Which platform is best for retargeting ads?
The best retargeting platform is the one where your visitors already spend time — all four major platforms can do it. The practical difference is how much traffic you need before each will actually run your ads.
ShoaibUpdated 4 min read
What does each platform require?
| Platform | Stated minimum audience |
|---|---|
| Google Display Network | 100 active users in the last 30 days |
| Google Search and YouTube | 1,000 active users in the last 30 days |
| TikTok | 1,000 matched users in a Custom Audience |
| Snapchat | Around 1,000 matched users per pixel event |
That table decides more than preference does. If your website gets a few hundred visitors a month, the Google Display Network is often the only one that will deliver at all.
So how do I choose?
- Low traffic so far? Start with Google Display remarketing — the 100-user floor is the lowest
- Steady traffic and a visual product? Meta retargeting, because the same visitor sees you on both Instagram and Facebook
- Younger Kuwaiti audience? Snapchat and TikTok, if you can clear their ~1,000 matched-user floor
- An online store? Catalogue retargeting, so people see the exact item they left behind
What has to be installed first?
The tracking code, on every page, before any of this works. Each platform has its own: the Meta pixel, the Google tag, the TikTok pixel and the Snap Pixel. Snapchat's help pages note that it auto-creates an audience per pixel event once that event reaches 1,000 matched users — so the pixel needs to have been collecting for a while before you can use it.
What should the retargeting ad actually say?
Not the same thing as your first ad. See what retargeting is and how to start and how much retargeting ads cost.
Want your visitors followed up properly instead of lost? See our Meta Ads service.