Although the terms remarketing and retargeting are often used interchangeably, they’re not exactly the same—and it’s important for paid media advertisers to understand the distinction.
Still unsure about the difference? You’re not alone.
While both strategies share a similar purpose in digital advertising, they differ in execution and in the type of audience you can reach.
The core difference between remarketing and retargeting lies in the strategy itself and how the audience is defined.
Keep reading to uncover how they work and when to apply each one.
Remarketing & Retargeting: Alike, Yet Distinct
Marketers invest significant time building audiences, testing ad creatives, and analyzing performance data.
Yet, despite driving plenty of traffic, only a small portion of users click—and even fewer convert on their first visit.
Most customers don’t make a purchase the very first time they land on your website. This is why it’s crucial to remember the main role of marketing:
To nurture relationships with potential customers well before they decide to choose your brand over competitors.
Often, your best prospects are people who have already engaged with your business online or returned to your site more than once.
Both retargeting and remarketing allow you to reconnect with these warm audiences—who are much more likely to convert compared to first-time visitors.
This makes them a powerful component of any digital marketing strategy.
Now, let’s break down remarketing and retargeting individually so you can clearly see how they differ.
What Is Retargeting?
Retargeting can be approached in several ways, but it most commonly refers to online ad placements or display ads shown to users who interacted with your site but didn’t make a purchase.
When someone visits your website, views a product, or takes a specific action, a cookie is stored in their browser. This data allows you to “retarget” them later with ads based on their behavior once they leave your site.
These ads are delivered through third-party platforms like the Google Display Network or Facebook, enabling your brand to appear across other websites your visitors browse.
Retargeting generally falls into two categories: on-site and off-site events, each with unique strategies depending on the type of engagement you want to track.
Targeting On-Site Interactions
This is the most common form of retargeting. It focuses on users who have already engaged with your site—whether by browsing products, exploring services, or taking some other action without completing a purchase.
By retargeting visitors who have shown interest, you can boost conversions and maintain brand visibility until they are ready to buy.
Some effective ways to retarget on-site interactions include:
- Showing ads for products they viewed but didn’t purchase.
- Targeting based on how they arrived at your site (social media, search engines, or other sources).
- Re-engaging people on your email list who interacted with your brand but haven’t converted yet.
These campaigns can be set up on platforms such as:
- Google Ads
- Google Analytics
- Meta (Facebook) Ads
- And others
Retargeting campaigns often generate higher engagement and better conversion rates compared to standard ad campaigns, making them a powerful marketing tool.
It’s always easier and more effective to market to people who have already shown interest in your brand or industry.
Targeting Off-Site Interactions
Originally, retargeting focused mainly on actions taken directly on a website. But as user behavior shifted and more time was spent on social media, things changed.
Brand and product interactions were no longer confined to a single website. Instead, they spread across multiple platforms and channels.
Recognizing this, social platforms like Meta introduced options for engagement-based targeting. This allowed brands to retarget users based on their activity with a Page, Events, or other Facebook-owned features.
In other words, businesses could now create retargeting campaigns for people who interacted with their brand off-site—even though they hadn’t yet become customers.
This evolution gave rise to the concept of targeting off-site interactions, expanding the scope of retargeting far beyond a brand’s own website.
What Is Remarketing?
Here’s where things can get confusing—because in practice, remarketing and retargeting are often used interchangeably.
For instance, Google’s “Remarketing Tools” are essentially retargeting tools in the traditional sense. While the terminology overlaps, the important part is understanding the strategy.
The main difference lies in focus:
- Retargeting works to move potential customers further along the buying journey.
- Remarketing focuses on re-engaging existing customers, often through channels like email or paid ads.
Examples of remarketing include sending emails to customers reminding them to renew a service, upselling related products, or using purchase history to suggest relevant offers.
While remarketing is frequently associated with email campaigns, it can also include paid ads designed to target and re-engage current customers.
The Blurry Line Between Remarketing & Retargeting
Traditionally, remarketing and retargeting operated separately: email stood on its own, while paid ads were limited to top-of-funnel targeting and website-based retargeting.
But in recent years, the line between the two has blurred.
Why?
Because platforms like Google Ads and Meta Ads introduced features that allow advertisers to upload and target customer email lists.
