Setting up audiences in GA4 and using a Google Ads remarketing tag via Google Tag Manager (GTM) serve complementary but distinct purposes and it's worth considering the options. However as stated by Julius Fedorovicius of Analytics Mania, "using GTM is the recommended best practice because it makes managing all your tracking tags (for GA, Google Ads, Meta, etc.) much faster and easier". To help you understand why, here's a breakdown of why both can be beneficial and why relying solely on GA4 might not fully meet your remarketing needs:
Functionality Differences
GA4 Audiences: GA4 allows you to create audience segments directly based on user behaviors, like specific page views, events, or interactions. These audiences can be shared with Google Ads for remarketing, but real-time audience updating is slower compared to a dedicated tag.
Remarketing Tag in GTM: Remarketing tags provide a direct, real-time connection to Google Ads, enabling faster updates and more granular control over audience lists for ad targeting. This ensures no delays in audience qualification for time-sensitive campaigns.
Real-Time Audience Updates
GA4: Audiences in GA4 are updated when user data is processed, which might take several hours to reflect in Google Ads.
Remarketing Tag: Audiences created with a Google Ads remarketing tag are updated instantly as users trigger the tag, making them more effective for dynamic, real-time remarketing needs.
Event and Trigger Flexibility
With GTM remarketing tags, you can define custom triggers beyond GA4’s built-in options, tailoring tracking to unique campaign or user flow requirements.
GA4’s audience-building capabilities are robust but limited to predefined user events and parameters configured within GA4.
Remarketing Outside of Google
Remarketing Tags can also enable advertising on the Google Display Network, YouTube, and other Google partners seamlessly, capturing more diverse and broader ad placement opportunities.
GA4 audiences, while capable of integrating with Google Ads, might not allow for the same broad retargeting flexibility without the underlying tag infrastructure.
Dynamic Remarketing
Dynamic remarketing campaigns (e.g., showing the exact products users viewed) often require both a remarketing tag in GTM and a linked Google Merchant Center feed.
GA4 audiences can only provide generic event data and are less suited for product-level remarketing unless custom parameters are heavily configured.
Avoiding Data Loss
Relying solely on GA4 might lead to data loss due to delayed processing or user preferences. GTM tags provide backup mechanisms for ensuring audience data reaches Google Ads in real-time, ensuring accuracy and comprehensiveness.
When Should You Choose Each?
| Scenario | Use GA4 Audiences | Use Remarketing Tag in GTM |
|---|---|---|
| You want easy-to-implement remarketing | ✅ | ❌ |
| Real-time audience updates are critical | ❌ | ✅ |
| You need advanced, custom audience triggers | ❌ | ✅ |
| Dynamic remarketing at scale | ❌ | ✅ (essential for product-level data) |
| Broad retargeting on Google Display Network | ❌ | ✅ |
Best Practice: Use Both Together
To get the best of both worlds we would reccommend creating custom audiences in GA4 based on specific behaviors but to make sure you Implement a remarketing tag in GTM to enable real-time updates and dynamic remarketing features. This layered approach ensures robust and accurate data flow, maximising your remarketing campaign's impact.
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