What is Remarketing?

I’ve been planning a trip to San Francisco for a few months and have kept a watchful eye on plane ticket options (ridden with anxiety, I might add – to say I find flying a discomfort is an understatement). Needless to say, it took some time for me to decide to fly cross-country.

During this months-long process, I began to notice ads for San Francisco flights, hotels, and rental cars on what seemed like every website I visited (even Facebook). To some, this may seem like a pure coincidence. But what seems like a coincidence to most is actually a genius marketing tactic—and a core part of a modern digital marketing strategy: remarketing.

So, what is remarketing?

To answer the question simply, remarketing (or retargeting) is a method that allows you to show ads to users who have visited your website. Many businesses use remarketing services to stay connected with potential customers who didn’t convert the first time.

During setup, picking who to remarket to can be as general as someone who has visited your website to someone who has viewed a specific product on a specific page and, for whatever reason, abandoned purchase (my reason: not wanting to take the leap and conquer my irrational flying fear).

Why Use Remarketing?

There are two key reasons why many companies use remarketing:

1. It’s relevant to the user (Google is adamant about providing useful, relevant content in its ads—definitely not a bad thing)
2. It engages customers with a strong potential to buy, making it a critical part of conversion-focused marketing.

If I’m going to be advertised to, I want it to be a product or service that is relevant to me and is something I’d actually purchase. My flight to San Francisco falls into both of those categories, and upon seeing these ads, it felt like a nudge for me to come closer to buying my ticket (and was the reason I finally chose the airline I chose).

This is exactly why remarketing works—and why businesses include it in their online advertising campaigns.

How Does Remarketing Work?

The “what” and “why” parts are covered—now onto the “how.”

Here’s how remarketing works (in a nutshell):

1. A user visits a page on a website (it is up to the marketer to decide what that key page is).
2. A tracking cookie is placed on the user’s device to monitor activity for a set timeframe.
3. When that user visits other Google Network websites (YouTube, Gmail, any other website affiliated with Google AdSense, Facebook, etc.), ads will appear relating to that key page the cookies were set to track.

A perfect example of this is my search for flights to San Francisco and the ads that followed me across platforms.

Another example: I recently searched on OfficeDepot.com for a new office bookshelf. Later, while watching YouTube, I was shown an ad for the exact bookcase I viewed—complete with price and a direct link to add it to my cart.

Remarketing: An Invasion of User Privacy?

There’s a common perception that marketers are “watching” users and pushing them to buy things they don’t need. With remarketing ads showcasing not only related products but exact products viewed, it’s understandable why people question privacy.

(For the record: you can disable cookies to limit this type of tracking.)

However, is it really such a bad thing that companies (like Google) are working hard to ensure that you’re seeing a customized ad relating to something you’re ALREADY looking for?

Let’s go back to my flight search. After spending time researching and then walking away, I saw a United Airlines ad on Facebook. It stood out because it aligned perfectly with my situation, departure airport, destination, and pricing sensitivity.

That wasn’t random. That was a well-executed online advertising campaign doing exactly what it’s designed to do: bring a ready-to-buy customer back at the right time.

If you’re already searching for something and a company presents a timely reminder, that can be the difference between hesitation and action, and ultimately, a strong return on investment for the business.

Why this works (and why businesses invest in it)

Remarketing succeeds because it meets people where they already are in the decision-making process. Instead of trying to generate brand-new interest, it reinforces existing intent.

For businesses, this means:

• More efficient ad spend
• Higher conversion rates
• Better alignment with customer behavior

And for customers, it often means less noise and more relevant options.

If your business is generating traffic but not converting it, remarketing is often the missing piece.
Explore how ATILUS builds conversion-focused digital marketing strategies that turn missed opportunities into measurable growth.