This shift meant email was no longer isolated from paid media. Instead, email lists could now be:
- Used for targeting: showing ads to those email users (provided the audience size met platform requirements).
- Used for exclusions: preventing existing customers from seeing ads to focus efforts on new user acquisition.
As a result, marketers can now deliver the same message to email users via both inbox and paid ads—or customize messaging depending on campaign goals.
When To Use Retargeting vs. Remarketing
Choosing between retargeting and remarketing ultimately comes down to your overall strategy.
Both approaches can complement each other to gradually boost conversions—it’s not about picking one over the other.
- Retargeting focuses on engaging new potential customers through paid platforms like Google or Meta Ads.
- Remarketing focuses on re-engaging existing customers to encourage repeat purchases.
Because both target audiences that already have some level of interest, they are generally more cost-efficient than broad, non-targeted campaigns.
Prioritizing Retargeting As A Strategy
Retargeting works best when your goal is to attract new customers who have already interacted with your brand.
A retargeting strategy is especially valuable if:
- Your main objective is acquiring new customers.
- You sell products or services that are typically purchased only once.
- You already invest in paid ads to build brand awareness.
If you’re spending money on awareness campaigns, it’s essential to support those efforts with retargeting.
Most users won’t make a purchase the first time they discover a brand or product. That doesn’t make awareness campaigns ineffective—but retargeting helps guide those users further down the funnel, turning initial interest into actual conversions.
Prioritizing Remarketing As A Strategy
To recap, remarketing is centered on re-engaging customers who have already purchased from your brand. Consider making remarketing part of your strategy if:
- Your product or service is typically bought more than once.
- You want to upsell with complementary products or services.
- You’re working with a limited marketing budget.
Over time, remarketing tools and methods have expanded significantly, giving marketers more flexibility.
Low-cost channels like email and SMS provide excellent opportunities to reconnect with existing customers—especially when budgets are tight.
Remarketing allows you to remind buyers when it’s time to repurchase or to introduce them to new products they may find useful.
Consistently nurturing current customers helps strengthen long-term relationships. In fact, satisfied customers often become the strongest brand advocates, and word-of-mouth marketing remains one of the most powerful yet underrated tactics.
Retargeting vs. Remarketing: The Takeaway
The line between retargeting and remarketing has blurred over time—much like the broader world of digital marketing.
At their core, both aim to drive conversions from audiences most likely to purchase. The real difference lies in approach:
- Retargeting focuses on users who have engaged with your brand but haven’t yet purchased, often through paid ads across various platforms.
- Remarketing focuses on reconnecting with existing customers, typically through email campaigns or paid ads, to encourage repeat purchases or upsells.
This overlap reflects a larger trend in digital marketing: attribution is no longer clear-cut. What once seemed straightforward was largely due to disconnected systems.
As platforms become more integrated, the focus is shifting away from rigid definitions of tactics and toward finding the right combination of strategies that deliver the strongest results.
FAQs on Remarketing vs. Retargeting
Q1. Are remarketing and retargeting the same thing?
No. While the terms are often used interchangeably, retargeting usually refers to paid ads aimed at people who engaged but didn’t purchase, while remarketing focuses on re-engaging existing customers, often through email or SMS.
Q2. Which is better: remarketing or retargeting?
Neither is “better”—it depends on your goal. Retargeting works best for acquiring new customers, while remarketing is more effective for upselling or retaining existing ones.
Q3. Can I use both remarketing and retargeting in my strategy?
Yes. In fact, combining both can improve conversions. Retargeting helps capture potential buyers, while remarketing nurtures current customers for repeat business.
Q4. Is remarketing cheaper than retargeting?
Remarketing is often more cost-effective since it can use low-cost channels like email or SMS, while retargeting generally involves paid ads that require a budget.
Q5. What platforms support remarketing and retargeting?
Popular platforms include Google Ads, Meta (Facebook/Instagram) Ads, Google Analytics, email marketing tools, and SMS marketing platforms.
Q6. Do remarketing and retargeting improve ROI?
Yes. Since both target people who have already shown interest in your brand, they typically deliver higher engagement and conversion rates compared to non-targeted campaigns.
