Are you using Remarketing Lists for Seach Ads? Using them with Google Analytics can open up a whole world of opportunity. In this presentation I'll share some tactics for using RLSAs and Google Analytics, as well as some set-up instructions and tips. #FOS17

1. @Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK
Unlocking The True Potential
of RLSAs with Google Analytics
Tara West
Head of Biddable Media at Etch

2. Over the last few years,
the search landscape has been evolving
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

3. It’s no longer all about keywords
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

4. The search landscape now includes many
audience based marketing features
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

5. The first example of audience based marketing within
search ads was the release of Remarketing Lists for
Search Ads (RLSAs) back in 2013
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

6. @Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK
Since the release of RLSAs, we have seen many
updates to their functionality

7. The biggest update to RLSAs has been their
integration with Google Analytics remarketing lists
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

8. And that’s what I’m going to be talking bout today…
 An understanding of why using Google Analytics code for RLSAs is better than
using the AdWords code
 How to activate your Google Analytics code to use it for RLSAs
 How to update your Privacy Policy to comply with RLSAs terms
 Tactics for using RLSAs that you can apply to your own website
 Instructions for setting up these RLSA tactics
 Handy tips for getting the most out of your RLSAs
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

9. The biggest update to RLSAs has been their
integration with Google Analytics remarketing lists
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

10. What are
RLSAs?

11. What are Remarketing Lists for Search Ads (RLSAs)?
Lists of your
website visitors
that you can apply
on top of search
campaigns
Tailor your bids
when members of
the audience
are searching
Show specific
ad copy
when members of
the audience
are searching
You can decide
specific keywords
which only tigger
when members of
the audience
are searching

12. RLSAs
still requires the
user to be
searching using
the keywords you
are bidding on
Think of RLSAs
as another layer
of targeting you
can apply to
search ads
Traditional
display remarketing
‘pushes’ ads at
your previous
website visitors
RLSAs do not
‘push’ search ads
in front of users
regardless
of what they are
searching for
What’s the main difference between Remarketing
Lists for Search Ads and traditional display ad
remarketing?

13. Why should you use RLSAs?
You can
capitalise on
existing
relationships
with your
website
visitors
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

14. Google
Analytics
& RLSAs

15. The integration of the Google Analytics
remarketing tag for RLSAs means
you can now target by…
Product BrandAd ContentExit Page
Transactions
Revenue Days to
Transaction
Product
Quantity Removed
from Basket
Product Category
Date of First
Session
No of Sessions &
Duration
Traffic Source
Campaign, source, medium

16. AdWords remarketing set-up lists VS
Google Analytics remarketing lists set-up
Analytics uses
standard
analytics code
AdWords tag
requires
AdWords tag
code
You can keep
both codes on
your site
AdWords tag
needs custom
parameters to
target beyond
page views

17. Get started by activating the remarketing function
in your Google Analytics tag
If you
want to use
RLSAs on an
app see these
instructions:
http://bit.ly/23H3Wc8

18. State how
third
party vendors
including Google
show your
ads online
Appropriately
describe how
you’re using
remarketing
State how
users
can opt out of
Google &
third parties
cookies
Sate how
Google & third
party vendors
use cookies
to do this.
Don’t forget to update your Privacy Policy

19. Here’s an example…
We use cookies from Google and other third parties to allow us to track your visits and
behaviour on our website. These are remarketing cookies, and they allow us to show you more
relevant personalised advertising from us (via Google and other third parties) as you browse
the internet and search on Google.
You can opt out of Google’s cookies here: http://bit.ly/1LLgLpM
You can opt out of Double Click cookies here: http://bit.ly/2jP6UcK
You can opt out of other third party’s cookies here: http://bit.ly/1kWunFq
This is only
an example!

21. Increase bids for users who have visited your
site the optimum number of times to purchase
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

22. KLM might find that most of
their users visit at least 5 times before booking
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK
They could
increase bids
if the user
searching has
visited >5
times

23. 1. Analyse your Path Length report in Google Analytics:
What is the
optimum number
of interactions?

24. 2. Create this RLSA list in Google Analytics under the Admin then Audiences tab:
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

25. 3. Click the red +Audience button, then choose which AdWords account you want this RLSA accessible
from:
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

26. 4. You’ll see Google’s pre-defined audience options, but you need to click ‘Create New’:
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

27. 5. Go to the Conditions tab, and then choose the number of sessions the user must have had, and that
they have zero transactions:
Conditions:
Sessions
= more than 5
AND
Transactions = 0

28. Remember to use ‘AND’ not
‘or’ if you want the users on
your remarketing list to be
qualified by both of the
conditions you have set.

29. 6. Choose your list membership duration:
This is how many days
users will remain on
your remarketing list.
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

30. 7. Apply the list within the AdWords Audiences tab, to your existing ad groups:
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

31. 8. Choosing the bid only setting when you apply this list:
This means
ads will show to
anyone searching,
as well as your
audience
More information on Target and Bid and Bid Only settings:
http://bit.ly/2kQtm3r
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

32. 9. Set a bid adjustment for your RLSA audience so your bids are adjusted
when this audience are searching using your keywords:
What should
your bid
adjustment be
set at?
http://bit.ly/1SWVWZO
(Credit Periscopix)

33. Always apply the audience to
the ad groups and let it gather
conversion data before you set
bid adjustments.

34. Generate awareness via Facebook ads,
then move these users closer to purchase by bidding
on broader keywords in search, with bespoke ad text
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

