• About
    • History of Dallas SEO
    • SEO Expert Witness Service
  • Contact
  • Topics
    • Bing
    • Blogging
    • Branding
    • Domain Names
    • Google
    • Internet Marketing
    • Link Building
    • Local Search
    • Marketing
    • Public Relations
    • Reputation Management
    • Search Engine Marketing
    • Search Engine Optimization
    • Search Engines
    • Social Media
    • Tech
  • Advertise
  • Email Newsletter

Bill Hartzer

Bill Hartzer on Search, Marketing, Tech, and Domains.

traffic analysis tools

Home » Marketing » How to Stop Retargeting by Advertisers

How to Stop Retargeting by Advertisers

Posted By Bill Hartzer on December 31, 2017at 11:33 am

Are you sick and tired of being retargeted? Have you gone to a merchant’s website, maybe a hotel website or even some other ecommerce business and now their ads are following you all over the internet? Even on Facebook? For days on end? Literally, it can be very frustrating, especially if you are already a customer. Retargeting is great for business (I tell clients to implement retargeting during an SEO audit), but it honestly can be really annoying in some cases.

There are a few ways to stop retargeting, or stop being retargeted, if that’s your ultimate goal. First, let me say that as an SEO consultant, I can tell you that I recommend retargeting be used by my clients. But there comes a time when retargeting can actually be worse than not using it at all. If your ads end up retargeting current customers and those potential customers for too long, then they can get annoyed. Especially if they just bought a product, and the business keeps on showing ads for that product using retargeting.

One way to stop retargeting is to clear your web browser’s web cache and the cookies. Depending on which web browser you’re using, there are several ways of doing that.

Google has a guide to clearing cookies in their support for other browsers, but here’s what you need to do if you’re using Google Chrome:

Jump To

  • Stop Retargeting by Deleting Your Data
    • Disable Cookies in Your Web Browser
  • Use a VPN for Privacy
    • Set Up a VPN on Amazon

Stop Retargeting by Deleting Your Data

  1. Click the Chrome menu Chrome menu on the browser toolbar.
  2. Select Tools.
  3. Select Clear browsing data.
  4. In the dialog that appears, select the checkboxes for the types of information that you want to remove.
  5. Use the menu at the top to select the amount of data that you want to delete. Select beginning of time to delete everything.
  6. Click Clear browsing data.

Clearing your browser cache and your cookies is one way to stop retargeting. But, keep in mind that you’ll need to do this over and over again, or on a regular basis.

There’s another way, and that is to stop retargeting where it starts: by not allowing the cookies at all. You can turn off cookies in your web browser and simply not allow them. But, honestly, that can actually get annoying, especially if there are certain websites where you have to log in on a regular basis; the sites remember your user ID via cookies. So you will have to remember all of that info every time you go to a website to log in. I use several online tools all day long, and it would be a pain for me to not accept cookies.

Disable Cookies in Your Web Browser

Nonetheless, you can turn off cookies in your web browser:

2013-04-25-16-01-24-a25324

In Firefox, you can Enable and disable cookies in your preferences.

In Google Chrome, you can use the Incognito Mode in order to block everything–except your location.

  1. On your computer, open Chrome.
  2. At the top right, click More More and then New Incognito Window.
  3. A new window appears. In the top corner, check for the Incognito icon Incognito mode.

You can also use a keyboard shortcut to open an Incognito window:

  1. Windows, Linux, or Chrome OS: Press Ctrl + Shift + n.
  2. Mac: Press ? + Shift + n.

Use a VPN for Privacy

Another way to stop retargeting is to take control over your online privacy. You can use a private VPN (Virtual Private Network) to surf the web using a web browser or you can use a private VPN on your cell phone, smartphone, iPhone, or Android device. I recommend using SurfEasy:

surfeasy

SurfEasy allows you to browse anonymously, and it stops retargeting. With SurfEasy, you can surf the web safely, privately and anonymously—without limits or restrictions, from all over the world.

Sign up for SurfEasy here.

