Retargeting / Remarketing
Advertising to users who have previously visited your website or interacted with your brand.
Full definition
Retargeting (paid social terminology) and remarketing (Google's terminology) refer to showing ads to people who have previously engaged with your website, app, or content. This is done by placing a tracking pixel on your site that creates audience segments (e.g. 'viewed product page but did not purchase'). Retargeting is highly efficient because the audience already has brand awareness — typical conversion rates are 3–5× higher than cold prospecting. Common strategies include dynamic product ads (showing the exact products a user viewed), cart abandonment sequences, and content consumption follow-up. Privacy changes (iOS 14.5+, cookie deprecation) have reduced pixel match rates, making first-party data lists more valuable.
Real-world example
A furniture retailer runs dynamic retargeting ads showing the exact sofa a user viewed. This retargeting audience converts at 4.8% versus 0.9% for cold audiences, at one-third the CPA.
Related terms
A targeting feature that finds new users who share characteristics with an existing audience of customers or high-value users.
Read definitionThe average cost spent on advertising to acquire one customer or conversion.
Read definitionThe cost of 1,000 ad impressions, used as the pricing model for display and social media advertising.
Read definitionA metric measuring revenue generated for every pound or dollar spent on advertising.
Read definitionReady to apply this to your business?
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