How to Setup & Use the Google Ads Remarketing Tag in 2024

In today’s competitive digital marketing landscape, leveraging data to drive campaign performance is not just an advantage—it’s a necessity. For advertisers running Google Ads, the quest for efficiency and effectiveness often leads to a critical component: Smart Bidding. This automated bidding strategy uses machine learning to optimize for conversions or conversion value in every auction. However, the real magic happens when Smart Bidding is combined with Google Ads remarketing tags and events. This integration enhances the accuracy of your audience data, which in turn can significantly improve campaign performance.

Understanding the Google Ads Remarketing Tag and Events

Before diving into the benefits, it’s essential to understand what Google Ads remarketing tags and events are. A remarketing tag is a small piece of code that you place on your website. This tag collects data on your site visitors, allowing you to segment them into specific audiences based on their behavior. For example, you might create audiences of users who visited a product page but didn’t make a purchase, or users who added items to their cart but abandoned the checkout process.

Events, on the other hand, are specific actions that users take on your website. These could include adding a product to a cart, completing a purchase, filling out a form, or even viewing a particular video. When you track these events through your Google Ads remarketing tag, you can create highly granular audiences based on user actions, which you can then target or exclude from your campaigns.

Why the Google Ads Remarketing Tag Is Crucial for Smart Bidding

While Google Analytics 4 (GA4) also offers event tracking and audience creation capabilities, the Google Ads remarketing tag has a distinct advantage when it comes to Smart Bidding campaigns. The key difference lies in how data is processed and used by Google Ads.

1. Direct Data Integration and Accuracy

The Google Ads remarketing tag provides data directly into the Google Ads platform, without any intermediary. This direct integration ensures that the data is more accurate and updated in real-time, which is crucial for Smart Bidding algorithms that rely on the most current user behavior signals to optimize bids. In contrast, GA4 data is often subject to processing delays and discrepancies due to its broader focus on holistic user tracking across platforms. While GA4 is excellent for understanding user journeys, the Google Ads remarketing tag is laser-focused on capturing data that directly influences bidding strategies.

2. Enhanced Audience Segmentation for Better Targeting

The granularity of the data collected by the Google Ads remarketing tag allows for precise audience segmentation. With Smart Bidding, you don’t need to manually adjust bids for different audience segments—Google’s machine learning does that for you. However, the quality of audience segmentation still plays a critical role in the effectiveness of the bidding algorithm. When you use remarketing tags to create detailed audiences based on specific events (such as time spent on site, pages viewed, or specific actions taken), Smart Bidding can optimize bids with greater precision, leading to better campaign performance.

3. Improved Machine Learning Inputs

Google’s Smart Bidding algorithm is only as good as the data it receives. The Google Ads remarketing tag feeds high-quality, intent-rich data directly into the Smart Bidding system. This data includes not just the actions users take on your website, but also the timing and frequency of those actions. By capturing detailed event data, you provide the Smart Bidding algorithm with a richer set of signals, allowing it to more accurately predict which users are most likely to convert, and how much you should bid to secure that conversion.

Smart Bidding Without Bid Adjustments

One of the key aspects of Smart Bidding is that it doesn’t allow for manual bid adjustments. While this might seem like a limitation, it actually highlights the importance of having accurate and detailed audience data. Since you can’t manually adjust bids based on audience segments or device types, the onus is on the data fed into the bidding algorithm to ensure optimal performance.

Dynamic Remarketing Setup in Google Ads & Google Tag Manager

To fully harness the power of the Google Ads remarketing tag in a Smart Bidding campaign, it’s crucial to implement dynamic remarketing events that capture specific user interactions on your website. By focusing on key events like view_item, view_item_list, add_to_cart, purchase, and view_search_results—and including item IDs and values—you can significantly enhance the Smart Bidding algorithm’s ability to optimize for conversions and conversion value.

How Do Google Ads Dynamic Remarketing Events Work?

