All three terms – tag, pixel, and cookie – play a role in remarketing, but they serve slightly different purposes:
- Tag: A tag is a generic term for a piece of code that’s added to a website. It can include various functionalities, but in remarketing, it often refers to a snippet of JavaScript code provided by a remarketing platform like Google Ads or Facebook Ads. This code communicates with the platform and triggers actions like placing a pixel or cookie.
- Pixel: A pixel is a tiny graphic (often 1×1 pixel) that’s embedded on a website page. It’s not visible to the user. When someone visits the page, their browser loads the pixel, which sends a signal back to the remarketing platform. This signal can include information about the page being viewed, but typically doesn’t collect personal data. Pixels are helpful for tracking website visitors and triggering actions like adding them to a remarketing list.
- Cookie: A cookie is a small piece of data that’s stored on a user’s browser. It can hold information about the user’s activity on a website, such as the pages they visited, items they added to their cart, or preferences they selected. This information is used to create more targeted remarketing lists. For instance, you could target people who viewed a specific product page with an ad for that same product.
Here’s a simple analogy:
- Think of the tag as the messenger. It carries instructions and information.
- The pixel acts like a signal fire. It sends a notification that someone has visited a particular page.
- The cookie is like a personalized note. It stores details about the visitor’s specific activity.
While they work together, there are some key differences to consider:
- Privacy: Cookies can be blocked by users or restricted by regulations like GDPR. Pixels are generally less privacy-invasive.
- Cross-device tracking: Cookies typically work on a single device, while some pixel-based solutions can track users across devices.
- Data storage: Cookies can store more detailed information compared to pixels.
Overall, all three elements play a part in the remarketing process. Tags initiate the communication, pixels track basic visitor actions, and cookies allow for more specific targeting based on user behavior.
In retargeting, tags, pixels, and cookies work together to track website visitors and create targeted advertising campaigns. Here’s a breakdown of their specific roles:
Tag:
- Function: The tag acts as the initiator. It’s a snippet of code provided by a retargeting platform like Google Ads or Facebook Ads.
- Placement: This code is added to the website’s codebase, typically on all pages you want to track visitors on.
- Action in Retargeting: The tag communicates with the retargeting platform and triggers other actions, such as placing a pixel or cookie on the visitor’s browser.
Pixel:
- Function: The pixel acts as a tracker. It’s a tiny, invisible image (1×1 pixel) embedded on the website page.
- Action: When a visitor loads the page, their browser also loads the pixel. This sends a signal back to the retargeting platform that a visit has occurred.
- Information Collected: Pixels typically collect basic information about the visit, such as the page viewed and potentially some non-personal data.
Cookie:
- Function: The cookie acts as a data storage unit. It’s a small piece of data stored on the user’s browser.
- Information Collected: The cookie can hold more detailed information about the user’s activity, such as:
- Pages visited
- Items added to cart
- Preferences selected
- Use in Retargeting: This information allows for creating more targeted remarketing lists. For example, you could target people who viewed a specific product page with an ad for that same product.
Here’s an analogy to illustrate their roles:
- Imagine a store. The tag is the employee at the entrance who hands out visitor tracking cards (pixels). The pixel is the card itself, which gets marked by different departments (pages visited) as the visitor walks through the store. The cookie is like a personalized note placed on the card based on what the visitor looked at closely (specific products).
Key Differences:
- Privacy: Cookies can be blocked by users and are restricted by regulations like GDPR. Pixels are generally less privacy-invasive.
- Cross-device tracking: Cookies typically work on a single device where they are placed, while some pixel-based solutions can track users across devices.
- Data storage: Cookies can store more detailed information compared to pixels.
In conclusion, tags initiate communication, pixels track basic actions, and cookies allow for more specific targeting in retargeting campaigns. They work together to create a system for following website visitors and showing them relevant ads later.
