Retargeting Ads for Estate Agents: Bring Back Lost Visitors

The average estate agent website converts just 2–3% of visitors into leads. That means 97 out of every 100 people who visit your site — people who were genuinely interested enough to look at your listings, read your content, or check your valuation page — leave without ever making contact. Retargeting ads give you a second, third, and fourth chance to bring those visitors back and convert them into genuine instructions.

Whether you call it retargeting or remarketing, the principle is the same: showing ads to people who have already interacted with your brand online. For estate agents in the UK, US, Canada, and Australia, retargeting is one of the highest-ROI advertising tactics available — and most agents aren't using it.

How Retargeting Works

Retargeting works by placing a small piece of code — called a pixel or tag — on your website. When someone visits your site, that pixel drops an anonymous cookie in their browser. Later, when they browse Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or news sites, they see your ads. Because they've already visited your site, the ads feel familiar rather than intrusive.

The two primary retargeting platforms for estate agents are Meta (Facebook and Instagram) and Google Display Network. Each works slightly differently, but both allow you to re-engage website visitors with targeted advertising.

Setting Up the Facebook Pixel

The Meta pixel (formerly Facebook pixel) is the foundation of retargeting on Facebook and Instagram. Installation takes minutes: you generate the pixel code from your Meta Business Suite, then add it to every page of your website. If your agent website runs on a modern platform, this is usually a single code paste into a global header.

Once installed, the pixel begins building audiences immediately. Even if you don't plan to run retargeting ads for a few weeks, install the pixel now. The larger your audience pool, the more effective your campaigns will be when you launch them. You need a minimum of around 1,000 visitors in your pixel audience before Meta will serve retargeting ads effectively.

Google Remarketing Setup

Google remarketing uses the Google Ads tag (or Google Analytics audience sharing) to build visitor lists. Your ads then appear across the Google Display Network — over two million websites, apps, and YouTube videos. For estate agents already running Google Ads search campaigns, adding a remarketing layer is straightforward and typically improves overall campaign ROI by 15–25%.

Link your Google Ads and Google Analytics accounts, enable remarketing in your Analytics property settings, and create audience segments based on visitor behaviour. Google requires a minimum audience size of 100 users for display remarketing and 1,000 users for search remarketing.

Audience Segmentation: The Key to Relevance

The biggest mistake agents make with retargeting is treating all visitors the same. Someone who spent 30 seconds on your homepage is fundamentally different from someone who viewed your valuation page, read a market report, or browsed 10 property listings. Segment your audiences by behaviour and serve different messages to each group.

• Valuation page visitors. These are your hottest seller leads. Retarget them with testimonials from recent sellers, your average sale price achieved, and a direct CTA to book a free valuation.
• Property listing viewers. Retarget with similar properties, new listings in the same area, or a prompt to register for property alerts. This keeps buyers engaged with your brand.
• Blog and guide readers. These visitors are in the research phase. Serve them educational content — market reports, buying guides, or neighbourhood information — to position your agency as the local authority.
• Past converters. Exclude people who have already submitted a form or booked a valuation. There's no point paying to retarget someone who's already a lead in your CRM.

Ad Creative That Converts

Retargeting ads should feel like a natural continuation of the visitor's experience on your website, not a cold advertisement. Use high-quality property photography, consistent branding, and messaging that directly addresses their likely intent.

• For sellers: “Thinking of selling in [area]? Our vendors achieve 99.2% of asking price on average.” Include a review quote and a clear “Book Your Free Valuation” button.
• For buyers: Carousel ads showcasing new or featured properties in the area they browsed. Dynamic retargeting can automatically show the exact listings they viewed.
• For researchers: Promote your latest market report, neighbourhood guide, or blog article. Establish authority before asking for the conversion.

Video ads perform particularly well in retargeting campaigns. A 30-second clip of a recent sale, a client testimonial, or a walkthrough of the local market gives viewers a richer experience than static imagery alone.

Frequency Capping: Avoid Ad Fatigue

Nothing damages your brand faster than showing the same ad to the same person 50 times in a week. Frequency capping limits how often each person sees your ad. For estate agent retargeting, a frequency cap of 3–5 impressions per user per week strikes the right balance between staying visible and avoiding annoyance.

On Facebook, you can set frequency caps at the ad set level. On Google Display, you can cap impressions per day, week, or month. Monitor your frequency metrics closely — when click-through rates start dropping and cost per click starts rising, your audience is fatigued and it's time to refresh your creative.

Retargeting Window: How Long to Follow Visitors

The retargeting window — how many days after a visit you continue showing ads — should match the typical sales cycle. For estate agents, a 30–60 day window works well for seller leads, while buyer retargeting can extend to 90 days since property searches often take longer. After the window closes, the visitor is removed from your audience and you stop paying to reach them.

Budget and Expected ROI

Retargeting is remarkably cost-effective. Because you're targeting a warm audience, cost per click is typically £0.30–1.50 ($0.50–2.00) on Facebook and £0.50–2.00 ($0.70–3.00) on Google Display — significantly cheaper than cold prospecting campaigns. Most agents can run effective retargeting campaigns for £200–500 ($300–700) per month.

The ROI case is compelling. If retargeting converts just 1–2% of your lost visitors into leads, and 10% of those leads convert to instructions, you're looking at additional completions directly attributable to a modest ad spend. Track your results through analytics reporting to measure the true cost per instruction from retargeting.

Combining Retargeting With Your Broader Strategy

Retargeting works best as part of a full-funnel digital strategy. Use SEO and GEO to drive organic traffic to your site, run paid search campaigns to capture high-intent searchers, publish valuable content to attract researchers, and then retarget everyone who doesn't convert on their first visit. This layered approach ensures no potential lead falls through the cracks.

Pair retargeting with organic social media for maximum impact. When a prospect sees your retargeting ad and then encounters your latest post in their social feed, the combined touchpoints build trust and familiarity far faster than either channel alone.

Ready to stop losing 97% of your website visitors? Book a free strategy call and we'll set up retargeting campaigns that bring your best prospects back to convert.