows you to re-engage people who previously visited your website, interacted with your app, or watched your YouTube videos. These users already know your brand, making them more likely to convert. Whether you’re a fashion brand like ZARA reminding users about the dress they left in their cart, or a travel company retargeting visitors who explored holiday packages, remarketing helps boost conversions and lower acquisition costs.

Below is a step-by-step guide to set up a remarketing campaign in Google Ads for Display and Search

Step 1: Set Up the Google Ads Tag (or Use Google Analytics)

To track and collect users for remarketing, you need to tag your website.

Option 1: Use the Google Ads Remarketing Tag

  1. Go to your Google Ads account.

  2. Click on Tools & Settings (wrench icon) > Shared Library > Audience Manager.

  3. Under the “Your Data Sources” tab, click “Set up tag”.

  4. Choose whether you want to collect:

    • General visitors only (basic)

    • Specific actions (e.g., visited certain pages, added to cart)

  5. Copy the tag code and paste it into every page of your website before the </head> tag, or install it using Google Tag Manager.

Option 2: Use Google Analytics for Remarketing

  1. Link Google Analytics to your Google Ads account.

  2. In Google Analytics, enable Advertising Features.

  3. Create audience lists and import them into Google Ads.

Step 2: Create Remarketing Audience Lists

Go to Tools & Settings > Shared Library > Audience Manager and create your audience lists:

  1. Click + Audience List

  2. Choose the source (Website visitors, App users, Customer list, YouTube users)

  3. Select criteria like:

    • All website visitors

    • People who visited a specific product page

    • Cart abandoners (visited cart but not checkout)

    • Past converters

  4. Set membership duration (e.g., 30 days, 90 days)

  5. Name and save the list

Example (ZARA):

  • Create a list called “Viewed Summer Collection – No Purchase”

  • Set rule: URL contains /summer-dresses

  • Duration: 30 days

Step 3: Create a New Remarketing Campaign

Option A: Display Remarketing Campaign

  1. In Google Ads, click Campaigns > + New Campaign

  2. Choose Goal (e.g., Sales, Leads, Website Traffic) or Create a campaign without a goal

  3. Select “Display” as the campaign type

  4. Choose Standard Display Campaign

  5. Enter your website, campaign name, and other settings

  6. Set your daily budget, bidding strategy (e.g., maximize conversions), and locations

Option B: Search Remarketing (RLSA)

Same steps, but choose “Search” instead of “Display.”
RLSA is useful when users return to Google and search for related terms again.

Step 4: Set Audience Targeting

  1. In the campaign setup, go to Audiences

  2. Under “How they interacted with your business,” select “Website visitors”

  3. Choose the audience list(s) you created earlier

  4. You can add more targeting filters if needed (demographics, location, devices)

Step 5: Create Ads

  1. For Display: Upload responsive display ads or image banners

    • Add logo, images (e.g., product photo), headlines, descriptions, CTA

    • Google adjusts them to fit various placements

  2. For Search: Write text ads targeting returning users

    • Use language like “Still thinking?” or “Pick up where you left off”

Example (ZARA):

  • Headline: “Still Looking at That Summer Dress?”

  • Description: “Get 10% off today only. Limited Stock Available.”

  • CTA: “Shop Now”

Step 6: Review and Launch

  1. Double-check:

    • Budget and bidding

    • Audience list(s)

    • Ad creative

    • Devices and location settings

  2. Click “Publish Campaign”

Step 7: Monitor and Optimize

After launch:

  • Go to Campaigns > Audiences to see how your remarketing audiences perform

  • Adjust frequency capping to avoid ad fatigue

  • Exclude people who already converted (e.g., using a “Converted Users” list)

  • Test new offers or creatives for different audience segments

Optional: Set Up Dynamic Remarketing (for E-commerce Brands like ZARA)

Dynamic Remarketing shows the exact product a user viewed on your site.

To set this up:

  1. Set up a Google Merchant Center account and upload your product feed.

  2. Link it to your Google Ads account.

  3. Enable Dynamic Ads in your campaign.

  4. Add parameters to your site (e.g., product ID, page type, etc.).

  5. Google will automatically generate ads showing the viewed product with price and image.

Conclusion

Setting up a remarketing campaign in Google Ads is a strategic way to re-engage users who’ve already interacted with your business. It’s especially useful for e-commerce and fashion brands like ZARA, where visual product recall and timing are critical for conversions.

By following the steps above—installing the remarketing tag, creating audience lists, launching a display or search campaign, and customizing your ad creatives—you can bring back potential customers and improve your return on investment (ROI). Don’t forget to analyze performance and refine your audience targeting for best results.

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