eCommerce PPC Management

PPC
eCommerce PPC Management
Article by Bisera Stankovska
Last Updated: November 08, 2023

Global e-commerce is snowballing, and so is the digital advertising space. An omnichannel Pay-Per-Click (PPC) presence is all that makes a difference in the online marketplace. This has led PPC marketing to be ranked as one of the top three best channels for high-volume leads. 

However, businesses might lack the time and skill to manage their online presence, which is where professional PPC companies can help. 

eCommerce PPC management is a crucial aspect of the advertising structure, which is why businesses need to realize its importance.

What Is eCommerce PPC Management?

Management of eCommerce PPC refers to monitoring and spending the PPC ad campaign for any given eCommerce business. Additionally, PPC can track average ad position, click-through rate, cost-per-click, leads, sales, and calls. 

cCommerce PPC management services are based on data-backed research, selecting the right assets, platform, and target market.

The tasks further include managing and tweaking bids, monitoring key search queries, conducting A/B testing, and account structuring. 

eCommerce PPC ads can also be optimized during the ad run with performance metrics. It uses keywords as the campaign foundation. 

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How Does eCommerce for PPC Work? 

PPC management for eCommerce refers to advertising eCommerce websites' products or services through paid advertising campaigns.  

Follow these steps to set up a PPC ad campaign for eCommerce: 

  • Create an account on the platform you’ll advertise on. The first step in launching a PPC campaign for eCommerce is to create an account on the platform you want to advertise on, such as Google Ads or Facebook Ads. After that, you’ll create a campaign with specific ad groups, keywords and target audience. 
  • Choose the right keywords. Choosing the right keywords for your PPC campaign is an essential step on which the success of the entire PPC campaign depends. Use keyword research tools to identify the most relevant keywords that your target audience is likely to use when searching for products or services similar to yours. Tools like Ahrefs, Moz, SEMrush or Google Keyword Planner will also provide valuable insights about keywords your competitors rank for and use in their PPC campaigns. 
  • Create the ad copy. Once you’ve identified the most potent keywords, create ad copy that will grab the attention of your target audience. Write compelling headlines and descriptions; complement them with persuasive calls to action (CTAs) that will entice users to click on your ad. 
  • Set the bids. Bids are the maximum amounts of money you are willing to pay for each click on your ad. After creating the ad copy, set the bids for your keywords. 
  • Launch the PPC campaign. Once you set all the parameters, you can launch the PPC campaign. When users search for relevant keywords, your ads will appear as sponsored results on SERPs, partner networks or social media websites. 
  • Monitor and optimize. The final step in eCommerce PPC advertising campaigns is to monitor the campaign's performance and optimize it to improve results. Analyze metrics, such as click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates and cost-per-click (CPC). If results aren’t satisfying, consider changing keywords or adjusting the ad copy, bids and targeting to improve performance. 

PPC management for eCommerce is an effective way to drive traffic and sales to your eCommerce website, but it requires researching, planning, monitoring and adjustments to achieve success. 

7 Key Elements of Successful eCommerce PPC Management

  1. Clear Goals 
  2. Keyword Research
  3. Ad Copy
  4. Landing Page Optimization
  5. Ad Targeting
  6. Campaign Monitoring
  7. A/B Testing

These are the seven key elements responsible for successful eCommerce PPC management: 

1. Clear Goals 

By defining specific and measurable goals, such as sales, leads or website traffic increase, you can better track and optimize the performance of your PPC campaigns. Clear goals can also help you share your budget more effectively, focus on the most important metrics and make informed decisions about campaign strategy and tactics.  

Without clear goals, it can be difficult to measure the success of your eCommerce PPC campaigns and determine whether you're achieving a positive return on investment. 

2. Keyword Research

One of the most important elements for successful PPC management is keyword research as it helps identify the most relevant and high-converting keywords to target in your PPC campaigns.  

Selecting the right keywords ensures that your ads will be shown to the right audience and improves your ad's relevancy and quality score. This helps drive more traffic and conversions to your eCommerce store and ultimately increases your return on investment (ROI). 

Use some of the best keyword research tools (Google Keyword Planner, Moz, SEMRush or Ahrefs) to identify the right keywords for your campaigns. 

