Key takeaways
- Retargeting reaches people who already know you, which makes it a follow-up channel rather than a way to find new buyers.
- Site retargeting relies on cookies or tags, so it needs consent where the law requires it.
- In B2B, keep frequency low, exclude customers and change the message as buyers move on.
How does retargeting work
Retargeting works by recording that a person has interacted with you and then showing them ads on other sites or apps. On your website, a small tag from the ad platform sets a cookie or identifier when a visitor arrives, and that visitor joins an audience you can target.
There is also list-based retargeting, where you upload a list of contacts who have given consent and the platform matches them to its own users. Either way you choose the audience rules, such as people who read your pricing page in the last thirty days.
What is the difference between retargeting and remarketing
Retargeting usually means paid ads shown to past visitors, while remarketing more often means reaching past contacts again by email or other owned channels. In practice the two words are often used for the same thing, and some ad platforms call their retargeting product remarketing.
What matters is the mechanism: ads served through a third party based on tracked behaviour, or messages you send directly to people who gave you their details.
How is B2B retargeting different
B2B retargeting has to fit a long, shared decision, so it aims to keep an account warm over weeks rather than prompt a purchase today. The same company may have several visitors, each at a different stage, and the ads they see should reflect that.
Useful B2B retargeting ads offer the next helpful step: a guide after a blog visit, a customer story after a product page, a short demo video after a pricing page. Showing the same demo request to every visitor for months wears thin quickly.
What consent rules apply to retargeting
In the UK and EU, the cookies and tags behind site retargeting need the visitor's consent before they are set, and a visitor who refuses must not be added to an audience. Your cookie banner and consent tool decide what fires and when.
List-based retargeting uses personal data too, so you need a lawful basis to share contacts with an ad platform. Check the rules for every country you advertise in. This is a general overview, not legal advice.
What are common retargeting mistakes
The most common retargeting mistake is showing ads to people who should not see them, such as current customers, job applicants or your own staff. Exclusion lists fix most of this.
- No frequency cap, so a few people see the same ad many times a day.
- One message for every visitor, whatever they read.
- Audiences that never expire, so someone who visited a year ago is still targeted.
- Tags that fire before consent is given.
Where Pebbles Ai fits
Common questions
How long should a retargeting audience window be?
Match it to your sales cycle. A short window suits quick decisions; a longer one suits B2B, but refresh the ads so people do not see the same one for months.
Can you retarget people without cookies?
Partly. List-based retargeting matches contacts who gave consent to an ad platform's users without a site cookie, and contextual ads reach similar readers without tracking anyone.
Should you retarget existing customers?
Usually not with acquisition ads. Exclude them from prospect audiences and, if you want to reach them, run separate ads about adoption, new features or events.
About this page. Written by the Pebbles Ai team for people who run sales, marketing and growth. Last updated .