Set Up a VPN on Amazon

Here’s another option: set up your own private VPN for free using Amazon AWS web services. I have set this up myself, and it is great… you can use the VPN on your laptop, tablet, phone. Here’s how to do set up your own free VPN on Amazon.

Amazon Web Services offers one year of free virtual server space, provided you use less than predetermined amounts of bandwidth, time and space. I have used this for over a year now, and honestly never went over the amount of bandwidth I was given for the first year.

Filed Under: Marketing

traffic analysis tools

Listen to "Digital Marketing with Bill Hartzer" on Spreaker.

About Bill Hartzer

Bill Hartzer is CEO of Hartzer Consulting, LLC, an SEO Consulting firm that includes services such as search engine optimization, technical SEO audits, domain name consulting, and online reputation management.

Recent Posts

  • RightoftheDot Live Online Domain Auction February 25 February 18, 2021
  • Jabez LeBret on Digital PR, Journalism, and Media Coverage February 5, 2021
  • Someone Stole My Domain Name: Here’s What You Do February 1, 2021
  • 23 Top Level Domains TLDs Up for Auction January 27, 2021
  • GotConn Privacy Search Engine Launches January 26, 2021
  • Andrew Muller on Testing Google Ads Using Facebook Ads January 15, 2021
  • Mike Rhodes from Web Savvy On Google Ads January 8, 2021
  • How to Opt Out of Google Analytics December 16, 2020
  • Majestic Just Changed SEO and Linking Forever December 15, 2020
  • Yext Consumer Search Trend Predictions for 2020 December 8, 2020
  • SearchBox Launches SearchAI SmartSuggest, SearchAI Answers and SearchAI Personalization December 7, 2020
  • Google Poly is Shutting Down December 2, 2020
  • Domain Name Brokers Put FFF.com and HHH.com Domains Up for Sale December 1, 2020
  • Google Webmaster Tools Moves Twitter Account November 11, 2020
  • Email Deliverability, Setting Up DMARC, DKIM, and SPF on Your Domain October 29, 2020
  • The Bing Search Engine is Now Microsoft Bing October 6, 2020
  • Beck Power on Building Authority on Social Media and Repurposing Content October 2, 2020
  • Naira Perez on Paid Media, and an Intro to Social Paid Media, and Audiences September 17, 2020
  • Fake Birth Date Used on Google and Apple Accounts Is on Credit Report August 17, 2020
  • What is Bill Hartzer Disease? July 20, 2020

DFWSEM logo

Bill Hartzer is a Brand Ambassador for:



Industry Friends

WTFSEO
SEO By the Sea
Jeff Lenney
Jeff Gabriel
Phil Drinkwater
Dixon Jones

Connect With Bill Hartzer

Bill Hartzer on Twitter
Bill Hartzer on Instagram
Hartzer Consulting on Facebook
Bill Hartzer on Facebook
Bill Hartzer on YouTube

Categories

  • Advertising (19)
  • Bing Search Engine (6)
  • Blogging (42)
  • Branding (12)
  • Domain Names (200)
  • Google (228)
  • Internet Marketing (24)
  • Internet Usage (84)
  • Link Building (52)
  • Local Search (38)
  • Marketing (176)
  • Marketing Foo (30)
  • Pay Per Click (1)
  • Podcast (9)
  • Public Relations (8)
  • Reputation Management (9)
  • Search Engine Marketing (44)
  • Search Engine Marketing Events (47)
  • Search Engine Marketing Firms (19)
  • Search Engine Marketing Jobs (33)
  • Search Engine Optimization (156)
  • Search Engines (203)
  • Social Media (187)
  • Tech (7)
  • Web Analytics (16)




Note: All product names, logos, and brands are property of their respective owners. All company, product and service names used in this website are for identification purposes only, and are mentioned only to help my readers. All other trademarks cited herein are the property of their respective owners. Use of these names, logos, and brands does not imply endorsement.




Hartzer Consulting



Website, Content, and Marketing by Hartzer Consulting, LLC.

Copyright © 2021 by Bill Hartzer and Hartzer Consulting, LLC.

Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
Go to mobile version