Who this guide is for: Small-to-medium (SMB) Brand advertisers using Realize.
When setting up your campaign, these are the key areas to get right:
(A) Tracking & Analytics Setup
For SMB advertisers, accurate tracking and analytics are essential for understanding what’s driving results. Without reliable conversion data, ad spend can be wasted, optimization becomes guesswork, and ROI remains unclear. That’s why robust, error-free tracking is a must before launching your first campaign.
Conversion Tracking Implementation: Install the Taboola Pixel on all pages across your website- landing, product, checkout, and thank-you pages. This ensures full visibility into the entire user journey, so you’re not making decisions based on fragmented data.
Shopify Users: Use the official Taboola Pixel Shopify app to simplify and streamline pixel setup.
If you're using post-purchase upsell tools like CartHook, AfterSell, or OrderBump, ensure the Taboola Pixel is installed on those pages as well.
Be aware that some third-party apps (like cash on delivery or upsell apps) may bypass Shopify’s standard checkout, blocking pixel events. Check if these apps support Realize tracking and implement accordingly.
Make sure user cookies are enabled in your Shopify settings and are present on all pages- including the Checkout page- to ensure accurate conversion tracking.
Other Platforms:
If your site is built on WordPress, use a WordPress plugin to install the Taboola Pixel and create conversions via Codeless Conversions.
For custom websites or other platforms, implement the Pixel via Google Tag Manager (GTM) using the Realize GTM template. Then use Codeless Conversions to map CTAs or conversion actions on your site.
Best Practices for Tracking: Track both your primary conversion (e.g., Purchase) and an event just before it in the funnel (e.g., Add to Cart) to give the algorithm more data to optimize against. If you're not hitting 6-10 purchases per day (for Max Conversions), include both events in the “Include in Total” setting. Once you're consistently hitting 6-10 purchases per day, you can remove the earlier-funnel events to focus optimization solely on the primary goal.
Pro Tips: Ensure tracking setup covers:
Advertorial/ Landing Page: Track CTA button clicks.
Offer Page: Capture views and user engagement.
Product Page: Monitor add-to-cart actions and product views.
Checkout Page: Monitor start-checkout actions
Thank You Page: Track completed purchases, value and ROAS reporting
Measurement Tips: Set clear campaign goals (e.g., "Reach 3.5x ROAS" or "Maintain $25 CPA").
Use UTM Parameters for tracking in Google Analytics: utm_source=taboola&utm_medium=referral. Apply either at campaign level (via the Tracking Code section) or ad level (after ? in the URL)- not both, to avoid data conflicts.
Add Macros for Granular Insights: {site}, {campaign_name}, or {platform}.
Troubleshooting: Before investing your budget, make sure your tracking is fully functional- otherwise, you risk optimizing blindly. That means:
All pages in your funnel are tracked
All conversion events are firing correctly
You have clear visibility into the full user journey- from landing to purchase
Use the Tracking Test Tool (under the Tracking tab in Realize) to simulate a user journey and confirm that events are being captured in real time. It’s simple to use and helps ensure everything is flowing through correctly.
(B) Creative Planning
Testing Campaign Angles:
For Growth-focused SMB brands, testing multiple creative angles early helps identify what resonates and drives conversions. Campaign angles like expert endorsements (e.g., nutritionists), customer success stories, and problem-solution narratives (e.g., using a supplement to improve sleep or a wellness app for daily mindfulness) can resonate differently with your audience. Test at least three creative approaches to find the most effective angle for driving conversions.
Pro Tips:
Keep the default 'Ad Optimization' mode enabled- while a dedicated A/B testing tool is in development, this setting helps prioritize top-performing creative combinations automatically.
If you're testing creatives manually, make sure to isolate clear differences across angles and track performance using consistent naming or labeling conventions.
Aim to include 3 distinct titles and 3 unique images per campaign to give the system enough variety to optimize effectively.
Ensure your ads avoid mature themes, distasteful imagery, aggressive promises, or close-ups of body parts, as these can limit access to premium inventory.
