What Is Retargeting in Advertising? (And How to Use It)
Retargeting shows ads to people who've already visited your website. It's one of the highest-ROI ad strategies for small businesses.
2 min read · Updated 2026-04-15
Short answer
Retargeting shows ads specifically to people who've already visited your website, viewed a product, or added to cart — but didn't buy. These people already know you exist, making them far more likely to convert than cold audiences.
How retargeting works
- A visitor comes to your website
- A cookie or pixel tags that visitor's browser
- As they browse other websites, Facebook, or Google, your ad appears
- They click and return to complete their purchase
Why retargeting works so well
- Cold audience conversion rate: 1–3%
- Retargeting conversion rate: 5–15%
People who've seen your brand before are warmer, more trusting, and further along in their decision. You're not introducing yourself — you're following up.
Types of retargeting
Website retargeting — showed ads to anyone who visited specific pages (product pages, pricing page)
Cart abandonment retargeting — target specifically people who added to cart but didn't buy (your hottest audience)
Video view retargeting — target people who watched 50%+ of your video
Customer list retargeting — upload email list and show ads to existing customers (for upsells or re-engagement)
Platforms for retargeting
- Meta (Facebook/Instagram) — requires Meta Pixel installed on your site
- Google — requires Google tag, shows ads across millions of websites
- LinkedIn — for B2B retargeting
Budget allocation
Retargeting audiences are small (only your website visitors) so they don't need large budgets. $5–$20/day is often enough. Put the majority of your budget into cold traffic and a smaller portion into retargeting.