How to Create Google Ads Remarketing Campaigns

Ever felt like someone walked into your shop in Fortitude Valley, looked around, and walked out just as they were about to buy? In the digital world, that happens constantly. Remarketing is your way of gently tapping them on the shoulder while they’re browsing other sites and saying, “Hey, remember that thing you liked?”

For Australian small businesses, this is often the highest ROI activity you can do. Why? Because you aren't paying to find new people; you’re paying to stay top-of-mind with people who already know you. Let’s get your ads back in front of them.

Prerequisites: What You’ll Need

• A Google Ads Account: Already set up and linked to your billing.
• Google Tag Manager or the Google Tag: Installed on your website (this is how Google tracks who visits).
• A Privacy Policy: Australian law (and Google’s terms) requires you to disclose that you use cookies for tracking.
• Creative Assets: At least a few high-quality images of your products/services and your logo.

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Step 1: Set Up Your Data Source

• Log into your Google Ads account.
• Click on the Tools and Settings icon (the little wrench) in the top menu.
• Under the Shared Library column, select Audience Manager.
• On the left-hand sidebar, click Your data sources.
• You’ll see a card for 'Google Ads tag'. Click Set up tag. (If it’s already set up, you’ll see 'Details' instead—great job, you can skip to Step 2!).
• Select 'Only collect general website visit data' (this is easiest for beginners).
• Click Save and Continue.

Step 2: Create Your Remarketing List

• In the same Audience Manager screen, click on the Segments tab.
• Click the blue + button and select Website visitors.
• Segment Name: Give it a clear name like "All Visitors - 30 Days".
• Segment Members: Keep it as "Visitors of a page".
• Visited Page: Set the rule to "Page URL contains" and then just put your domain (e.g., yourbusiness.com.au).
• Membership Duration: Set this to 30 days.

Step 3: Start a New Campaign

• Click the + Create button on the main Google Ads dashboard and select Campaign.
• Choose Sales or Leads as your objective (or 'Create a campaign without a goal's guidance' if you want full control).
• Select Display as your campaign type. Remarketing works best with visual ads that follow users across the web.
• Scroll down, give your campaign a name (e.g., "Remarketing - All Visitors"), and hit Continue.

Step 4: Targeting & Australian Locations

• Locations: Select "Enter another location". If you only serve Brisbane, type in "Brisbane, Queensland". Don't leave it on "Australia" if you can't ship to Perth!
• Languages: Set to English.
• Bidding: Start with "Maximise conversions" if you have tracking set up, or "Manual CPC" if you want to keep a tight lid on costs.
• Budget: Start small. Even $5–$10 a day is enough for a small remarketing list. You can always scale up once you see the leads rolling in.

Step 5: Attach Your Audience

• In the Targeting section, click Add targeting.
• Select Audience segments.
• Click the Browse tab, then select How they have interacted with your business.
• Select Website visitors and tick the box for the "All Visitors - 30 Days" list you created in Step 2.
• Crucial Step: You might see a toggle for "Optimised targeting". I usually recommend turning this OFF for your first remarketing campaign. You want to ensure you are only hitting people who have actually visited your site.

Step 6: Create Your Ads

• Final URL: This should be the page you want them to land on (often your homepage or a specific service page).
• Images: Upload at least one square and one landscape image. Avoid images with too much text—Google hates that and might reject the ad.
• Headlines: Write something catchy.

• Description: Give them a reason to click. Mention your ABN, your local history, or a special offer like "10% off for first-time customers."

Step 7: Review and Launch

(Don't worry if the preview looks a bit funky—Google automatically adjusts the layout to fit the millions of different websites in their network. It's rarely pixel-perfect, but it is effective.)

Hit Publish Campaign. It usually takes 24–48 hours for Google to review your ads and for the data to start flowing.

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

• The "Creepiness" Factor: Don't follow people for too long. If someone hasn't come back after 30 days, they've likely moved on. Showing them ads for 6 months is just annoying.
• No Exclusion: If someone has already bought from you, stop showing them the "Please buy this" ad! You can create a second list for "Converted Users" and exclude them from this campaign.
• Bad Images: Avoid blurry photos. If you're a local Brisbane business, use photos that look like Brisbane! It builds instant trust.

Troubleshooting

• "My list size is too small": Google won't show ads until your list has at least 100 active users in the last 30 days. If your website traffic is low, it might take a week or two to "warm up."
• Ads Disapproved: This usually happens because of too much text in the image or a link to a broken page. Check the 'Policy Manager' in your account for the specific reason.
• High Clicks, No Leads: Check your landing page. Is it easy to use on a phone? If your site is slow to load, people will click the ad and then leave before the page even opens.

Next Steps

If you find the technical side of the Google Tag or Audience Manager a bit too much to handle, we're here to help. You can reach out to the team at Local Marketing Group via our contact page and we can audit your setup to make sure you aren't wasting a cent of your ad spend.

Happy advertising!