Dynamic remarketing goes beyond standard remarketing by showing users ads that feature products or services they’ve previously viewed on your website. The specific events you track—such as viewing an item or adding it to a cart—play a pivotal role in understanding user intent and feeding that information into the Smart Bidding algorithm.

How to Setup Dynamic Remarketing within Google Ads?

To set up dynamic Google Ads remarketing within the Google Ads UI, start by navigating to the Audience Manager, which you can find under the Tools & Settings menu. Once there, select “Data Sources” and locate your existing Google Ads tag. Click on “Edit” next to the tag, or choose to create a new tag if you haven’t set one up yet. In the tag settings, you’ll find an option to “Collect data on specific actions people performed on your website.” Check this box to enable dynamic remarketing.

What Dynamic Remarketing Events Can You Send to Google Ads?

Here’s a closer look at what events are available to send to Google for dynamic remarketing, how each of these dynamic remarketing events impacts Smart Bidding, and how to set these up either using the datalayer in for Google Tag Manager or directly with Gtag:

view_item: Identifying High-Interest Products

The view_item event tracks when a user views a specific product or service on your website. By capturing the item ID and associated value (e.g., price), this event provides the Smart Bidding algorithm with critical data on which products are attracting attention and are likely to lead to conversions. The algorithm uses this data to optimize bids for users who have shown interest in specific items, increasing the likelihood of converting high-value products.

Datalayer Implementation

<script>
  window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
  window.dataLayer.push({
    'event': 'view_item',
    'ecommerce': {
      'value': 123.45, // Total value associated with the event
      'items': [{
        'id': 'PRODUCT_ID',                // Unique identifier for the product
        'google_business_vertical': 'retail' // Example value, adjust as needed
      }]
    }
  });
</script>

Gtag Implementation

<script>
  gtag('event', 'view_item', {
    'value': 123.45, // Total value associated with the event
    'items': [{
      'id': 'PRODUCT_ID',                // Unique identifier for the product
      'google_business_vertical': 'retail' // Example value, adjust as needed
    }]
  });
</script>

view_item_list: Understanding Browsing Behavior

The view_item_list event is triggered when users view a list of products or services, such as category pages or search results. This event captures data on multiple items viewed simultaneously, providing insights into user preferences and browsing behavior. By feeding this data into the Smart Bidding algorithm, you enable it to better predict which users are likely to move further down the funnel and convert, based on their engagement with broader product categories.

Datalayer Implementation

<script>
  window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
  window.dataLayer.push({
    'event': 'view_item_list',
    'ecommerce': {
      'value': 456.78, // Total value associated with the event (sum of all items)
      'items': [
        {
          'id': 'PRODUCT_ID_1',             // Unique identifier for the first product
          'google_business_vertical': 'retail' // Example value, adjust as needed
        },
        {
          'id': 'PRODUCT_ID_2',             // Unique identifier for the second product
          'google_business_vertical': 'retail' // Example value, adjust as needed
        },
        // Add more products as needed
      ]
    }
  });
</script>

Gtag Implementation

<script>
  gtag('event', 'view_item_list', {
    'value': 456.78, // Total value associated with the event (sum of all items)
    'items': [
      {
        'id': 'PRODUCT_ID_1',             // Unique identifier for the first product
        'google_business_vertical': 'retail' // Example value, adjust as needed
      },
      {
        'id': 'PRODUCT_ID_2',             // Unique identifier for the second product
        'google_business_vertical': 'retail' // Example value, adjust as needed
      }
      // Add more products as needed
    ]
  });
</script>

add_to_cart: Signaling Purchase Intent

The add_to_cart event is one of the most critical signals you can capture. It directly indicates that a user is interested in purchasing a product. By tracking the item ID and value of products added to the cart, you provide the Smart Bidding algorithm with high-intent signals that it can use to prioritize bids for users most likely to complete a purchase. This data is especially valuable in competitive auctions, where it helps the algorithm to allocate budget more effectively to secure these high-intent users.

