[UA] Test remarketing campaigns

You can create two or more compositionally identical remarketing audiences and run a different ad campaign for each audience. You can then compare the performance of each campaign and determine which is more effective.

In this article:

• About the User Bucket dimension
• Create the audiences
• Run the test
• Evaluate the results

About the User Bucket dimension

Analytics randomly assigns each of your users to one of 100 buckets. For any given user, the User Bucket dimension (values 1 to 100) indicates the bucket to which the user has been assigned. By including a User Bucket condition in audience definitions, you can create multiple audiences that are identical in composition except for their User Bucket values. You can then compare the effects of different campaigns on identical audiences.

For example, you might create two remarketing audiences that share the same Age, Gender, and City, but are differentiated by User Bucket. You can then run a different version of your remarketing campaign for each audience to see which version is most effective.

Create the audiences

This example illustrates how to define two demographically identical audiences based on Age, Gender, and Location (City), and how to differentiate them by User Bucket value.

1. Sign in to Google Analytics..
2. Click Admin, and navigate to the property in which you want to create the audience.
3. In the PROPERTY column, click Audience Definitions > Audiences.
4. Click + New Audience. (Learn more about creating audiences).
5. In Step 1, select the Analytics view that includes user data for your audience, and select the ad account in which you want the audience available.
6. In Step 2, click Create New.
7. In the Audience Builder, use the Demographics filters to select Age and Gender categories, and to identify the Location (City).

   

   Audience Builder with Demographics filters

8. Use the Conditions filters to specify: User Bucket less than or equal to 50

   

   Audience Builder with Conditions filter

9. Click Apply, then name the audience (e.g., Test Audience for Remarketing Campaign A), and save the audience.
10. Start with Step 4 above to create the second audience:
    • In the Audience Builder, use the Demographics filters to select the same Age and Gender categories that you selected for the previous audience, and to identify the same Location.
    • Use the Conditions filters to specify User Bucket greater than 50.
    • Click Apply, then name the audience (e.g., Test Audience for Remarketing Campaign B), and save the audience.

Run the test

To test the two campaigns in Google Ads:

• Create a separate remarketing campaign for each audience.
• Let the campaigns run long enough to gather sufficient data for a meaningful comparison.

Evaluate the results

You evaluate the results of your campaigns in Analytics.

Sign in to your Analytics account and navigate to the view in which you want to evaluate the results.

Create two Segments that are each based on the name of the remarketing campaign you are testing. For example:

• Segment 1: Campaign exactly matches Remarketing Campaign A
• Segment 2: Campaign exactly matches Remarketing Campaign B

You can then compare metrics for each Segment throughout your Analytics reports.