Full transcript & breakdown
Keyword intent is the cheapest signal you own
Search retargeting starts from a query, not a pageview. When someone types a commercial keyword and lands on your site, that search string tells you what problem they are trying to solve and roughly how close they are to buying. Storing that signal and re-serving media against it is far cheaper than re-discovering intent through broad prospecting.
In Google Ads this lives in RLSA — remarketing lists for search ads. You bid differently on the same keyword depending on whether the searcher has already visited a product page, abandoned a cart, or only read a blog post.
Building the audience layers
We run three layers: query-matched visitors (7 days), product-page visitors (14 days), and cart abandoners (3 days). Each gets its own bid modifier and its own creative angle, because a 3-day abandoner needs friction removal while a 14-day browser still needs proof.
Keep list sizes above the platform delivery threshold. A perfectly segmented audience that never serves is worth nothing, so merge thin segments until they deliver consistently.
Measuring it honestly
Judge search retargeting on incremental ROAS, not on last-click conversions. Run a geo holdout for two weeks, compare converted revenue per session, and only then decide whether to raise the bid modifiers.