Datalayer Implementation

<script>
  window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
  window.dataLayer.push({
    'event': 'add_to_cart',
    'ecommerce': {
      'value': 123.45,  // Total value of the items added to the cart
      'items': [
        {
          'id': 'PRODUCT_ID_1',             // Unique identifier for the first product added to the cart
          'google_business_vertical': 'retail' // Example value, adjust as needed
        },
        {
          'id': 'PRODUCT_ID_2',             // Unique identifier for the second product added to the cart
          'google_business_vertical': 'retail' // Example value, adjust as needed
        }
        // Add more products as needed
      ]
    }
  });
</script>

Gtag Implementation

<script>
  gtag('event', 'add_to_cart', {
    'value': 123.45,  // Total value of the items added to the cart
    'items': [
      {
        'id': 'PRODUCT_ID_1',             // Unique identifier for the first product added to the cart
        'google_business_vertical': 'retail' // Example value, adjust as needed
      },
      {
        'id': 'PRODUCT_ID_2',             // Unique identifier for the second product added to the cart
        'google_business_vertical': 'retail' // Example value, adjust as needed
      }
      // Add more products as needed
    ]
  });
</script>

purchase: Confirming Conversions and Value

The purchase event records when a user completes a transaction on your website, including the specific items purchased and their values. This event not only confirms the conversion but also feeds back valuable information into the Smart Bidding algorithm about the actual return on ad spend (ROAS). By tracking item IDs and values, the algorithm can refine its predictions and adjust future bids to prioritize audiences that are likely to generate similar high-value conversions.

Datalayer Implementation

<script>
  window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
  window.dataLayer.push({
    'event': 'purchase',
    'ecommerce': {
      'value': 789.99,  // Total transaction value (including all items)
      'items': [
        {
          'id': 'PRODUCT_ID_1',             // Unique identifier for the first product
          'google_business_vertical': 'retail' // Example value, adjust as needed
        },
        {
          'id': 'PRODUCT_ID_2',             // Unique identifier for the second product
          'google_business_vertical': 'retail' // Example value, adjust as needed
        }
        // Add more products as needed
      ]
    }
  });
</script>

Gtag Implementation

<script>
  gtag('event', 'purchase', {
    'value': 789.99,  // Total transaction value (including all items)
    'items': [
      {
        'id': 'PRODUCT_ID_1',             // Unique identifier for the first product
        'google_business_vertical': 'retail' // Example value, adjust as needed
      },
      {
        'id': 'PRODUCT_ID_2',             // Unique identifier for the second product
        'google_business_vertical': 'retail' // Example value, adjust as needed
      }
      // Add more products as needed
    ]
  });
</script>

view_search_results: Capturing Search Intent on Your Site

The view_search_results event is triggered when users conduct a search on your website. This event provides insights into what users are actively looking for, which can be a strong indicator of purchase intent. By capturing the search queries and associated item IDs viewed, this event helps the Smart Bidding algorithm to better understand user intent and align bids with the products or services that are most relevant to their searches.

Datalayer Implementation

<script>
  window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
  window.dataLayer.push({
    'event': 'view_search_results',
    'ecommerce': {
      'value': 789.01, // Total value associated with the event (sum of all items)
      'items': [
        {
          'id': 'PRODUCT_ID_1',             // Unique identifier for the first product in search results
          'google_business_vertical': 'retail' // Example value, adjust as needed
        },
        {
          'id': 'PRODUCT_ID_2',             // Unique identifier for the second product in search results
          'google_business_vertical': 'retail' // Example value, adjust as needed
        },
        // Add more products as needed
      ]
    }
  });
</script>

Gtag Implementation

<script>
  gtag('event', 'view_search_results', {
    'value': 789.01, // Total value associated with the event (sum of all items)
    'items': [
      {
        'id': 'PRODUCT_ID_1',             // Unique identifier for the first product in search results
        'google_business_vertical': 'retail' // Example value, adjust as needed
      },
      {
        'id': 'PRODUCT_ID_2',             // Unique identifier for the second product in search results
        'google_business_vertical': 'retail' // Example value, adjust as needed
      }
      // Add more products as needed
    ]
  });
</script>

How to Setup Dynamic Remarketing in Google Tag Manager?

