Gavin is creating a Google Display ads campaign to help grow sales for his online clothing store. His goal is to connect with users who previously viewed pages on his website without making a purchase. Which option will best serve Gavin’s marketing goals?

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Bhupati Barman

Flat-style digital graphic showing a person viewing a blue t-shirt ad on mobile and desktop with retargeting and Google Display Ads interface elements.

When I was preparing for my Google Display Ads certification, this type of question helped me really understand how powerful and personal Display advertising can be. For online store owners like Gavin, who want to turn past visitors into paying customers, the right strategy can make all the difference. Let’s explore why remarketing is the best fit for Gavin’s campaign goal.

Question

Gavin is creating a Google Display ads campaign to help grow sales for his online clothing store. His goal is to connect with users who previously viewed pages on his website without making a purchase. Which option will best serve Gavin’s marketing goals?

Here is the correct answer:

Remarketing ✅

If you’re interested, you can take the exam here: Google Ads Display Certification via Skillshop.

Why This Is Correct

🔁 What is Remarketing?

Remarketing is a targeting strategy that shows your ads to people who have already visited your website or used your app but didn’t complete a specific action — like buying a product.

You can:

  • Show ads to people who visited certain pages (e.g., “Men’s Shoes”)
  • Remind them of products they browsed
  • Offer discounts or incentives
  • Bring them back to complete the purchase

🧠 Think of remarketing like tapping someone gently on the shoulder and saying:
“Hey, you left something in your cart…”

👕 Why It’s Perfect for Gavin:

  • Gavin wants to reach people who browsed his store but didn’t buy.
  • These users already know his brand — they just need a little push.
  • With remarketing, he can show them ads like:
    “Still thinking about that hoodie? Grab it now — 10% off!”

📊 Real-Time Performance Stats:

  • Remarketing ads have 2–3x higher CTR than cold traffic.
  • On average, 70% of shoppers abandon their carts, but remarketing can recover 10–30% of those sales.
  • According to Google, remarketing can increase conversion rates by up to 161%.

Why the Other Options Are Incorrect:

🚫 1. In-Market Audiences

  • These are users who are actively researching or comparing products, but they haven’t interacted with your site yet.
  • Great for reaching new potential customers — not returning ones.

🔍 Good for growth campaigns, not retargeting.

🚫 2. Affinity Audiences

  • Targets users based on long-term interests like “Fashion Lovers” or “Online Shoppers.”
  • It’s broader and top-of-funnel — not based on actual visits to your site.

🧊 Too cold for Gavin’s goal of re-engaging past visitors.

🚫 3. Similar Audiences

  • Google builds this list by finding new people who behave like your existing visitors or converters.
  • It’s a prospecting tool, not meant for getting back your bounced traffic.

✅ Similar audiences = good for expansion
❌ Not good for remarketing goals

Bar chart comparing remarketing, in-market, affinity, and similar audiences based on user familiarity, conversion likelihood, and campaign fit.
This bar chart visualizes how remarketing outperforms other Google Display audience options—like in-market, affinity, and similar audiences—for re-engaging past visitors.

Visual Comparison Table:

Audience TypeWhat It TargetsBest ForIs It Right for Gavin?
✅ RemarketingPast site visitors (non-converters)Re-engagement, cart recovery✅ Yes
❌ In-Market AudiencesUsers researching similar productsFinding new, ready buyers❌ No
❌ Affinity AudiencesPeople with broad lifestyle interestsBrand awareness, discovery❌ No
❌ Similar AudiencesNew users similar to convertersExpansion, growth❌ No

🛍️ Real-Life Example:

Gavin runs an online store called FreshFit Apparel. A visitor browses the “Graphic Tees” section but leaves without buying. With remarketing, Gavin shows that same visitor a display ad the next day:
“Still thinking about that tee? Grab 10% off before it sells out!”

That’s remarketing — personal, timely, and powerful.

Infographic explaining how remarketing improves sales through Google Display Ads, showing benefits like re-engagement, higher conversions, and cost efficiency.
This infographic shows how remarketing helps eCommerce brands reconnect with past visitors using Google Display Ads, highlighting higher conversion rates and better ad performance.

Helpful Resources:

Conclusion:

If you want to turn window shoppers into buyers, remarketing is your go-to tool.

For Gavin, it’s not about finding new people.
It’s about reaching out to people who already showed interest — and giving them the perfect reason to come back.

Whether you’re prepping for the certification or running a campaign for your own shop, remember:

“Don’t just attract — re-attract.”

Now, if you are ready, you can take the Google Skillshop test for the Google Ads Display Exam. Want more real exam questions with easy answers like this? Follow along — I’ll be breaking down more Google Ads Display Measurement Certification Free examples in the next posts.

FAQs

Q1: Do I need conversion tracking for remarketing?

Yes — you’ll need a Google Ads tag or Google Analytics integration to build remarketing lists.

Q2: Can I run remarketing in Display and Search?

✅ Yes.
Display is great for visual retargeting, while Search remarketing works when people come back to Google after browsing.

Q3: Can I show dynamic product ads?

Yes! With dynamic remarketing, Google automatically shows users the exact products they viewed.

Q4: What if my list is small?

Google recommends at least 100 active users in the last 30 days for Display remarketing. For Search, it’s 1,000.