Remarketing Lists for Search Ads (RLSA): Key Strategies You Need to Know

When you search for something on Google, you often see ads at the top of the search results. There are ways for the ads to appear specifically for users who have visited the website before. That’s what we call remarketing lists for search ads (RLSA).

In this article, we’ll explain the RLSA strategies, which have been designed specifically for returning visitors to your website, to help you transform your ads into more effective and cost-effective campaigns. 

What Are Remarketing Lists for Search Ads?

 

RLSA refers to people who have previously visited your website. Google keeps track of who has visited your website and stores their information in a list. This list can be used to display ads only to people who search for something on Google.

For example, suppose you own an online perfume shop. Someone browses your website but does not make a purchase. You can use RLSA to have your ad appear again when that person searches for “cheap perfume” or “floral women’s perfume” on Google. This allows you to contact them again and hope that they make a purchase this time.

This is extremely helpful in making advertisements more targeted. Instead of advertising to everyone, focus on those who are already familiar with your product. This can raise the rate of sales while cutting advertising expenses.

How Remarketing Lists for Search Ads Work

RLSA directs former visitors to your ads that land on search engines. When someone visits your site, Google saves the visit log using browser cookies. Google will recognize that the user has previously visited your website the next time they search for something on the search engine. 

With that, you can create ads that are specifically targeted for those users who are already registered indirectly. You can optimize the ads according to the pages they have browsed in the previous session. So, if they were only interested in perfume, the advertisement could focus solely on perfumery, even if your company also sells soaps. 

Read More: 7 Best Google Ads Agencies in Singapore for Small Businesses in 2025

Google limits the active duration to 540 days, allowing you to target users who have visited your website within the next 1.5 years. However, the lists must have a minimum of 1000 users in order to be utilized. This is done to maintain privacy. 

RLSA does not support data from mobile apps or the Google Display Network, which is based on age, gender, and interests. As a result, RLSA focuses solely on data collected via websites and Google searches.

6 Remarketing Lists for Search Ads Strategies You Need to Know

RLSA is important because not everyone buys something immediately after seeing it for the first time. However, if they see the same advertisement multiple times, their chances of purchasing increase. RLSA helps to re-engage previously interested people.

RLSA allows you to stay within budget while also increasing the accuracy of your target. You do not need to target everyone, but rather those who have previously expressed an interest. It’s extremely beneficial in industries where people compete with advertisements. 

1. Target Previous Website Visitors

As a business owner, you would like visitors to your website to purchase your products. However, this is not always the case. Sometimes people are just looking around, with no intention of purchasing. However, with RLSA, you can create targeted advertisements for people who have previously visited your website.

For example, you can show a perfume advertisement to visitors who have previously seen your perfume product on the website. It will tempt them to buy because the advertisement matches what they are looking for.

Because they have already recognized your store, the likelihood that they will return and purchase is increasing. This is an effective way to increase orders without constantly looking for new potential buyers. 

2. Use General Keywords

Advertisers normally use particularly specific keywords to refrain from wasting money. However, because you are only targeting people who are already familiar with your company, RLSA allows you to use more general keywords.

For example, a travel company would like to sell vacation packages during the holiday season. They understand that the terms “gift” and “present” are too broad to apply to everyone. The results are most likely to rise, purchase rates tripled, and ad revenue also increased. This demonstrates that even broad keywords can be effective when targeting the right audience.

3. Adjust the Advertisement Message

Everyone has diverse interests. Some people enjoy watching television, while others seek internet access or want to install a landline phone. RLSA can be used to categorize visitors based on what they see on a webpage.

Read More: What Is Programmatic Advertising and Why It Matters in Digital Marketing

A telecommunications company, for example, could categorize its visitors into three types: those interested in television, the internet, and phones. They then create ads that are tailored to each group’s preferences. As a result, people who enjoy watching television will see TV-specific advertisements.

This method of adjusting the advertisement message is extremely effective. The cost of acquiring buyers decreases dramatically, while ad campaign profitability increases significantly. This demonstrates that relevant advertisements are much more engaging.

4. Collect Information about Visitors

You must first create a visitor list before you can fully utilize RLSA. This means you’ll need to start gathering information from visitors to your website.

You can generate lists based on specific pages on your website, such as visitors to the “women’s shoes” or “year-end sales” pages. This will allow you to better understand the interests of your visitors.

Using this information, you can create more specific and relevant advertisements. The more targeted your advertisements are, the better your chances of generating sales.

