Most people don’t enquire the first time they visit a website. They are comparing options, checking prices or just not ready yet. Then life gets busy and they forget about you. Retargeting is a way to stay in front of those people with ads after they leave your site.
This guide explains how retargeting works, when it makes sense for a small business, how to do it without annoying people and what to be careful about with privacy.
How retargeting works
When someone visits your website, a small piece of tracking code, such as the Meta pixel or a Google tag, can record the visit. You can then show ads specifically to people who have visited, on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and websites in Google’s advertising network.
You can also build audiences from people who have engaged with your social media profiles, watched your videos or, with consent, are on your customer list.
Why it can work well for small businesses
- The audience already knows you. They have shown interest, so a reminder is more relevant than an ad to a stranger.
- Audiences are small, so budgets can be modest.
- It supports longer decisions, such as renovations, professional services or larger purchases, where people take time to decide.
When retargeting makes sense
Retargeting needs enough visitors to build an audience. If your website only gets a handful of visits a week, the audience may be too small to reach reliably. In that case, focus first on getting the right traffic through search, your Google Business Profile or prospecting ads. Our guide to Google Ads vs Facebook Ads can help you choose.
Ideas for retargeting ads
- Reviews and testimonials that answer “can I trust them?”
- Before-and-after photos or project videos that show results.
- Answers to common objections, such as pricing, timing or process.
- A clear, specific offer, such as a free measure and quote.
- Reminders for people who viewed a specific service, showing ads about that service.
Real photos usually work better than stock images here. See real photos vs stock images.
Don’t overdo it
Seeing the same ad over and over is irritating, and it can make a business look desperate. A few ways to keep it respectful:
- Limit the time window. Target visitors from the last 30 days or so, rather than indefinitely.
- Refresh your ads every few weeks so people aren’t seeing the same one repeatedly.
- Exclude people who have already converted, such as existing customers or recent enquiries, where you can.
- Watch frequency, the average number of times each person sees your ads.
Privacy and consent
Retargeting relies on tracking, so be transparent about it:
- Mention in your privacy policy that you use cookies and similar technology for analytics and advertising. See our guide to website privacy policies.
- If you use a cookie consent tool, make sure tracking respects people’s choices.
- Only upload customer lists to advertising platforms where you have the right to use that information for marketing.
- Avoid targeting based on sensitive information, such as health conditions, and follow each platform’s advertising policies.
Browsers and devices also increasingly limit tracking, so retargeting audiences may be smaller than your actual visitor numbers. That’s normal.
Setting it up
- Install the Meta pixel and Google tag on your website and check they are recording visits.
- Create audiences, such as “all website visitors in the last 30 days” and “visitors to a key service page”.
- Create two or three simple ads with different messages.
- Set a modest daily budget and a frequency you are comfortable with.
- Review results after a few weeks, looking at enquiries rather than clicks.
For budgets, see how much to spend on Facebook and Instagram ads.
Want help setting up retargeting?
Madexify sets up tracking and retargeting campaigns for small businesses across Pakenham, Officer, Beaconsfield, Berwick, Narre Warren, Cranbourne, Clyde and Bunyip, with sensible frequency limits and reporting focused on enquiries. See our social media marketing services, or contact us to talk about your ads.
This article is part of our Online Advertising Guide. Browse all our guides on the guides page.
