What Is Retargeting?

    Quick answer

    Retargeting shows ads to people who have already interacted with a business, such as website visitors, video viewers or people who opened a lead form.

    Retargeting is an advertising tactic that shows ads to people who have already interacted with a business. The interaction might be visiting a website or a specific page, watching a video, engaging with a social post, opening a lead form without submitting it, or appearing on an uploaded customer or prospect list. Ad platforms build these audiences using tags such as the Meta Pixel, the LinkedIn Insight Tag or the Google tag, platform engagement data, or hashed list matching. Retargeting is often called remarketing, a term Google has long used in its ad products, and the two are usually treated as interchangeable. The aim is to stay relevant to people who have already shown some interest, with messages that fit what they did, such as a case study for someone who read a service page or a reminder for someone who started a form.

    Reviewed by the Growleady team · Updated 26 September 2026

    How Retargeting Works

    A retargeting plan groups past interactions into audiences by intent and recency, then gives each group a message and an exclusion list. Someone who visited a pricing or service page may see proof and a clear next step, while someone who only read a blog article may see more educational content. Exclusions matter as much as inclusions: existing customers, people who already converted and open opportunities are usually removed so they do not see prospecting messages. Frequency should be watched so the same person is not shown the same ad too often. Website-based retargeting depends on tags being allowed to fire, which is shaped by the consent framework, browser privacy features, ad blockers and each platform's policies, and platforms may require a minimum audience size before an audience can serve. List-based audiences rely on the business having the right to use that data for advertising.

    Key Points

    • Retargeting shows ads to people who have already interacted with a business, rather than to a new audience.
    • Audiences can come from website visits, video views, social engagement, unsubmitted lead forms or uploaded lists.
    • Retargeting and remarketing are usually treated as interchangeable terms, and Google has long used remarketing in its ad products.
    • Good plans segment by intent and recency, match the message to the interaction and exclude customers and converted leads.
    • Website audiences depend on consent settings, browser privacy features and platform policies, and small audiences may not serve.

    Retargeting Example

    A B2B company notices that many visitors read its service pages without booking a call. It creates a retargeting audience of people who visited those pages and consented to advertising cookies, and a second audience of people who watched most of a product video on Meta. The first group sees a case study and an invitation to book a call; the second sees a short explainer about how the service works. Existing clients and anyone who has already booked are excluded, and new leads are routed to sales with the campaign recorded in the CRM.

    Related Terms

    Meta AdsPaid SocialConversion TrackingLead NurturingPaid Media

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    Retargeting FAQs

    Straight answers to common questions.

    What is the difference between retargeting and remarketing?

    The terms are usually treated as interchangeable. Google has long used remarketing in its ad products. Some marketers use remarketing more broadly to include re-engaging people by email, and retargeting specifically for ads shown to past visitors or engagers.

    Which platforms support retargeting?

    Most major ad platforms support it, including Meta, LinkedIn, Google Ads, YouTube, Microsoft Advertising, X and Reddit. Each uses its own tag, engagement data or list matching, and each has its own audience rules and policies.

    Does retargeting require cookie consent?

    In many jurisdictions, setting advertising cookies or similar tracking on a website requires the visitor's consent, and consent banners control whether tags fire. Requirements vary by location and setup, so businesses should confirm their obligations with their own privacy or legal adviser.

    Who should be excluded from retargeting?

    Common exclusions are existing customers, people who have already converted on the offer being promoted, open sales opportunities, employees and anyone who has opted out. Exclusions keep messages relevant and avoid spending on people who no longer need the ad.

    How is retargeting used in B2B?

    B2B teams often use retargeting to show case studies, proof and clear next steps to people who visited service or pricing pages, attended an event or engaged with content. It is also used to support outbound, so prospects who visited the site after an email see relevant follow-up messages.