To effectively send dynamic remarketing events to Google Ads, you can leverage Google Tag Manager (GTM) to manage and deploy your tracking tags efficiently. Below is a step-by-step guide to setting up dynamic remarketing events using GTM. If you are utilizing Gtag, you can skip this step.

1. Create a New Google Ads Remarketing Tag

• Step 1: Log in to your Google Tag Manager account and navigate to your container.
• Step 2: Click on “Tags” in the left-hand menu, then click “New” to create a new tag.
• Step 3: Name your tag something descriptive like “Google Ads – Dynamic Remarketing.”
• Step 4: Choose “Google Ads Remarketing” as the tag type from the list of available tag types.
• Step 5: Enter your Google Ads Conversion ID, which you can find in your Google Ads account under Tools & Settings > Shared Library > Audience Manager > Data Sources.
• Step 6: Click “Send dynamic remarketing event data”.

2. Create Data Layer Variables for event, ecommerce.value, and ecommerce.items

To dynamically capture the event data and send it to Google Ads, you’ll need to create data layer variables in GTM.

• Step 1: Go to “Variables” in the GTM left-hand menu and click “New.”
• Step 2: Create a new variable for the event name:
  • Variable Name: DL - Event
  • Variable Type: Data Layer Variable
  • Data Layer Variable Name: event
  • Data Layer Version: Version 2
• Step 3: Create another variable for the ecommerce.value:
  • Variable Name: DL - Ecommerce Value
  • Variable Type: Data Layer Variable
  • Data Layer Variable Name: ecommerce.value
  • Data Layer Version: Version 2
• Step 4: Finally, create a variable for ecommerce.items:
  • Variable Name: DL - Ecommerce Items
  • Variable Type: Data Layer Variable
  • Data Layer Variable Name: ecommerce.items
  • Data Layer Version: Version 2

These variables will dynamically pull the relevant data from your website’s data layer and pass it to the tag.

3. Add These Variables to the Tag Settings

Now that your data layer variables are set up, you need to configure your Google Ads Remarketing tag to use them.

• Step 1: Go back to the tag you created earlier under “Tags.”
• Step 2: In the tag configuration, you’ll see fields to add dynamic values.
  • For Event Name, select the variable you created for the event (DL - Event).
  • For Value, select the variable you created for the ecommerce.value (DL - Ecommerce - Value).
  • For Items, select the variable you created for the ecommerce.items (DL - Ecommerce -Items).
• Step 3: Ensure that these variables are mapped correctly in the tag settings under

4. Create a New Custom Event Trigger

To make sure your tag fires for the appropriate events (e.g., view_item, add_to_cart), you need to create a custom event trigger.

• Step 1: Go to “Triggers” in the GTM left-hand menu and click “New.”
• Step 2: Name your trigger something descriptive like “Trigger – Dynamic Remarketing Events.”
• Step 3: Choose “Custom Event” as the trigger type.
• Step 4: In the “Event Name” field, use a regular expression to match the dynamic events:
  • Regex: view_item|view_item_list|add_to_cart|purchase|view_search_results
• Step 5: Set the trigger to fire on “Some Custom Events” and select the event variable (DL - Event) to match the regex pattern you’ve defined.

Once you’ve completed these steps, your Google Ads Remarketing tag will fire dynamically based on user interactions on your site, such as viewing an item, adding it to the cart, or making a purchase. This setup ensures that the most relevant data is passed to Google Ads, allowing you to optimize your remarketing campaigns effectively.

