Is retargeting bad?

AdSense keeps showing same ads over and over again...

[Dlocks]

In the last couple of weeks I noticed AdSense is showing me the same ads for three different companies over and over and over again. Probably because I visited the websites from these companies a couple of weeks ago.

This is driving me nuts. I didn't click on the ads the first 1,000 times AdSense showed me those ads and I will not click on it in the next 1,000 times AdSense will show them to me.

I think this because of the retargeting option. AdSense thinks retargeting is more important then showing contextual ads. When I visit for example an online gaming website then please don't show me ads for a hosting company or a book a holliday online company.

I understand retargeting could be very usefull. But the way Google is using it at this moment it will do more harm them good because:

- I'm clicking less on ads because I keep seeing the same ads over and over again.

- Ads are not relevant

- I'm getting ad blind because I keep seeing the same ads over and over again.

Why is Google (over)doing this?

[buckworks]

Why is Google (over)doing this?

It's the ADVERTISERS who are overdoing this, but I'll heartily agree with you that it's annoying and stupid.

Swamping users with the same ads over and over is not the way to use retargeting! Doing that is certain to backfire on those advertisers, because users who are irritated beyond endurance are more likely to make a point of avoiding those sites rather than going back to do business with them.

Smart advertisers will set tight limits on their daily frequency caps to make sure their retargeting ads won't swamp anyone. An occasional courteous reminder can be very effective, but "stalk the user" can do more harm than good.

[netmeg]

Unfortunately Google hasn't done a very good job instructing advertisers about frequency capping and audience targeting and how to do it. Of course, the big guys know this stuff already. Marketing geeks like me go looking for it, so we'll find it. But Joe End User advertising his business doesn't even know what it is, much less that it's there and how best to implement it.

Google in general needs to learn how to talk to end users. AdWords in particular. But I suppose as long as they don't, there's work for the rest of us.

[Dlocks]

It's the ADVERTISERS who are overdoing this

Forgot about that :)

Google in general needs to learn how to talk to end users.

Or Google should put a limit on it. For example max. x-views during max. x-days.

It seems like the retargeting setting is overruling the idea of "Show the most relevant ad that is most likely clicked on". That can't be good for the publisher, the advertisor and the visitor of a website.

[RhinoFish]

people are more likely to click on something familiar, and they likely had a recent, relevant need - so i think the math is causing G to deliver the retargeted stuff at a rate the advertisers asked for, one which is too high.

they're forgetting something... they were already at your site and you failed to convert them - mathematically they may be more inclined to revisit than to visit some site totally unknown to them, but the negative impact on reputation (and possible lower conversion rate, and FTC issues) aren't in that CTR calculation.

sometimes, less is more.

in any case, once hoards of folks are doing this, competitive demand should mean it evens out somewhat. so I hope G applies some brakes now, during the early stages of this.