Retargeting in Yandex Direct shows ads to people who already visited your site, viewed a service, or abandoned a form halfway. It is not “more ads” — it is a second chance to close at a cheaper click than cold search.
NUGU in Sochi enables retargeting after search works and Metrica is configured. Without segments and goals, retargeting becomes expensive YAN without focus.
How Retargeting Works in Yandex
- Yandex Metrica with goals is installed on the site.
- Segments are created in Metrica: all visitors, service page views, started form, customers.
- Segments go to Yandex Audiences / Direct.
- A YAN or smart banner campaign runs with “show only to this segment”.
Search captures demand. Retargeting brings back people who compare, postpone, or get distracted.
Typical Segments
| Segment | Window | Ad goal |
|---|---|---|
| All visitors | 30 days | Reminder, trust, case study |
| Service page | 14 days | Specific offer, price, timeline |
| Started form, no submit | 7 days | “Finish your request”, objections |
| Submitted lead | 90 days | Upsell, review, new service |
| Exclude: customers | — | Do not show to buyers |
7–30 day windows balance frequency and annoyance. B2B with long cycle — up to 90 days for “viewed pricing”.
Campaign Structure
Use a separate “Retargeting” campaign — do not mix with cold YAN:
- Budget — 10–20% of total at start.
- Strategy — “Maximum clicks” with CPC cap or “Conversion optimization” with 20+ conversions per month on segment.
- Placements — start with manual list; disable mobile apps and gaming sites with zero CR.
- Frequency — watch fatigue: 5+ impressions per day to one person is too much.
Account structure details — in Yandex Direct setup.
Ads for Warm Audiences
Cold copy “Order a website in Sochi” is weak on retargeting. What works:
- reminder: “You viewed website development — we reply in 15 minutes”;
- social proof: case, number, review;
- scarcity: “Free landing audit until Friday”;
- fear removal: “Fixed quote, no hidden fees”.
Creatives — static and HTML5; video if you have a clip under 30 seconds. One segment — 2–3 ad variants for A/B.
Link to Context Advertising
Funnel shape:
Search / context → first visit
Retargeting → return and lead
CRM → handling
Retargeting CPL is often 20–40% lower than search, but volume is smaller. Do not move all budget to retargeting — without new visitors segments dry up.
Mistakes with Low Traffic
- Segment of 50 people — almost no impressions, conclusion “does not work”.
- One “all visitors” segment — cannot tell interest from accidental visit.
- No customer exclusion — paying for clicks from buyers.
- Retargeting without goals — you see clicks, not leads.
- Same banner for months — banner blindness, CR drops.
If traffic is low — strengthen search and content first, accumulate 30 days of data, then enable retargeting.
Look-alike Audiences
After 1000+ visitors or 100+ conversions you can run look-alike audiences in Yandex Audiences — finding new people similar to converters. That is expansion, not classic retargeting. Test as separate campaign with 15% budget cap.
GEO and Landing Page
Retargeting sends to the same page as search — ensure facts for people and AI: city, service, “from” price, timeline, contact. Otherwise the second visit fails again. NUGU builds this into site before Direct.
Cost
NUGU configures segments, campaigns, and creatives with the site:
- landing with Metrica — from 30,000 ₽;
- context ads + retargeting — after brief;
- portfolio, contacts.
Retargeting Launch Checklist
- Metrica on all pages, goals work.
- Segments: visitors, deep view, abandoned form.
- Converted / customers excluded.
- Separate campaign, 10–20% budget cap.
- 2–3 ads with warm offer.
- Weekly retargeting vs search CPL report.
Retargeting in Direct pays off when search already drives traffic and landing plus analytics are honest — otherwise you chase people to a broken page.