Enhancing Smart Bidding with Item IDs and Values

Including item IDs and values in your dynamic remarketing events is crucial for maximizing the effectiveness of Smart Bidding. Here’s why:

• Precision in Bidding: By capturing item-specific data, Smart Bidding can optimize bids based on the exact products or services users have shown interest in. This precision allows the algorithm to allocate your budget more efficiently, ensuring that higher bids are placed on users who are likely to generate the highest conversion value.
• Value-Based Bidding: Including the value of items (such as price) in your events allows the Smart Bidding algorithm to optimize for not just conversions, but also for conversion value. This means that the algorithm can prioritize high-value conversions, which is particularly beneficial for businesses looking to maximize their ROAS.
• Audience Segmentation: Tracking item IDs and values enables you to create more granular audience segments based on specific products or services. These segments can then be used to tailor your ads and bids even further, improving the overall effectiveness of your campaigns.

Dynamic Remarketing Implementation Best Practices

To make the most out of dynamic remarketing events with Smart Bidding, follow these best practices:

• Comprehensive Event Tracking: Ensure that all relevant events—view_item, view_item_list, add_to_cart, purchase, and view_search_results—are properly implemented on your website. This comprehensive tracking ensures that the Smart Bidding algorithm receives the full spectrum of user intent signals.
• Accurate Item IDs and Values: Double-check that your item IDs and values are accurately captured and passed through your events. This accuracy is critical for the Smart Bidding algorithm to optimize bids effectively.
• Regularly Update Your Product Feed: If you’re running dynamic remarketing, ensure that your product feed is regularly updated with the latest item IDs, descriptions, and prices. This keeps your ads relevant and your bidding strategy aligned with your current inventory.
• Leverage Value Rules: Consider using value rules in Google Ads to further customize how conversion values are assigned based on different user behaviors or characteristics. This can give the Smart Bidding algorithm even more nuanced data to optimize your campaigns.

Ensuring Accurate Product Feeds for Effective Dynamic Remarketing

For dynamic remarketing to work effectively and enhance your Smart Bidding strategies, it is essential that advertisers maintain accurate product feeds. The success of dynamic remarketing relies heavily on the consistency and accuracy of the product data being sent to Google Ads, particularly when it comes to matching event IDs sent in the dataLayer with corresponding records in your product feed.

The Importance of Matching Event IDs with Product Feed Records

When a user interacts with your website—whether by viewing a product, adding it to their cart, or completing a purchase—the event data sent to the dataLayer includes specific item IDs. These IDs are crucial because they allow Google Ads to track user interactions with specific products and serve relevant, personalized ads later on.

For dynamic remarketing to function correctly, the item IDs captured in these events must precisely match the IDs listed in your product feed. Any discrepancies between the event IDs and the product feed can lead to missed opportunities for remarketing, as Google Ads may not be able to link user interactions with the appropriate products.

• Consistency: Ensure that the product IDs in your website’s dataLayer exactly match the IDs in your product feed. This consistency is critical because Google Ads uses these IDs to dynamically populate your ads with the products users have shown interest in.
• Accuracy: Regularly audit your product feed to ensure that all product details, such as IDs, prices, and availability, are up-to-date and accurate. Inaccuracies can lead to incorrect or irrelevant ads being shown to users, which can negatively impact campaign performance and user experience.

How to Create a Feed for Dynamic Remarketing?

Creating an accurate and comprehensive product feed is essential for effective dynamic remarketing, especially when integrating with Google Ads Smart Bidding. A product feed is a file that contains details about the products or services you want to advertise. This feed is used by Google Ads to dynamically generate ads that are highly relevant to the users who have interacted with your website.