Selecting an Ad Type:
Protect key details: Ensure key product details (like logo, price, and call-to-action) are within a 12% safe zone from the edges to prevent cropping.
E.g., If promoting a smoothie mix, ensure the brand and price are visible even when cropped
Tailor creatives: Split campaigns by target audience to boost relevance and CTRs.
E.g., If you’re promoting a wellness drink, create one campaign for fitness-focused millennials highlighting energy-boosting, plant-based benefits, and another for parents focusing on convenient, kid-friendly nutrition.
Test creative formats: Static, Motion, and Carousel formats all serve different purposes. Motion Ads, in particular, can drive up to 20% higher CVR and can be auto-generated from static assets using AI tools- no design expertise needed.
E.g., A static image could showcase your wellness tea packaging; a motion ad might highlight its calming benefits and user testimonials; a carousel ad could feature multiple advantages like herbal ingredients, expert endorsements, and positive reviews.
Optimise for placements: If you’re targeting specific sites, be sure to check with your Account Manager to ensure your creatives are optimized for those platforms. If targeting Yahoo Mail, for instance:
Desktop: 1200x627 (1.91:1 aspect ratio)
E.g., A lifestyle shot of your product in use, such as a vitamin bottle on a kitchen counter.
Mobile: 800x800 (1:1 aspect ratio)
E.g., A close-up shot of the product or a key feature, like the close-up of a supplement’s label.
Pro Tips: You can explore multiple templates available in Motion Ads studio within Realize to find the best format for your campaigns. e.g., create a motion ad showing a user preparing a detox smoothie measuring powder, mixing, and drinking it.
Ads Best Practices:
Headlines should be engaging and highlight the benefits of your product. You can also use them to qualify users.
E.g., “Why health coaches recommend this superfood blend” or “How this daily routine boosted my energy naturally”
Visuals are essential for grabbing attention. Use natural, relatable images that reflect your target demographic.
E.g., someone preparing a nutritious breakfast or doing yoga at home
Pro Tips:
Localize headlines by referencing region-specific habits, products, or terminology or try Dynamic Keyword Insertion (DKI). DKI lets you insert personalised elements (like city, state, or platform) into your headline to make it more tailored to each user and boost CTR.
Create separate campaigns for distinct customer segments to improve relevance. e.g., “Boost metabolism naturally with this wellness drink” for active women, and “Improve sleep quality with this calming herbal blend” for professionals.
Use GenAI AdMaker to quickly generate high-quality, on-brand creatives. Built into the Realize platform, it helps improve approval rates and boost performance, with original creatives at no extra cost.
Landing Page Strategies:
A compelling landing page is crucial for engaging your audience before they reach the product page. Types of landing pages that work well for small to medium-sized brands include:
Hero stories: E.g., “How this morning ritual transformed my well-being”
Listicles: E.g., “5 ways to feel healthier by next week”
Quiz funnels: E.g., “What’s your wellness score?”
Each landing page should align with your ad’s promise and showcase the product’s benefits, with a clear CTA above the fold.
E.g., Highlight improved energy levels, reduced bloating, or better sleep with a CTA like “Take the First Step Toward Better Health- Try It Today”.
To ensure the CTA remains visible throughout the scroll, place the same button multiple times across the landing page - this approach improves accessibility and is often simpler to implement and track as a single conversion.
You can find more details on Creative Best Practices here.
(C) Budget
Managing budgets effectively is key to sustaining performance while minimizing waste.
SMB advertisers should start with a modest daily budget relative to campaign goals and scale gradually as performance stabilizes - this gives the algorithm time to learn and optimize.
For campaigns using Maximize Conversions, aim for a daily budget that’s at least 10X your target CPA per campaign (e.g., $500 for a $50 CPA goal), or a $50 baseline if your CPA is under $5. If 10X isn’t feasible upfront, start smaller and increase once enough data is collected to evaluate trends.
(D) Targeting Strategy
Whether you're selling Personal Finance, Health Living, or Home & Garden products, the diverse range of targeting solutions available on Realize means you can find the right audience for your offering and deliver performance at scale on the open web. You can combine different audiences together, however it's important to note that too many audience overlays can result in limited reach.
