How to Modify Cookies and Exclude Existing Customers from Remarketing Ads in AdWords

In today's digital marketing landscape, re-targeting ad campaigns are a valuable tool for increasing conversions among existing customers. However, it's important to optimize your strategies to ensure you're not bombarding your paying customers with advertisements. Let's dive into the steps to achieve this.

Understanding the Basics of Cookies and Remarketing in AdWords

At the heart of remarketing campaigns is the use of cookies. These small data files are placed on a user's browser when they visit your website. When these users revisit your site, the cookies trigger AdWords to display relevant ads to them. This is a powerful way to re-engage users, but it can sometimes lead to unintended re-targeting of existing customers who have already made a purchase.

Create a New List for 'Paying Customers'

To address this, you need to create a specialized remarketing list that excludes your paying customers. Follow these steps to implement this strategy in your AdWords account:

Step 1: Access Your Remarketing Control Panel

Log in to your AdWords account and navigate to the Remarketing tab. From here, you'll find the Remarketing Lists section.

Step 2: Create a New List for 'Paying Customers'

Click on the 'Create a List' button and name it appropriately, such as 'Paying Customers'. This will categorize your existing customers who have completed a transaction on your website.

Step 3: Set Up the Auto-Add Rule

To keep the 'Paying Customers' list up to date, set up an automatic rule to add users to the group. You can do this by defining a specific page URL that is reached after a successful payment. This URL should represent the 'Payment Completed' page on your website.

Exclude 'Paying Customers' from Your Main Remarketing List

To ensure that existing customers don't see re-targeting ads, it's crucial to exclude them from your main remarketing list. This can be done easily in your AdWords account as well:

Step 1: Define Your Main Remarketing List

Before setting up the exclusion, ensure you have a defined main remarketing list that targets all of your previously mentioned users who have visited your site but have not yet completed a purchase.

Step 2: Exclude the 'Paying Customers' List

In the targeting settings of your remarketing campaign, explicitly exclude the 'Paying Customers' list. This ensures that any advertisements will not be served to users who have already made a purchase and are therefore part of the exclusion group.

Optimizing Your Remarketing Strategy

In addition to these steps, consider the following best practices to further refine your remarketing and exclusion strategies:

1. Use Analytics and User Behavior

Monitor user behavior through analytics tools like Google Analytics. Understanding what actions users take after completing a purchase can provide insights on how to better target or exclude them.

2. Segment Your Audience

Consider segmenting your audience based on different criteria such as time since purchase, purchase frequency, or product category. This can help you implement more nuanced targeting strategies within your main remarketing list.

3. Test and Iterate

Like any marketing strategy, testing different approaches is essential. Experiment with different URLs, audiences, and targeting settings to see what works best for your specific audience and business goals.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can effectively manage cookies and exclude existing customers from remarketing ads in AdWords. This not only enhances the user experience but also ensures that your advertising efforts are more focused and effective in driving conversions among new and potential customers.