What is Search Retargeting & How Does It Work?
When a user is on Google and searches for “athletic shoes,” companies like Nike and Skechers probably want their ads to continuously show up for those users online because they’re currently in the market for a product they sell.
But how could they do that when the user isn’t searching for them and perhaps doesn’t even know that their company sells athletic shoes?
That’s where search retargeting comes in. With this behavioral targeting, companies can have their ads show up on search engine results pages (SERPs) and social media sites after a user types in certain keywords.
This is a popular strategy among marketers. In fact, 68% of marketing agencies and 49% of brands have a dedicated budget for retargeting. Additionally, it’s also popular among online users — 25% of online viewers enjoy seeing retargeted ads.
In this post, let’s discuss what search retargeting is, how it works, and how you can use it to reach new audiences.
Continuing the example above, if a user searched for “athletic shoes,” they might go on Facebook a few days later and see an ad for Nike or Skechers. This would mean that the company has set up a digital campaign to retarget users who are searching for athletic shoes in search engines.
Now you might be wondering, “How does this work?” Let’s dive in below.
How does search retargeting work?
Essentially, search retargeting works through automation. Once a user searches for a keyword, certain display ads will begin to appear on their SERPs, social media, and other pages they visit online.
This works by creating a custom audience for your display ads. To do this, you’ll create a list of keywords that are relevant to your business. You can choose to retarget people who use broad, exact, or phrase-matched keywords.
Then, you’ll go to your search engine ads (whether on Google, Yahoo, or Bing) or any software you use to set up your display advertising and use their ecosystem to set up your campaign. The search engine or software will then use their data to retarget those users and display your ads to them online.
The idea is that a user will be searching for a product, see your company’s ad, and then hopefully either visit your site then or consider coming back to your site when they’re ready to make a purchase.
Before we dive too deep into search retargeting, right now you’re probably thinking about site retargeting and asking yourself, “Isn’t this the same thing?” The answer is no, but let’s expand below.
The great thing about search retargeting is that the user doesn’t even have to be aware your company exists. They’ll see your ads because they’re looking for a certain product or service, whether they know of your brand or not.
While site retargeting helps those in the consideration/decision phase of the purchasing process, search retargeting is for those who are in the awareness phase. The main difference is the type of consumer …read more
Source:: HubSpot Blog