5. Sell Additional Products to Old Customers

Phone cases and other small accessories are examples of products that are not very profitable if advertised to the general public. However, if you know that the person viewing the advertisement has already purchased a phone from you, they are more likely to purchase a case.

For example, suppose you own an online phone store. You can only show phone case advertisements to people who have previously purchased a phone from you. This way, you don’t lose money by presenting advertisements to people who aren’t intrigued.

This method boosts sales from existing customers and encourages them to return to your establishment. You can also build up your customer connection and convert them into returning customers.

6. Remove Converted Users from Your Campaign

In some cases, you do not need to send an advertisement to someone who has already become a customer. For example, showing them ads after they’ve already completed a form or purchased a product would be a waste of money. As a result, you can employ the strategy of excluding converted users, which means excluding people who have already completed the desired action from your ad targeting.

A digital marketing agency, for example, may not be required to display advertisements to people who have already completed a consultation form because they’ve likely already been contacted by the agency team and are in the process of discussing your offer. Showing them ads again in the near future would be a waste of advertising dollars because they are already aware of your services and are considering them.

Assume you are a software seller. If someone has previously purchased and downloaded your software, they are unlikely to do so again. As a result, it is preferable to discontinue advertising to them and instead focus your advertising budget on new customers who have not yet made a purchase.

This is relatively simple to put into action. You simply create a list of visitors who have arrived at the “thank you” page after making a purchase or submitting a form. Then, you can instruct Google Ads not to display ads to anyone on that list again. This allows you to save money while also focusing on reaching out to new customers.

Bid Adjustments for Your RLSA Audience

If you’ve used RLSA before, you can make bid adjustments. This means you can increase or decrease your ad bids for specific people on your remarketing lists. This is a simple yet effective method for improving the performance of your Google ad campaigns.

For example, you can choose to increase your bids for people you believe are more important or likely to purchase. Conversely, you can lower your bids if you believe they are less valuable to your campaign but still have a chance of being purchased.

• Raise Offers to Necessary Visitors

Sometimes you don’t need a complicated RLSA strategy; simply adjust your bids to meet your requirements. For example, suppose you have an ad campaign to generate leads. If someone has already viewed your website’s “Contact Us” page but has not completed the form, you can increase your bid by 10% the next time they search Google. The goal is to bring them right back to your website and proceed with filling out the form.

Another example: if you have an online store and someone adds an item to their shopping cart but does not complete the purchase, you can increase your bid when they search for similar products on Google. This increases the likelihood that they will return and complete the transaction.

You can also generate lists based on specific dates. For example, if someone purchased flowers around Mother’s Day, you can raise your bid for them closer to Valentine’s Day or Christmas, when they are more likely to buy flowers again. However, keep in mind that this list is only valid for 180 days, whereas a typical remarketing strategy can last up to 540 days.

• Decrease the Offers to Visitors with Less Value

Sometimes you may believe that someone is no longer important, but there is still a slim chance that they will return. In these cases, rather than removing them from your list, you can reduce your bid.

For example, a software company may believe that people who have previously downloaded their product are no longer worth targeting. However, they may still be interested in purchasing additional features. Instead of removing them from your advertisements, you could reduce their bid by 20%, or as needed. To accomplish this, simply add an audience list as usual (with the “bid-only” setting) and set the bid adjustment to a negative number, such as -15%.

• Use RLSA Data in Automated Monitoring Strategy

Even if you don’t agree with all of the current strategies, you can still use RLSA if you use an automated conversion strategy (such as “target CPA” or “maximize conversions”).

Since 2014, Google Ads has been able to use data from user profiles to automatically target ads. This means that if you include RLSA in your campaign, Google’s system will estimate the likelihood of that audience making a purchase and will automatically adjust your bids to maximize your results.

This way, you’re providing Google with more information that it can use to make better decisions. This can improve the success of your campaign and increase the number of conversions.

Conclusion

Remarketing Lists for Search Ads (RLSA) is an extremely effective advertising strategy for improving the performance of your Google Ads campaigns. RLSA eliminates the need to advertise to random audiences. Instead, you can target only people who have previously visited your website. Because your ads target people who have already expressed an interest in your products or services, they are less expensive and more targeted.

You can create much smarter and more efficient campaigns by using strategies such as retargeting past visitors, adjusting ad messaging, adjusting bids, and excluding converted customers. Even if you use Google’s automated system, data from RLSA can help improve conversion rates. In other words, RLSA is more than just a supplementary strategy, but it’s a critical tool for making your ads work smarter and more profitably.