Explainer
Retargeting for small business: what it is and how to do it well
Retargeting shows ads to people who have already visited your website or engaged with you, reminding them or giving them a reason to return. It works by building audiences from site visits or interactions. Done well, it is a small, well-timed, relevant nudge. Done badly, it follows people around for weeks and wastes budget.
How it works
- A tag or pixel on your site, or your platform interactions, records that someone visited or engaged.
- The ad platform puts those people in a custom audience.
- You run ads aimed only at that audience, with a message that suits where they got to.
Both Meta and Google offer this, under names such as custom audiences and remarketing lists.
Audiences worth building
- All website visitors in the last 30 days. A broad, fresh audience for a gentle reminder.
- Visited a specific page. For example the pricing or booking page, for a more specific message.
- Started but did not finish. People who began a form or checkout and left.
- Engaged with your social profile or ads. People who watched, saved, or messaged.
- Existing customers (from your own list, handled lawfully), for repeat offers or to exclude them from acquisition ads.
Message by stage
| Where they got to | What to say |
|---|---|
| Looked at your site | Reinforce what you do and who you do it for; add proof. |
| Viewed a product or service | Answer the likely doubt: price, trust, how it works. |
| Started but did not finish | Make the next step easy; mention the guarantee or support. |
| Already bought | Stop the acquisition ad. Offer a related item or a review request. |
How to avoid wasting money or annoying people
- Exclude people who have already converted. Nothing is more irritating than ads for something you just bought.
- Use sensible time windows. Shorter for impulse buys, longer for considered purchases.
- Limit how often people see the ad. Watch frequency, and refresh creative. See creative fatigue.
- Do not retarget everyone with the same ad. Match the message to the stage.
- Be aware of audience size. Platforms need a minimum number of people before they deliver, so very small sites may not qualify.
Privacy and rules
- Your privacy notice should explain that you use tags and pixels, why, and who receives the data.
- Do not build audiences from sensitive information.
- Platforms and browsers keep changing what tracking they allow, so check current documentation and expect audiences to be smaller than your traffic.
This is general information, not legal advice. For your own setup, check the Privacy Commissioner's guidance on online tracking.
Where creative fits
Retargeting works best with creative made for people who already know you: objection handlers, proof and offers. See how many concepts to test.