For New Advertisers: Start broad and split by device. Let Realize’s Performance AI identify audience segments
E.g., Wellness seekers, nutrition enthusiasts, or mindful living advocates.
For Experienced Advertisers: If you have more insights into your audience, create targeted campaigns alongside your broad-reaching campaign.
E.g., Target working moms looking for immunity support or Gen Z users focused on sustainable wellness
When creating targeted campaigns, it’s essential to align your audience strategy with specific goals to maximize reach and engagement. Here's how to approach it:
Define Your Target Audience: Start by clearly identifying your target audience based on demographics, interests, and behaviors. (e.g., individuals 30–50 focused on plant-based nutrition). Segment your audience into smaller, relevant groups based on shared characteristics. This allows you to create distinct campaigns for each audience profile, ensuring more personalized and effective messaging. To minimize internal competition especially when scaling ideally each campaign should target different sites, audiences, or use distinct headlines and thumbnails.
Leverage Realize First Party Audiences and Third-Party Data: Use Realize’s first-party audiences- including declared data such as age and gender- to precisely target users based on core traits.
E.g., A joint health supplement brand can reach people aged 40+ who may be experiencing joint pain or looking for arthritis solutions
You can also layer in interest-based audiences, which rely on contextual signals, to broaden reach while maintaining relevance. Additionally, consider incorporating third-party data to further scale your targeting without losing alignment with your product's core audience.
Exclude Existing Customers: Focus on reaching new potential customers by excluding those who have already converted. To do this, use custom audiences based on your 1P customer data or set up auto-suppression for users tracked by the Taboola Pixel. This ensures that your budget is spent on attracting fresh prospects.
Re-engage Existing Users: If you've installed the Taboola Pixel, we recommend creating pixel-based audiences using the conversion rules you’ve set. Also consider setting up an engagement-based conversion event and audience early on to start accumulating data- this ensures the audience is ready when you're ready to re-target.. You can also re-target existing customers for upselling or re-engagement using your first-party data or CRM lists (e.g., “Still curious about plant-based protein?”). First-party data can be onboarded directly to Realize or via your preferred DMP/MMP- just make sure to upload it at least 4 days before launch to allow for processing.
Tailor Campaigns Based on Regional Preferences: Adapt your campaigns to regional needs to increase relevance and engagement.
E.g., For joint supplements, focus on areas with higher arthritis prevalence or colder climates where joint pain is more common. In these regions, you could highlight benefits like “Targeted relief for joint pain in cold weather” or “Restore mobility with natural joint supplements,” ensuring that your messaging resonates with the specific challenges faced by the audience.
Pro Tips:
Monitor the Reach Estimator to ensure your audience isn’t too narrow. Start broad, then refine targeting based on performance.
(E) Policy Compliance
Adhering to Taboola’s policies is crucial for minimizing campaign disruptions and maximizing scalability.
Category-Specific Guidelines: Categories like Healthy Living often face stricter scrutiny. Ensure claims are substantiated and avoid absolute statements (e.g. “Guaranteed to transform your body”). When in doubt, collaborate with Taboola’s Compliance Review Team (CRT) for pre-approval of creatives and landing pages.
Pre-Approval Process: Use a compliance checklist to ensure all creatives and landing pages meet Taboola’s advertising standards. Key areas to review include language, visuals and adherence to Taboola’s advertising policies. If your campaign is rejected or flagged:
Review the top rejection reasons and this content checklist.
Work with your Sales or Account Manager to resolve compliance issues.
If you’re a managed client, you can also reach out directly to our Content Review Team via Realize for support.
Conclusion
For small to medium brands, nailing the setup from day one ensures budgets work harder, user actions are tracked for attribution and retargeting, and the right audiences are found early. With strong creative testing and faster learnings in place, SMBs can unlock scalable growth and maximize performance from the very start.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your Account Manager, email us at support@taboola.com, or reach out via chat within Realize.