35. Tony & Guy could run Facebook ads for awareness,
and then use RLSAs to reach these users when they
are searching for new hairstyle ideas on Google

36. 1. Target new audiences on Facebook:
Remember to
use UTM tagging
on the
Facebook ads:
http://bit.ly/2dkhHL1
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

37. 2. Create your RLSA list in Google Analytics based on the UTM tags you attached
to your Facebook ad URLs
Traffic source:
• Campaign
• Medium
• Source
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

38. 3. Create a new AdWords campaign and ad groups, bidding on generic keywords:
These
keywords
will reach
users further
up the path to
purchase
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

39. 4. Create custom ad text designed for these users who are higher up the path to purchase and still in
research mode:
Think about
how the
ad message
can move them
closer to
purchase
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

40. 4. Apply the RLSA list within the audiences tab, choosing the ‘target and bid’
setting:
This means
ads will only
show when
the searcher
is on your
RLSA list
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

41. Use RLSAs & Dynamic Search Ads together to
show ads for your entire product inventory, if the
searcher is a regular customer
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

42. Amazon could show text ads for any of the products
on it’s site, but only if the user searching
is a regular customer
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

43. Create this list in the same way as before, but choose ‘transactions per user’ is more than 5 for
example. Then apply this list as target and bid on your DSA campaign.
Conditions:
• Transactions
per user = >5
• List duration
= 4 weeks
Apply this as
target & bid on
your Dynamic
Search Ads
campaign

44. Let Google do the hard work for you,
by using Smart Lists
You need
>500
transactions
per month
& 10,000 daily
pageviews
Smart Lists
work best on
ecommerce
accounts
The list
considers:
location, device,
browser,
referrer,
duration,
If not, they’ll
optimise based
on similar
businesses
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

45. H&M could apply a Smart List to existing search &
shopping ad groups with a positive bid adjustment if
the Smart List conversion rate is higher than average

46. This is a
pre-defined list
Create this RLSA list:
Apply it as
bid only to your
existing ad
groups then
set bid
adjustments
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

47. Show users who engaged with your email marketing
specific ad text when they are searching on Google
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

48. The Body Shop could show bespoke ad text
when the user searching previously arrived on their
site via a particular email campaign

49. Create this RLSA list:
Traffic source:
• Campaign
• Medium
• Source
Apply this
list as
target & bid on
new ad groups
with custom
ad text
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

50. Increase bids for users who clicked a promotional
ad but didn’t convert
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

51. Boots could increase bids for users
who clicked their promotional ad but didn’t convert
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

52. Conditions:
• Ad content
• Transactions
Create this RLSA list:
Apply this list
as bid only
on existing
ad groups

53. Increase bids if the user searching has generated
a high conversion value for you historically
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

54. Ikea could increase bids when they know the
user searching is someone who spends more than
average when they purchase
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

55. Ecommerce:
• Revenue per
session
Create this RLSA list:
Apply this as
bid only
on existing
ad groups

56. Increase your bids when the person searching is
similar to your existing customers
They
include
people with
similar
characteristics
Google
automatically
Create Similar
Audiences The larger the
original list,
the better
they work
Based on
browsing
activity in the
last 30 days
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

57. HEMA could use similar audiences of their
existing customers as a bid adjustment on their
existing campaigns

58. Find this RLSA list:
This is a
pre-defined list
that will appear
automatically
Apply this as
bid only on
existing ad
groups
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

59. Upsell on products you wouldn’t
normally bid on, because you know the user
has already purchased something related from you
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

60. Pandora might not usually advertise
jewellery boxes, unless the user searching has
recently purchased some jewellery from them

61. Create this RLSA list:
Conditions:
Transactions > 1,
and set the list
duration for 30
days
Apply this as
target & bid on
new ad groups
of your target
keywords

62. Increase bids on users searching for brands
that are similar to other brands they have purchased
from you in the past
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

63. ASOS could increase bids on other sports brands, if
they know the user searching has previously bought
something from them by another sports brand
This could be
applied across
their search and
shopping
campaigns
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

64. Create this RLSA list:
Conditions:
• Product brand
contains
Apply this as
bid only on
existing ad
groups
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

65. Increase bids for users who completed a micro goal,
but not your main macro goal
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

66. ING could increase bids for users who used
their mortgage calculator, but didn’t make
an appointment with their mortgage advisors

67. Conditions:
• At least 1
micro-goal
• No macro-
goals
Create this RLSA list:
Apply this as
bid only on
existing ad
groups

68. @Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

69. RLSA audiences work with Conversion Optimiser
and other automated bidding strategies
Conversion
Optimiser
Target CPA,
& ROAS will override
manual bid adjustments &
automatically
adjust your bids for
RLSA audiences
you apply
Enhanced CPC
will make bid adjustments
on top of any adjustments
you have already set.
Avoid audience
overlap
on any ad groups
using automated
bidding if you
are applying
multiple RLSAs
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

70. Remember that RLSA bid adjustments stack up,
just like other bid adjustments
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

71. Test your list durations
The maximum
list duration
for RLSAs is
180 days
Use the time
lag report and
consider your
average sales
cycle
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

72. How to get to your Time Lag Report in Google Analytics:
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

73. Your lists need at least 1000 members
You might not
be able to use
them for low
traffic pages
@Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK

74. You can have up to 2,000 audiences per
Google Analytics account

76. Thank you
Email: tara.west@etchuk.com
Phone: 023 8000 4800
Twitter: @Tara_Dee_West / @EtchUK
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/taradeewest
Website: https://www.etchuk.com/

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