A Quick Guide to PPC Remarketing - Growth Strategies 101

What is PPC

PPC, or pay per click, is an advertising model where ads get displayed to internet users as they browse through different sites, however advertisers only get charged for the clicks.

For example, if a Facebook ad has been seen by 1,000 people, but only 100 click it, then the advertiser will only pay for the 100 clicks. It’s one of the most cost-effective ways of running marketing campaigns on the internet.

What is PPC remarketing

Remarketing, also known as retargeting, is a type of PPC advertising where people who visited an advertiser’s website or mobile app get served with ads based on the pages they visited.

While the standard PPC campaigns target a broader audience consisting of people who may or may not be interested, remarketing specifically targets people who have expressed their interest by visiting the advertiser’s platforms.

How does remarketing work

Remarketing works by using a JavaScript tag to install cookies in a visitor’s browser. The cookies then inform the remarketing platform what pages or products the user viewed on the site, and based on that, it can determine what ads to show them.

For example, if a user abandoned their cart while shopping online, a retargeting ad can recapture their attention by showing them the specific products they had in their cart.

Advantages of PPC remarketing

Remarketing campaigns often have a better ROI and conversion rate than standard PPC campaigns because they target people who are most likely to convert. Here are some advantages of remarketing:

1. Perfectly timed ads

You can target buyers at the very moment when they’re actively researching products and visiting different websites for comparison. That’s when they’re most likely to convert.

2. Guide users down the conversion funnel

Remarketing can help transition leads to the next phases of the conversion funnel. For example, if someone adds a product to their cart, however leaves without checking out, the ads can remind them that they have a product in their cart, and even offer incentives such as discount coupons to encourage them to checkout.

3. Relevant Ads

Remarketing ads are entirely determined by a user’s behavior on a website or app. That means the ads they ultimately get to see are only the ones that are most relevant to them.

4. Segmented campaigns

Segmented campaigns target people in different stages of the conversion funnel. For example, you can create an ad for people who visited a product page but left without adding it to their cart, and a different ad for people who added products to their cart but didn’t checkout.

The ad copies for each segment can be tailored with messages that are specific to where they are in their buying journey, which can lead to improved conversion rates.

5. Seamless ad creation

Retargeting simplifies the ad creation process with the help of dynamic ads (available on both Google and Facebook Ads). Dynamic ads are auto-generated, and combine text, image, and video to design engaging ads that are perfectly responsive on all devices.

Remarketing on Google Ads vs Facebook Ads

In standard PPC advertising, the difference between Google Ads and Facebook Ads is quite substantial. Although both platforms have a massive online reach, Google users have a more active intent. They know what they want, and are in the process of searching for it. For that reason, Google Ads campaigns often get better conversion rates than Facebook Ads campaigns.

Facebook users have a more passive intent. They’re not necessarily searching for products or services, but are mindlessly browsing through their feeds. Campaigns on Facebook Ads would be more suitable for brand awareness.

In remarketing, the difference between the two platforms is more subtle. Both are equally as effective. Remarketing targets people based on their activity on a third-party website or app, and not necessarily on their behavior on the platform.

That means you can achieve similar results on both Google and Facebook Ads. They should be seen as equals rather than competitors (although this only applies to remarketing). To achieve the best possible results, you can run campaigns simultaneously on both platforms.

PPC remarketing on Google Ads

Campaigns on Google Ads reach users on over 2 million websites and apps on the Google Display Network, or GDN, with a reach of around 90% of all internet users worldwide.

Types of remarketing campaigns on Google Ads:

Standard remarketing: This option enables you to show ads to your previous website visitors as they browse through sites and apps in the GDN
Remarketing lists for search ads: This option enables you to show ads to your previous website visitors as they’re researching on Google Search rather than the GDN
Dynamic remarketing: This option enables you to show ads that include products that people saw while visiting your site or app
Video remarketing: This option enables you to show ads to people who watched your videos or visited your YouTube channel
Customer list remarketing: This option enables you to upload lists containing your customers’ contact information, and when they log into their Gmail accounts, your ads will be shown to them

PPC remarketing on Facebook Ads

Campaigns on Facebook Ads target users on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and several other platforms in its audience network. That covers a substantial amount of all internet users globally.

A huge advantage for Facebook Ads over Google Ads is that its ads are integrated directly onto the platform, and are not image banners like on the Google Display Network. Such a seamless integration leads to better ad experiences for users, which can help improve the click-through rates.

More and more people are turning to ad blockers to evade intrusive ads, and it is bad news for advertisers. The size of their potential target audience is gradually shrinking. Since Facebook Ads doesn’t use ad banners, it is largely unaffected by ad blockers.

Types of remarketing campaigns on Facebook Ads:

Viewed but not purchased: This option enables you to show products from your catalog to people who viewed them but did not proceed with the order
Added to cart but not purchased: This option enables you to show products from your catalog to people who added them to their carts but did not complete the order
Upsell products: This option enables you to upsell products to people who viewed similar products from your product set
Cross-sell products: This option enables you to cross-sell products to people who viewed products from your product set
Custom combination: This option enables you to promote products to a custom audience that’s based on how people interact with your products. You can customize the audience by adding various inclusions and exclusions
Sponsored messages: This option enables you to send highly targeted and customized messages to people on Messenger