Search Retargeting is a method of Audience Targeting that allows ads to serve based on what someone has recently searched. This lets us build a qualified audience of relevant individuals based on specific types of searches that person or household has recently performed.
Why this is an important concept? Based on what someone (or a household) has recently searched we can make very reasonable assumptions about what their current and future intentions are. This is highly customizable using our agency tools. Search Retargeting is not available on most ad platforms, but we strongly leverage this targeting concept as a part of our strategies.
This is not Search Advertising! While Search Advertising places an ad on a search results page (ex: Google Ads, Bing Ads), that’s not what Search Retargeting is. Search Ads occur as the direct result of a user’s search query matching a targeted keyword, displaying a Search Ad. Search Retargeting happens afterward via Display, Native, Video, Audio or Connected TV Advertising, based on what someone has recently searched for.
Let’s explore an example based on someone searching for “new car dealership.”
Search Ads: may display a Search Ad on top of results as a direct result of the query, at the time of the search.
Search Retargeting: based on someone’s recent search, a dealership’s video ad targeting the household with new car incentives serves in the evenings. This is done purely because an individual in the household recently searched for a “new car dealership.”
We can also layer additional data onto this targeting profile to further clarify the target audience. Ex: someone has recently searched for “new car dealership” AND their household data indicates a qualified household income.