How to Craft the Ultimate Ecommerce PPC Strategy

If you’re running a small business, chances are you’re engaging in paid advertising on Google. So, how can you make the most of your PPC strategy?

According to Hubspot, 45% of small businesses use paid ads, so it’s definitely worth investing in. Having a solid PPC strategy can win you more qualified leads, sales and increased ROI. 

What is PPC?

Pay Per Click is a type of paid online advertising model, in which advertisers only pay when people interact with their ad through impressions or clicks. PPC falls under the banner of Search Engine Marketing. 

Pay Per Click advertising is most common on Google Search results pages, but can also be used on Amazon, Bing and social media. 

Benefits of PPC Campaigns

So, why would you pay for ads, when you can reach audiences organically through compelling content and strategically-placed keywords (SEO)?

Keywords have become very competitive. PPC can help you rise to the top in a competitive market and to reach customers who don’t know you exist. 

Neil Patel says 64.6% of consumers click on google ads when shopping online. Also, the  immediate return of PPC canbe attractive compared to waiting months for organic campaigns to gain enough traction to convert customers. 

Paid and organic campaigns can complement each other, to reach a wider audience. 

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How does PPC work?

PPC is all based on keywords. 

When someone searches on Google, they will see the most relevant ads to their search displayed first. So, it’s important for advertisers to choose the right keywords to get their ad at the top of the page. 

Advertisers compete in a Google Ads Auction by bidding on specific keywords to get the highest ad rank. Google uses a metric called Quality Score to determine how relevant and useful your ads are to the user, based on your ad’s click through rate, landing page and keywords. A higher quality score will earn you higher ad rankings. 

To get the best keywords and ranking for your PPC ads, try these tips:

• Balance out broad and ultra-specific keywords
• Identify and expand on long-tail keywords
• Bid on keywords similar to competitors’
• Don’t use competitor’s branded keywords
• Include transparent pricing in your ads 

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So, how do you run a PPC campaign?

Now that you know the benefits and basics of PPC, here’s some tips on how to set up a PPC campaign for your business. Work through these step by step to create an engaging and effective campaign for your customers. 

1. Set Parameters: Firstly, you should set some parameters for your campaign, so that your ad is clearly targeted and effective. Consider your ad campaign within the context of your business goals. Think about what you want to achieve with your ad (eg. visits, shares, brand awareness) and how much you want to spend. Your ads should include:
• Who you want to target
• Theme of your campaign
• How you will measure success
• Type of campaign you will run
2. Set Goals & Metrics: Setting campaign goals is important to see whether the money you're investing is worth it. Also consider how you will measure these goals. Common PPC goals include:
• Brand awareness
• Lead generation
• Offer promotion
• Sales
• Website traffic
3. Choose Campaign Type: You’ll need to decide not only where you’ll advertise, but how. There are many different types of PPC campaigns to choose from. Try a combination of various ad types to reach the widest audience. Take the time to constantly test, review and revise to see which types of ads work best for your business. Types of PPC ads include: 

• • Search Ads are the most common type of PPC ads and refer to the text ads that show up on a google search results page. 

• • Display Ads allow you to place ads (usually image-based) on external websites and socials. 

• • Social refers to any ads you see on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. Businesses can pay for ads to show up in a customer’s social feed or somewhere else on their profile, depending on the platform. 

• • Retargeting can use either cookies or contact lists to target people who have previously engaged with your business in some way. Retargeting ads encourage them to take an action, such as filling out a form, reading a blog or visiting a page on your website. Retargeting ads aim to increase conversions. 

• • Google Shopping is the most effective for ecommerce sites. Your ad, including image, price, and a short product description, will show on a carousel on a search page based on your target keywords. 

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4. Perform Keyword Research: Each group of ads you create needs to be assigned to a set of keywords to target. This allows search engines to know when and where to show your ad. Select 1-5 keywords per ad group and make sure that they are extremely relevant and targeted. Select keywords that are closely aligned to the specific theme of your ad group. If you find keywords that are not directly relevant, create a separate ad group for them. 

Remember to monitor your keywords throughout your campaign. Eliminate those that aren’t bringing in leads and increase your bids on those that are effective. 

5. Set Up Google Analytics: Set up Google Analytics to track the effectiveness and ROI of your PPC campaigns. Google Analytics provides you with insight into how your website is performing, how users are interacting with your pages, and what content is attractive to your audience. Metrics to track for PPC include:

• • Clicks
  • Cost per click
  • Clickthrough rate
  • Impressions
  • Ad spend
  • ROI
  • Conversion rate
  • Cost per conversion
  • Quality score

How to run an effective PPC strategy:

1. Optimise website and landing pages
2. Select bidding strategy
3. Set budget
4. Research keywords thoroughly 
5. Create an engaging ad
6. Create compelling call to action
7. Test and review ads to ensure performance

It’s time to get started creating a powerful PPC campaign for your ecommerce business. Use our advice to see your ads soar.