Should I Use Google Smart Lists?

For years, Google has provided website owners with access to wide-ranging data to help monitor, measure, and quantify the site’s performance. Much of this data is available for free, using the Google Analytics dashboard. Recently, Google has launched a new innovation called Google Smart Lists, which takes some of the stats from Google Analytics and converts them into usable data for an advertising campaign. Essentially, Smart Lists take what’s available to you in Google Analytics and uses it to build custom remarketing lists, based on people who have come to the site and are perceived as likely to return to the site and convert.

Google has been promoting this new tool fairly heavily, and we’ve even had some questions about it from our enCOMPASS clients. With a few exceptions, we’ve largely been advising clients not to use Google Smart Lists… and here are a few of the reasons why.

Why You SHOULDN’T Use Google Smart Lists

1. Google Smart Lists don’t work as well for smaller businesses and less-popular websites. Google Smart Lists is optimized for websites that garner at least 500 monthly ecommerce transactions or 10,000 daily pageviews. However, if your site does not get at least 500 monthly transactions or 10,000 daily pageviews, your Smart List is generated based not on your actual website data but on conversion data from “businesses similar to yours that have opted to share their anonymized conversion data with Analytics.” There’s a lot of cause for skepticism here, as it means that, for sites that don’t get as much traffic, Google Smart Lists aren’t actually using your data. And as for “businesses similar to yours,” that’s obviously a fairly nebulous term. The bottom line: If you’re not generating much traffic or many conversions, then you’re probably not going to get very useful information from Google Smart Lists.
2. It doesn’t work for companies in the “sensitive topics” category, either. Does your business sell or promote items related to personal health and wellness? If so, then you may be disqualified from using Google Smart Lists. That’s because Google places health and wellness in its “sensitive topics” column, meaning they won’t let you use your analytic data to retarget ads.
3. What if your current remarketing strategy is working well? If you already have a remarketing strategy in place, and if you haven’t seen a downturn in conversions, then there’s really no reason to change course. As of yet, there is no data to suggest that Google Smart Lists work any better than the strategy you’re already running yourself, either independently or in conjunction with a third party.
4. Google Smart Lists leaves you with less creative control. One more important thing to remember is that, using Google Smart Lists, you can’t choose which people see which particular ads, and as such you must create more generic ad copy to appeal to any viewer. This is not always the case when you are running your own retargeting strategy.

If you fall into any of the camps we’ve outlined above, or if any of these points sound like red flags to you, then at this point in time we recommend leaving Google Smart Lists alone. There are other retargeting options that may prove even more effective, and we’re happy to help you explore your options.

Why You SHOULD Use Google Smart Lists

With all of that said, there are a few instances in which it might make sense to give Google Smart Lists a chance. A few of these scenarios include:

1. You’re new to retargeting. If you’re just getting started, don’t have a lot of data available to you, and really want to hit the ground running, then Google Smart Lists may provide a good jump start to your efforts.
2. You need a quick win. Similarly, if you’ve tried your hand at remarketing before but haven’t yet found an effective strategy, and if you need to score a “quick win” in order to impress somebody, Google Smart Lists may be of some use.
3. You’re not sure how to use Google Analytics. If you simply don’t have the time or patience to work through the technical interface of Google Analytics, and if you don’t have a relationship with an agency that can handle your remarketing efforts for you, then Smart Lists may be a good place to settle.
4. You’re not sure who your target audience is. Understanding who to target is absolutely crucial for any campaign. If you have even the slightest doubts, then perhaps you might consider using a Smart List.

More Questions About Google Smart Lists?

We hope these reflections have been helpful, and that we’ve cleared up any questions you have about Google’s latest offerings.

If you have any further inquiries, though, don’t hesitate to contact us. Reach out to enCOMPASS Agency at any time you’d like to chat.