PPC Marketing for E-Commerce: Unlock the Full Potential of Online Retail Advertising
Whether you’re a fledgling startup or a well-established organization, every business needs to have a bunch of tried-and-true digital marketing tools to boost their online traffic and generate more leads.
This is why in addition to using conventional marketing tools, businesses leverage PPC or (pay-per-view clicking), which allows them to improve brand awareness by 80%.
PPC marketing is an advertising model where you pay every time someone clicks on your ad – it’s as simple as that!
The best part is that PPC is cost-effective and allows advertisers to target ads to specific audiences.
Ready to learn how you can scale your business with PPC marketing? Our PPC management experts break it down for you!
Numerous businesses opt for PPC because,unlike SEO, PPC can generate traffic almost immediately and allow you to measure your advertising results in real-time to make data-driven decisions.
What would have taken months of hard work to snag prospective customers is now easier, thanks to PPC marketing.PPC campaigns allow you to have control over your advertising costs by adjusting bids and budgets based on your ads’ performance.
Some popular PPC marketing platforms include:
- YouTube Ads
- Amazon Ads
- Google Ads
- Microsoft Ads
- Facebook Ads
- Yelp Ads
- Etsy Ads
- LinkedIn Ads
You might have seen sponsored content like paid search ads on many online platforms popping up on the top of the screen when using your phone or computer – those are PPC ads!
Here’s how PPC works: The ads are typically displayed in SERPs depending on the ad rank. It determines the position of an advertiser’s ad based on several factors,such as the maximum bid amount, the quality of the ad, the relevance of the ad to the search query, and the expected impact of ad extensions.
Upon clicking the ad, the consumer is directed to a landing page on your website.
For example, clicking on one of the Amazon industrial shelving ads will take the viewer to the product page so they can make the purchase.
How Can PPC Marketing Skyrocket Your E-Commerce Sales?
PPC marketing gives e-commerce businesses unlimited room to test what works, adjust their strategies in real-time, and scale their businesses. Plus, it can be managed by an in-house team and therefore doesn’t require a large investment.
PPC ad results can be measured and tracked by Google Analytics and Google ads, and your ad can be tweaked according to search behavior, demographic data, and browsing history.
Here’s how online retailers can get fast, targeted results with PPC advertising:
Expanding Your Reach
Google processes around 3.5 billion searches in a day.
How can you make your services or products visible to your customers when they’re typing a relevant query in the search bar?
Through PPC marketing! It allows you to expand your reach.Even if users don’t click on your ad, they may still see your brand name and message, increasing brand awareness and recognition over time.
You Only Pay When Someone Comes Across Your Content
When you use PPC marketing, you don’t have to pay anything until prospective customers are actually on your website.This way, you don’t have to spend any money on audiences that aren’t interested in your ad.
This advertising model is more cost-effective than cost per impression (CPM), where advertisers have to pay for every 1,000 impressions of their ad. It is based on the number of times their ad is shown to users, regardless of whether or not the user clicks on the ad.
Precise Targeting
If you’re a business that only targets a niche audience group, then PPC might just be for you.
PPC marketing will allow you to reach a highly targeted audience based on specific criteria. The criteria can include demographic information like age, income level, gender, or online vistors’ behavior and interests. Here is an example of using precise targeting to reach a specific targeted audience.
You can also change and tweak your PPC campaign to reach a specific audience at a specific time.
This can be done by:
- Expanding your keyword list, especially using long-tail keywords
- Expanding the negative keyword list
- Displaying your stellar ratings in your ad for any service or product
- Using geographic reporting features in your paid search platform
It Fits Perfectly With The E-Commerce Business Model
E-commerce is typically data-driven.
This is why PPC is perfect for e-commerce businesses since it allows business owners to track their advertising campaigns and make data-driven decisions to optimize the campaign for more clicks. PPC visitors are more likely to use your services and make a purchase compared to organic visitors. See what we mean?This is the impact of using PPC marketing!
How to Start a Winning PPC Campaign
Managing a PPC campaign is a multi-step process. Let’s take a look at how you can create an effective paid search campaign.
Perform Your Keyword Research
Firstly, select the keywords that will trigger the search engine to display your ad.
For example, if an individual Googles “carpenters near me in San Diego,” the search engine will show ads from companies and businesses that use keywords such as “carpenters in San Diego” or “carpenters near you in San Diego.
You can also consider selecting negative keywords that you don’t want to be associated with your ad. Negative keywords will also help you avoid viewers who aren’t looking to purchase your products.
Keyword research can go a long way in helping you boost your sales and get more clicks and profit!
Optimize Your Copy Fora Better Ad Click-Through Rate
The CTR or the click-through rate of an ad refers to the number of individuals who see your ad compared to those who click on it.
The more clicks you get, the likelier it is for prospective customers to make a purchase.
So, how can you increase your CTR?
The cardinal rule is to use Google site links. Many advertisers are still not using this strategy to its full potential.
Add new pages to test as site links and then review the performance metrics from time to time to boost success.
The second strategy is to use numbers correctly. Numbers and symbols can generate a lot of interest in your ad copy – if used the right way.
When potential customers see your service or product, they immediately think, “How much will it cost me?”
Ads that include discounts, like “Save $20 Now,” are more likely to attract paying customers.
The last thing you need to focus on is the headline. Make sure your headline is click-worthy and connects with your customer’s needs.
Viewers are more inclined to read a headline than an entire ad.
Optimize Your Pages
What is the ultimate goal of a PPC campaign for your e-commerce business? Bringing more leads to your online store.
Here’s how you can optimize your product pages to minimize bounce rate:
Use relevant keywords
Keywords are the cornerstones of SEO and the most effective tool to make your e-commerce product page appear at the top of a user’s search results.
Create accurate product titles
Make sure your product title has a relevant keyword and isn’t more than 60 characters.
Use relevant images and videos
The images and videos you use will help make prospective customers decide whether or not they want to make the purchase.
So use high-resolution photos with an optimized file name and alt text.
Pay Your Ad Network
Ad networks use different methods to charge for ad clicks.
For example, Google ads automatically charge an advertiser’s accounts at the beginning of the month for the previous month’s clicked ads.
Create a Streamlined Shopping Cart Experience
You need to improve your shopping cart experience in order for your customers to check out and complete the purchase.
Pick the right shopping cart platform,and go through each step of the buying process to check if the instructions provided are clear for the viewers. The experience should ideally encourage them to check out.
According to a report by Baymard, 17% of shoppers abandon their shopping carts because of a multi-step or complicated checkout process. Remember to keep the checkout process as quick and simple as possible.
Create a Successful PPC Strategy with Help From Our PPC Campaign Management Experts!
In this blog, we touched upon some of the benefits of PPC campaigns that can help you exponentially scale your e-commerce business.
With a winning PPC campaign, you can increase conversions, reach more customers, boost your traffic, and ultimately build brand recognition.
We offer PPC ad management services for startups, small businesses, individuals, and established brands.
From A/B split testing to keyword research, our PPC management experts can help increase your lead generation and revenue.
So, what are you waiting for? Get started with us today!