Targeting returning visitors is a highly effective way to re-engage users who have already shown interest in your business (like UTDS Optimal Choice). This is achieved by creating Remarketing Lists in Google Analytics or Google Ads and then applying those lists to your campaigns.

The process involves two main stages: Creating the Audience List and Applying the List to a Campaign.

Part 1: Creating the Remarketing List (Audience Manager)

You must first define the group of “returning visitors” you want to target. This is done in the Audience Manager section of Google Ads.

1. Log In to your Google Ads account.

2. Click the Tools in the left side menu..

3. Under the ‘Shared library‘ section, click Audience manager.

4. Click the      and select Website visitors.

5. Name your list (e.g., “UTDS – All Website Visitors – 90 Days”).

6. Customer Type: It’s optional, you can narrow down by selecting a customer type

7. List Members: Define your criteria:

• Segment Members: Select Visitors of a web page.

• Action: Select Web page visit 

• Membership Duration: Set this to the desired duration (e.g., 90 days). This means a user will remain on the list and be eligible for targeting for 90 days after their last visit. 

• click Refine Action

• This action must match every parameter below: Select Page URL and the condition contains or equals your website root URL (e.g., utds.io).

• Initial List Size: Choose Pre-fill with existing users from the last 30 days to populate the list immediately.

8. Click Create Audience. (it takes up-to 72 hours to create/populate the list)

Part 2: Applying the Remarketing List to a Campaign

Once the list is built and populated, you apply it to a Search or Display campaign to target those users.

1. Navigate to Audiences

1. Click Campaigns in the left side menu, navigate to Audiences, keywords, and content and Select Audiences.

2. Click Edit Audience Segments.

2. Apply the List (Targeting vs. Observation)

1. Choose your target campaign or ad group.

2. Choose the Observation (recommended) for broad reach and Choose Targeting if you want to narrow down the reach

3. Under the Browse section, click How they have interacted with your business 

4. Click Website visitors and select the list you created (e.g., “UTDS – All Website Visitors – 90 Days”).

5. Crucially, choose the correct setting:

3. Set a Bid Adjustment (For Observation)

If you chose Observation:

1. In the Audiences table, find the list you just added.

2. In the Bid adjustment column, set a positive adjustment (e.g., Increase 30%).

Result: You will now bid 30% higher for a user who searches for a generic term (e.g., “best ERP solution”) if they are also on your “UTDS – All Website Visitors” list, as they are a more qualified lead.

Key Considerations

• Minimum Threshold: For the list to be eligible to run on Google Search, it must have a minimum of 1,000 active users in the last 30 days.Display campaigns have a lower threshold.

• Layering: The most powerful strategy is to layer (using Observation) your remarketing lists onto your generic non-brand search campaigns and use high bid adjustments to capture them at the moment of searching.