Using remarketing is an effective way to reach people who have been to your website before, thereby increasing conversion rates. An essential part of remarketing through Google is the use of a Google Ads remarketing tag, which allows you to track visitors to your website and display targeted ads to them on Youtube, Google and the Google Display network. In this blog, we explain step by step how to create server side a Google Ads remarketing tag in Google Tag Manager.
We are going to install the remarketing tag server side. This allows you to retarget 20-30% more people than through the client-side. Don’t have a server container in Google Tag Manager yet? Then check out this blog.
Curious about the entire Google Ads Server Side Tracking setup? Then check out our Google Ads SST page.
Table of Contents
Google Ads Server Side implementation steps
Creating Google Ads Remarketing Tag Server Side
Step 1: Go to data sources
Within your Google Ads account, go to “Tools and Settings,” then click on “Audience Manager” and go to “Your Data Sources.
Step 2: Conversion ID
For the Google Ads Tag, click “Details” and scroll to “Tag setup’. Under “Tag setup,” select Google Tag Manager and copy the conversion ID.
Step 3: Create new tag
We assume in this example that you are using GA4 as a base to send the data from the client to the server container. Haven’t you set this up yet? Then follow our four-part impelemtation series. Once this is set up, go to the server container in GTM. Then go to ‘Tags’ and click on ‘New’ to create a new tag.
Step 4: Choose Tag
Click ‘Tag Configuration’ and select ‘Google Ads-remarketing’ as the tag type.
Step 5: Set Tag
Paste the Conversion ID from step 2 into the tag. Then add a conversion linker Add.
Want to use dynamic remarketing in Google Ads remarketing? Then check the ‘event data for dynamic remarketing’ box. Then select ‘event data’
Note: It is important to adhere to the correct implementation of the GA4 server side implementation sequence here. This way, you ensure that Google can recognize the right data for dynamic remarketing and forward it to Google Ads.
Step 6: Set Trigger
Select “GA4 Client” as the trigger . Give the tag a name and then click “Save. Haven’t created this trigger yet. Then follow the steps in this blog.
Super! You now have Google Ads remarketing server side set up. You can now get started with your remarketing campaigns. But before you go. Have you also set up Google Ads conversion tracking server side?
Google Ads Remarketing Tag FAQ
Do you need Consent Mode V2 set for March to use Google Ads remarketing?
Failure to implement Google Consent Mode V2 by March 2024 will result in restrictions on the use of certain Google Advertisement products. This will affect remarketing opportunities in Google Ads, Floodlight and Display. As a result, analysis of your Web site’s performance and the effectiveness of ad campaigns can be significantly reduced.
I have a decrease in remarketing audiences since implementing Server Side Tracking, how is this possible?
Since the switch to permission mode version 2, in some cases all remarketing audiences have disappeared completely. This may have to do with your Google Ads Remarketing tag settings, check out the related support article.
Ate Keurentjes is a Server Side Tracking specialist at TAGGRS. He has experience with various Google Tag Manager concepts. Keurentjes has been editing and writing about the latest developments and trends in data collection / Server side tracking since 2023.
