Google Analytics Simplifies Remarketing Set Up With “Instant Activation”

Google says that only 1 in 5 marketers successfully completes the remarketing set up process in Google Analytics. Whether it’s tagging problems or other implementation challenges, a 20 percent success rate is a pretty good indicator that the process isn’t user friendly for most marketers. To improve that success rate, Google has released “instant activation” of Advertiser Features for users in Google Analytics.

The fine print (or no print on the announcement, actually) is that this instant activation only applies to Universal Analytics users. Standard GA version users can activate this on their own (see below).

Rather than having to manually update site tags for remarketing, clicking “Enable Remarketing” automatically turns on Advertiser Features and enables Audience Demographics and Interests Reporting.

Click “Enable” to activate list development and sharing between Google Analytics and Google AdWords.

If you’re not using Universal Analytics, this is not automatic: Go to Property Settings from the Admin tab and scroll down to enable Advertiser Features and Demographics and Interest Reports. (If you are using Universal Analytics, Property Setting is where you’ll be able to manage this feature).

Here’s a description of the new Advertiser Features in GA:

Advertiser Features (in beta): Google Analytics Advertiser Features allow you to enable features in Analytics that aren’t available through standard implementations. Advertiser features include:

1. Remarketing with Google Analytics

2. Google Display Network Impression Reporting

3. DoubleClick Platform integrations

4. Google Analytics Demographics and Interest Reporting

By enabling the Advertiser Features, you enable Google Analytics to collect data about your traffic via Google advertising cookies and anonymous identifiers, in addition to data collected through a standard Google Analytics implementation.

When you first set up remarketing, it enables a default All Users list. After the set up you can and should create more targeted–and effective–audience segments.

You’ll then be prompted to set up a remarketing campaign in AdWords. For more details on the set up process, see the announcement here.