Remarketing on the Google Content Network

It would seem Google has been dabbling in remarketing for a while. We first noticed it in the SERPs a few years ago. Historically, session-based broad match has been active within the search side of PPC; rumors run rampant that a new version of remarketing, on the content network, is in BETA and will be available to Adwords advertisers who qualify.

What is Remarketing?

Remarketing (online) is serving ads to users who've seen some aspect of your site, but didn't take a desired action. For an example, let's say a visitor is browsing your site and ends up on a key page. From this page, said visitor could convert, but instead backs out.

Then this visitor heads to another site – a site on the content network. There s/he is then served up with an ad hauntingly reminiscent of the hotel site recently visited.

Why Remarket?

What's the point of remarketing to someone who's left your site, anyway? Well, for starters, if a visitor has already been to your site – i.e., shown an interest in what you're offering – they're a pre-qualified lead. Just because they didn't take 'action' the first time doesn't mean they won't if given the opportunity again. It's much easier to 'close' an interested party than a new visitor.

As with anything in BETA, only time will tell how it'll impact advertisers – or users, for that matter – but we're pretty optimistic about Google's venture into content network remarketing.