Every e-commerce business always has a PPC strategy backing it up. But is the strategy strong enough to beat all the other competitors and give you a ranking at the top? Think of your campaign's performance and answer.
If the answer is yes, then congratulations! You have nailed the science behind e-commerce PPC advertising. But if your answer is no or maybe, then we've got work to do. It's not necessary for your PPC advertising to take you in front of everyone, but it should take you before users who are your target audience without draining your budget.
If this sounds like your PPC strategy is missing, keep reading.
Why E-Commerce PPC Advertising Matters
Every e-commerce business you will encounter has a minimum of four to five competitors. So, how do you beat them all and come on top? E-commerce PPC advertising is your answer.
PPC, or pay-per-click advertising, promotes your business by displaying ads to users across the internet. It enables you to target only the relevant audiences, optimize your campaigns, and leverage a range of ad formats- all under a budget. You can make your ads go live the moment you want to, make changes in real-time, and shut them down without any issues. Once you analyze how your campaign has performed, you can further plan for better strategies.
Strategies for Effective E-Commerce PPC Advertising Campaign
There are a bunch of strategies you can one-up your e-commerce ppc advertising. Let's explore the most effective ones in detail.
1- Finalize your keywords
Your keywords form the root of your targeting and the heart of your bidding, which is why choosing them carefully is extremely important. Use your previous data and research your audience well to find words that your audience is most likely to search for. These keywords should not just be relevant to your audience but also clearly reflect your offerings.
They can be categorized into:
Short tail keywords: that are broad and made up of only 1 to 2 words.
Long tail keywords generally include a phrase containing more than 3 words.
Negative keywords: to prevent your ads from showing for unrelated keywords.
Your advertising campaign should be a strategic combination of all three.
2- Narrow down your targeting
Targeting everyone with your ads will not do much. You must thoroughly research your audience and find them where they are with your ads. This includes knowing the countries they live in, the age range they fall into, income levels, and other demographics. You can also take this a step further and notice their online behavior. For instance, if they add your product to their cart but make no purchase, you can retarget them with missing cart ads.
3- Bidding Strategy
Creating a bidding strategy has become crucial since negotiations stopped and automated bidding took over. Showing up for the keywords that your audience searches for is a necessity. The process is simple: sign up with an ad network and create a campaign. Most ad networks will automatically show you the minimum amount you need to bid to win the auction and display your ad.
Bidding can be done based on:
CPC, or cost per click, allows you to pay for every click your ad will get.
CPM, or cost per mille, is where you pay for every view count, which usually costs less than CPC bids.
CPA, or cost per action, makes you decide on an action beforehand and bid accordingly (for example- downloading a brochure)
4- Customize your ad creatives
Your ads will be at the forefront while everything else works behind the screens. They are what users see and are influenced by, making them a representation of your brand. Customizing them is important if you want to get clicks.
Here's how you customize your ads for e-commerce PPC services:
Use powerful headings that solve a problem or cater to desires
Focus on highlighting your unique selling proposition
Make your ads creative enough to stand out
Use impactful CTAs
Showcase how you solve problems with high-quality visuals
5- A/B test your ads
Your first campaign won't be the best one. Even the second one won't give you exemplary results, which makes A/B testing extremely important. You run two or more almost identical ads with one changed element here. For instance, you keep everything the same in two ad groups but change the countries targeted in each. You let the ads run for a while and later circle back to it. Check the performance to see which has performed better, and use that for future campaigns.
Similarly, you can A/B test with your ad creatives, other targeting options, extensions, bidding criteria, and keywords.
6- Optimize your landing page
E-commerce PPC advertising doesn't end with creating and testing your ads. Optimizing your landing page is the final step you need to take to ensure that users coming from your ads successfully convert. This includes updating your landing page in a way that reflects and enhances your ads' offerings. Even the visuals, colors, and tone of the content should match those of an ad to stay true to it.
Conclusion
If you're an e-commerce business owner looking to make your way to the top, then PPC advertising is the perfect option. The power of PPC for e-commerce sites is truly unmatchable. Not only does it give you better reach, but it also gives you more control over your budget by automating your bidding and ad placements. Once you analyze your campaign performance, you can optimize it to its potential. Having an e-commerce PPC agency by your side is a plus point.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is e-commerce PPC advertising?
Ans. E-commerce PPC advertising refers to promoting e-commerce businesses via the PPC (pay-per-click) advertising model.
How does PPC advertising benefit e-commerce businesses?
Ans. PPC advertising can help e-commerce businesses target only relevant audiences, pay based on different bidding models, A/B test different campaigns and optimize accordingly.
How can I minimize my PPC advertising cost?
Ans. You can minimize your PPC advertising cost by adjusting bids based on keywords that have previously performed well.
How can I improve my PPC advertising strategy?
Ans. Optimizing your keywords, landing pages, bidding strategy, targeting criteria, customizing ad creatives, and constantly A/B testing your ads can improve your PPC advertising strategy.
Which is the best PPC advertising platform for e-commerce businesses?
Ans. 7Search PPC is one of the best PPC advertising platforms for e-commerce businesses. It gives you immense reach with relevant consumers by placing your ads on premium websites with high-quality traffic.