Facebook remarketing is a method of advertising to people who have already visited your website. According to an article by connectIO, retargeting campaigns drive a 76% increase in click-through rates compared to general display advertising. Therefore, this article will help you optimize in-depth about remarketing Facebook ads and useful information that every marketer needs to know, let's get started.
What is Retargeting on Facebook?
Retargeting on Facebook (also known as remarketing) is a strategy where you show ads to people who have visited your website during a certain period of time. This is done using the Facebook Pixel, a code snippet added to your website that tracks user actions like page visits or adding items to a cart. People who have visited your website and will be shown ads again to help them continue to take actions like adding to cart or purchasing from you.
Why is Retargeting Important?
Retargeting is a must-have for any business that helps target people who have previously interacted with your brand. People who have visited your website, such as reading news or viewing products, have shown a certain level of interest in your website content. This increases the likelihood of conversions compared to people who have visited your website for the first time.
Retargeting is often more cost-efficient than other forms of advertising. Because you’re focusing your ad spend on a smaller, more qualified audience, you avoid wasting money and thus increasing your Roas.
Imagine someone visits your website but leaves without buying. They were busy or didn’t have enough money in their account. Remarketing is a friendly reminder of what they’re missing out on, turning them into real customers.
How to Set Up Retargeting Ads
1. Log In: Go to Meta Business Suite (business.facebook.com).
2. Open Ads Manager: Click "Ads Manager" from the menu.
3. Start Campaign: Hit "Create," pick an objective (e.g., "Traffic" or "Conversions"), name it, and click "Next."
4. Set Budget & Schedule: In Ad Set, set a budget (e.g., $10/day) and dates.
5. Create Custom Audience: Under "Audience," click "Create New" > "Custom Audience":
- Website Visitors (needs Meta Pixel).
- Engagement (e.g., post likers).
- Set time frame (e.g., 30 days), name it, and save.
6. Install Meta Pixel (if needed): In Events Manager, create a Pixel, add code to your site, and test it.
7. Set Placements: Choose "Automatic Placements" or specific spots (e.g., Facebook Feed).
8. Make the Ad: Pick a format (e.g., image), upload media, add text (e.g., "Back for 20% off!"), CTA (e.g., "Shop Now"), and URL.
9. Launch: Review and click "Publish."
10. Check Results: After 24-48 hours, monitor CTR/CPC in Ads Manager and tweak as needed.
Pro Tips for Mastering Retargeting Ads
Retargeting brings back website visitors who didn't finish what they started. But to really get good at it, you need some pro tips. Here's how to take your retargeting to the next level:
1. Break Down Your Audience Into Bite-Sized Groups
Not every visitor to your site is the same, so why treat them that way? Instead of lumping everyone into one big bucket, split them up based on what they did. Create Custom Audiences for folks who just browsed a product page, those who tossed something in their cart but bailed, and the ones who actually hit “buy.” Then, craft ads that speak directly to each group. For example, hit the cart abandoners with a friendly “Hey are you forgetting something” paired with a 10% off code. It's all about showing them you get where they're at.
2. Let Dynamic Ads Do the Heavy Lifting
If you are an online store owner, Dynamic Ads is your closest friend. They will go through the Learning Phase process, then automatically pull up the exact products someone checked out on your site and flash them in front of their eyes again.
3. Get the Ad Frequency Right
Retargeting is tricky. You want to stay on their radar, but you don’t want to be that clingy friend who won’t stop texting. Aim for 3-5 ad impressions per person over a week. That’s enough to keep your brand fresh and avoid annoying Facebook users. Too few ads, and they might forget you exist; and too much of anything is bad, it’s both a waste of money and annoys viewers. The important thing is to test different ad formats and come up with a strategy that works for you.
4. Find Similar Website Visitors
Once retargeting works well, go find more people like your best visitors. This is called a Lookalike Audience. You tell the advertising platform: "Give me more people who act like these other people did." It finds totally new people to see your ads. Pretty smart!
5. Offer Special Deals
Sometimes people just need a little extra reason to buy. Give them discounts, free shipping or other goodies. Like 15% off or a countdown clock saying "Only 2 days left!" Deals make people feel special and want to buy before they are gone.
Common Mistakes and Pitfalls in Retargeting Advertising Campaigns
Advertising costs a lot of money, so you need to avoid these 6 common mistakes to avoid wasting your time and effort.
Over-Advertising and Ad Fatigue
Showing too many ads to specific audiences is ineffective. Research shows that ad effectiveness drops significantly after 5–7 impressions per user within a week.
Solution: Set frequency caps to limit how often individuals see your ads. In Matthew J. Holmes' blog recommends capping impressions at 3–5 per week per user to maintain engagement without overwhelming your audience.
Failing to Exclude Converted Customers
Targeting users who have already purchased or converted wastes budget and annoys loyal customers. For example, retargeting a buyer with the same product ad can reduce trust and efficiency.
Solution: Use exclusion lists to filter out past converters. Databox’s guide highlights that excluding converted users can improve return on ad spend (ROAS) by up to 20% by focusing budgets on new prospects.
Poorly Designed or Irrelevant Ads
Ads with low-quality visuals, unclear content or blurry images are annoying to Facebook users. When optimizing an eye-catching design and clear message, it will increase user engagement by 75%, especially if you're struggling with Facebook Ads not driving any sales..
Solution: Refer to the design samples of big brands, learn from them and use that idea to create your own design to increase click-through rates (CTR) by 30–50%. Next, the image needs to be beautiful, conveying information and attracting attention. And remember not to put too much text on the image.
Neglecting Conversion Tracking
Facebook Who needs time to learn, the more conversion tracking items are set up, add to cart clearly will make the AI run more and more intelligently. When installing Facebook Pixel, it also shows whether visitors have converted to a form such as computer or phone.
Solution: Implement conversion tracking tools (e.g., Google Analytics or platform-specific pixels) to monitor key metrics like sales or sign-ups.
Ignoring Mobile Users
With mobile devices accounting for over 60% of global web traffic in 2024 (per Statista), neglecting mobile optimization is a costly oversight. Slow page loads, stretched and pixelated images, and poor user experience are frustrating.
Solution: Design for mobile first. Use vertical or square videos and images for optimal mobile viewing. Then test your ads on different sized phones to deliver the right experience.
Not Testing Ad Variations
Ignoring A/B testing when optimizing Facebook ads can lead to ineffective ads that are a waste of resources. Without running A/B testing, you may not be able to discover which elements of your ads resonate with your target audience.
Solution: Continuously run A/B tests on elements like headlines, images, or CTAs. Because consumer preferences can change, seasons change, SO TESTING IS IMPORTANT TO SCALE FACEBOOK ADS EFFECTIVELY.
Final Thoughts
Retargeting on Facebook is a marketer’s secret weapon for turning “almost customers” into buyers. With a 76% higher CTR than standard display ads (per connectIO), it’s a proven way to maximize your ad budget and drive conversions. Follow the tips above and keep learning in this AI era. There are many blogs online, youtube videos or you can ask AI directly to answer your questions.
Ready to re-engage your audience? Log into Ads Manager and launch your first retargeting campaign today! If you want to advertise in large numbers and get guidance from experts, don’t hesitate to rent Facebook agency ad accounts at Rent Ads Agency.
Mohamed Fouad is a full-stack web developer and an entrepreneur who's really into advertising. He is the CEO of Rent Ads Agency, a company that helps businesses reach more customers through advertising. He graduated from Stanford University in 2018 and has over 4 years of experience in the tech industry.
