A few months ago, I sat down with a Brisbane-based retailer who was frustrated. They were spending thousands on Google Ads remarketing, yet their conversion rate was plummeting.
"We’re everywhere," the owner told me. "If someone looks at a pair of boots on our site, those boots follow them to the news, their weather app, and even their favourite cooking blog for the next 30 days. Why aren't they buying?"
I looked at their setup and saw the same mistake thousands of Australian SMEs make: they weren't remarketing; they were digital stalking.
In 2026, the "follow them until they buy or die" strategy is dead. It’s annoying, it’s wasteful, and frankly, it’s lazy marketing. If you want to actually move the needle, you need to stop treating every site visitor like a lead and start treating them like a human being with a very short attention span.
Myth #1: The "All Visitors" Audience is a Goldmine
Most agencies will tell you to slap a tag on your site and retarget "All Visitors" for 30 days. This is absolute rubbish.
Think about your own browsing habits. You accidentally click an ad, realise it’s not what you wanted, and bounce within three seconds. Should that brand spend money following you around the internet for a month? Of course not.
By targeting everyone, you are diluting your budget on "accidental" traffic and people who have already decided your offer isn't for them. Instead of a broad net, you need to use segmentation strategies that filter for intent.
The Fix: Create a "High Intent" audience. Only retarget users who spent more than 60 seconds on your site or visited at least three pages. If they didn't stay, they aren't interested. Move on.
Myth #2: More Frequency Equals More Sales
There is a toxic belief in the industry that if a customer sees your ad 20 times, they are 20 times more likely to buy. In reality, there is a "fatigue point" where your brand goes from being "helpful" to "that annoying company that won't leave me alone."
I’ve seen Queensland businesses burn through their entire monthly budget in ten days because they didn't set frequency caps. They were hitting the same 500 people 15 times a day.
The Fix: Set a frequency cap of 2 or 3 impressions per day. If they haven't clicked after 10 exposures across a week, they likely won't. You are better off using that budget to find fresh prospects via smart bidding rather than flogging a dead horse.
Myth #3: Remarketing is Only for the Display Network
When most people hear "remarketing," they think of those annoying banner ads on the side of a website. This is a massive missed opportunity.
RLSA (Remarketing Lists for Search Ads) is the most undervalued tool in the Google Ads arsenal. It allows you to bid higher or change your ad copy when someone who has previously visited your site searches for your keywords again.
A Real-World Example
Imagine you run a plumbing business in Chermside. A user visits your site looking for "hot water repair" but doesn't call. Two days later, they search for "emergency plumber Brisbane."With RLSA, you can show them a specific ad that says: "Still need that hot water fixed? Get $50 off your emergency call-out today!"
That isn't stalking; that’s being relevant. It’s using audience signals to provide a solution at the exact moment the pain point returns.
The "Post-Purchase" Black Hole
Nothing kills brand loyalty faster than seeing an ad for a 20% discount on a product you bought at full price yesterday. Yet, I see this daily.
If your remarketing strategy doesn't include a robust exclusion list, you are actively burning money to irritate your best customers.
1. Exclude Converters: As soon as someone hits your "Thank You" page, move them from your "Prospecting" list to a "Customer" list. 2. Upsell, Don't Repeat: Don't show them the same product. If they bought a lawnmower, show them an ad for blades or a service kit 90 days later. 3. Clean Your Lists: Just as you would prune negative keywords to save money, you must prune your audiences to ensure you aren't paying for irrelevant eyeballs.
The Bottom Line
Remarketing in 2026 isn't about persistence; it’s about relevance. If you are still running a single "All Visitors" list with no frequency caps and no exclusions, you aren't marketing—you're gambling.
Stop chasing clicks and start engineering experiences. Your customers (and your bank account) will thank you for it.
Is your Google Ads account leaking money on useless retargeting? At Local Marketing Group, we specialise in cutting the fluff and focusing on what actually drives profit for Brisbane businesses. Contact us today for a brutal, honest audit of your current strategy.