What two types of Remarketing can be used on Google Display Ads?

One of the most effective strategies in a marketer’s toolbox in the constantly changing world of digital advertising is remarketing. two types of Remarketing If you’ve ever visited a website, left without making a purchase, and then noticed ads from that same brand following you around the internet—congratulations, you’ve just experienced remarketing in action. Now that you are using Google Display Ads, known the various forms of remarketing will help you smart reconnect with your audience and greatly increase your return on investment.

What are the two primary remarketing strategies that Google Display Ads employ?

Let’s dissect it in a straightforward, kind manner without using too much terminology.

start by defining remarketing.

quickly review the definition of remarketing before delving into the two categories.

Remarketing, sometimes referred to as retargeting, is a type of online advertising that focuses on those who have already interacted with your mobile app or website. This could mean they visited a product page, added something to their cart, read a blog post, or even just browsed your homepage.

These ads appear across the Google Display Network (GDN)—which includes over 2 million websites, apps, and videos—keeping your brand top-of-mind and encouraging users to return and take action.

What Makes Remarketing Important?

The truth is that the majority of visitors to your website do not convert on their first visit. Actually, research indicates that just around 2% of visitors to websites convert on their first visit. This indicates that a staggering 98% of your prospective clients are abandoning your site without making a purchase, registering, or performing any other desired activity.

You have a second, third, and fourth chance to regain their trust through remarketing.

Benefits include:

• Re-engaging warm leads
• Increasing conversion rates
• Enhancing brand recall
• Offering personalized ad experiences

Now, let’s dive into the two main types of remarketing that you can use with Google Display Ads.

1. Standard Remarketing

What is it?

Standard remarketing allows you to show ads to past visitors as they browse sites and apps on the Google Display Network. It’s the most basic and widely used form of remarketing. Let’s say someone visits your e-commerce site, clicks on a few products, but doesn’t make a purchase. With standard remarketing, you can show them relevant display ads featuring those products or offers to remind them of what they were interested in.

How it works:

• You add a Google Ads remarketing tag (a small snippet of code) to your website or app.
• When a visitor lands on your site, the tag adds them to a remarketing list.
• You can create specific lists based on user behavior (e.g., “Visited pricing page,” or “Abandoned cart”).
• Google will then display your ads to these users as they browse the web.

Example:                                                    

If you’re a travel agency and someone visits your “Bali vacation packages” page but doesn’t book, standard remarketing helps you show them ads like “Still dreaming of Bali? Let’s make it happen!”

It’s a subtle nudge to bring them back.

Best for:

• Reminding users who browsed your website
• Retargeting general visitors who didn’t convert
• Broad campaigns with wide visibility

2. Dynamic remarketing

Dynamic remarketing takes things a step further. It not only shows ads to previous visitors—it personalizes those ads based on exactly what they viewed on your site. So, instead of a generic ad, you can serve up an ad that says, “Hey, remember this exact red dress you looked at yesterday? It’s still waiting for you!”

Although travel, real estate, education, and employment portals can also use dynamic remarketing, it is most effective for e-commerce companies with extensive product libraries.

How it works:

• Similar to standard remarketing, you use a remarketing tag—but in this case, you also implement a custom feed.
• The feed contains product or service details like images, pricing, descriptions, and availability.
• Google automatically pulls the right product info from your feed and inserts it into dynamic display ads tailored to the individual user.

Example:

If a customer browses your online shoe store and checks out Nike Air Jordans, Google can show them an ad with that exact pair of shoes, including price and discount, across websites they visit.

This increases the chances of them clicking and buying because it feels personalized—and relevant.

Best for:

• E-commerce sites with multiple products
• Companies that wish to display the availability of their products in real time
• Personalized, high-converting ad campaigns

Key Differences Between Standard and Dynamic Remarketing

Tips to Make the Most of Your Remarketing Campaigns

1. Segment Your Audience: Don’t just remarket to all visitors. Break them down—product viewers, cart abandoners, blog readers, etc.—and tailor your message.
2. Frequency Capping: You don’t want to annoy users by showing your ad 20 times a day. Choose the frequency at which you would like your adverts to appear.
3. Use Exclusions: Remove converters from your list. If someone already bought your product, you don’t want to waste ad spend targeting them again (unless upselling).
4. Time Your Campaigns: Consider how long it takes for your customers to make a decision. Some products require longer consideration, so extend your campaign duration.
5. A/B Test Your Ads: Try different visuals, messages, and CTAs to see what works best. Avoid setting it and forgetting it.
6. Optimize for Mobile: A significant chunk of traffic is on mobile. Make sure your remarketing ads look great on all devices.

Final Thoughts

If you’re running Google Display Ads and not using remarketing—you’re leaving money on the table.

To recap:

• Standard remarketing helps you stay in front of users who visited your site but didn’t convert.
• Dynamic remarketing takes it further by showing them exact products or services they viewed, with real-time updates.

Both strategies are incredibly effective—but the right one for you depends on your business model, goals, and how deep you want to go with personalization.

At the end of the day, remarketing is all about timing and relevance. When done right, it feels less like advertising and more like a helpful reminder.

So, set up your remarketing lists, personalize your messaging, and turn those missed opportunities into meaningful conversions.