Steps to Create a Product Feed

1. Choose Your Format: Product feeds can be created in various formats, including CSV, TSV, and XML. For simplicity, you can start with a CSV file that can be managed using spreadsheet software like Excel or Google Sheets.
2. Populate Required Fields: Your feed should include essential attributes that align with the products or services you’re advertising. For each product, you’ll need to fill in fields such as ID, Title, Final URL, Image URL, Price, and more. These fields must be consistent with the dataLayer event parameters on your website, especially the ID fields.
3. Ensure Consistency Between Feed and DataLayer: It’s crucial that the ID and Value parameters in your feed match the IDs sent in your dataLayer events. This alignment ensures that Google Ads can correctly track user interactions and display the appropriate ads.
4. Connect to Google Merchant Center: For retailers, connecting your product feed to Google Merchant Center is a necessary step. This platform allows you to upload and manage your feed, which is then linked to your Google Ads account. The Merchant Center will ensure your product data is up-to-date and eligible for dynamic remarketing.
5. Upload and Verify Your Feed: Once your feed is complete, upload it to Google Merchant Center. After uploading, check for any errors or warnings and make necessary corrections. Regularly updating and verifying your feed ensures that your ads are always accurate and effective.

‘Custom’ Business Vertical Example

Columns with * are Required

How to Connect Google Merchant Center to Google Ads for ‘Retail’ Businesses?

For retailers, having a Google Merchant Center account connected to Google Ads is a must. The Google Merchant Center is where your product feed is stored and managed. This feed is used by Google Ads to pull product information and ensure that your dynamic remarketing ads are populated with the correct details.

• Seamless Integration: By connecting Google Merchant Center to your Google Ads account, you enable a seamless flow of product data. This integration ensures that the event IDs sent through the dataLayer can be matched to the corresponding items in your Merchant Center feed, allowing Google Ads to serve accurate and relevant dynamic ads.
• Automated Updates: Google Merchant Center allows for automatic updates to your product feed, ensuring that your ads reflect the most current prices, availability, and product details. This is particularly important for Smart Bidding, as the algorithm relies on accurate data to optimize bids effectively.
• Enhanced Performance Tracking: When your Merchant Center is connected to Google Ads, you can leverage enhanced tracking and reporting features. This includes tracking conversions that are directly linked to the products in your feed, allowing for more precise Smart Bidding optimizations.

Best Practices for Maintaining an Accurate Product Feed

• Regular Audits: Periodically review your product feed to ensure that all item IDs, prices, descriptions, and availability statuses are accurate and consistent with the data on your website.
• Automated Feed Management: Use automated tools or third-party services to keep your product feed synchronized with your website’s inventory and dataLayer events.
• Monitor Feed Status: Google Merchant Center provides detailed insights into the status of your product feed. Regularly check for any errors or disapprovals and address them promptly to ensure that your products are eligible for dynamic remarketing.

Conclusion

As digital marketing continues to evolve, leveraging the full potential of the tools at your disposal is essential for staying ahead of the competition. In 2024, the Google Ads remarketing tag remains a critical component for advertisers looking to optimize their Smart Bidding campaigns and drive higher conversions.

By accurately tracking user behavior and feeding this rich data directly into the Smart Bidding algorithm, the remarketing tag enables more precise bidding strategies that target users with the highest conversion potential. Whether you’re focusing on event tracking for key actions like add_to_cart and purchase, or ensuring that your dynamic remarketing campaigns are fueled by an accurate and consistent product feed, the Google Ads remarketing tag is an indispensable tool.

Furthermore, for retailers, connecting your Google Merchant Center account to Google Ads ensures that your product data is always up-to-date and perfectly aligned with user interactions. This seamless integration is key to delivering personalized ads that resonate with your audience, ultimately leading to better campaign performance and a higher return on investment.

In an era where digital advertising is more competitive than ever, making use of the Google Ads remarketing tag is not just recommended—it’s essential for maximizing the impact of your Smart Bidding campaigns and driving meaningful results in 2024 and beyond.