3. Ad Copy

The first thing potential customers see on your PPC ads is ad copy.  

Copy often determines whether customers will click on your ad or skip it. Well-crafted ad copy can capture your audience's attention, convey your products' unique value proposition and encourage them to take action, ultimately leading to more clicks, traffic, and conversions. Therefore, ensure your ad copy is relevant and compelling to your desired audience. 

4. Landing Page Optimization

Another element that can greatly impact the success of your PPC ads is a landing page.  

By optimizing your landing pages to be relevant, user-friendly and optimized for conversions, you can improve the overall quality score of your ads, increase CTR and generate more conversions. Optimized landing pages should also be easy to navigate, mobile-friendly and have an optimal loading speed.   

A well-optimized landing page can also reduce bounce rates, improve engagement and increase the chances that a user will follow CTA instructions and take the desired action on your website (making a purchase, filling out a form or subscribing to a newsletter). 

5. Ad Targeting

Effective ad targeting ensures that your ads will be shown to the right audience.  

By targeting specific demographics, locations, interests and behaviors, you will reach the right people at the right time, improving your ads' relevance and effectiveness. You will increase the likelihood of clicks and conversions and reduce wasted ad spend.  

6. Campaign Monitoring

Monitoring your PPC campaign allows you to track its performance in real-time and make data-driven decisions about adjustments, optimizations and budget share. Metrics, such as CTR, conversion rates, CPC and ROI, can help identify improvement areas that will increase your campaigns' effectiveness. 

Effective campaign monitoring can also help identify issues or opportunities early on, reduce wasted ad spend and improve your eCommerce PPC ads' overall performance and success. 

7. A/B Testing

A/B testing allows you to compare different ad versions to identify the most effective approach.  

By testing different elements, such as ad copies, CTAs and visuals, you can identify which elements are most effective at driving clicks and conversions. Effective A/B testing can help to improve the overall performance of your campaigns, reduce wasted ad spend and ultimately lead to more successful and profitable eCommerce PPC management. 

By prioritizing these key elements, you can create successful PPC campaigns that drive traffic, boost conversions and grow your eCommerce business. 

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eCommerce PPC Management - 7 Best Practices 

  1. Picking the Right Times 
  2. Keeping Up with Seasonal Demand Shifts 
  3. Improving the Click-Through-Rate 
  4. Optimizing the Product Page and Feed
  5. Choosing Relevant Keywords
  6. Creating a Good User Experience 
  7. Harnessing Google Shopping Ads 

Here are the e-commerce PPC Management best practices: 

1. Picking the Right Times 

If a business has just begun its marketing operations, it can run its ad 24/7. Although, down the road, companies should conduct testing to identify times when engagement is at its highest. These insights can allow you to tweak your strategy. 

Managing the PPC campaigns and scaling the business can take plenty of time. The professionals in the field are well-versed and will know the metrics to follow. If you are not a professional, handling the same can be hefty. 

To scale effortlessly, redundant advertising strategies need to change with the developing times. 

2. Keeping Up with Seasonal Demand Shifts 

To keep up with the seasonal demand shifts, demand for the offering should be tracked throughout the year. Even if your business isn’t affected by seasonal spikes, your campaign may experience its effects. 

You can adjust the timings of your ad from busiest to slowest to balance out the demand and supply patterns in case of spikes. This will optimize the business to make maximum sales around the year. 

3. Improving the Click-Through-Rate 

The Click-Through-Rate refers to the rate of people who click on your advertisement. 

Getting clicks is the first step of the funnel. Improving the click-through rate implies optimizing the copy and other aspects to bring in leads. PPC advertising platforms can monitor different advertisement responses to know about elements that bring in clicks and eventually conversions. 

4. Optimizing the Product Page and Feed 

Your leads are bound to bounce off the page if your product pages and feed aren’t optimized per the current metrics and your audiences' expectations. This might cause your audiences to not engage with your brand 

This can be done by adding relevant information and graphics that help sell your product, making it easy for prospects to purchase. 

Likewise, maintaining the product feed is equally crucial. The product feed is the sheet sent to Google shopping and the rest of the shopping channels that display your products on the listings. 

If the feed is outdated, it can damage the brand’s reputation and lead to a loss in revenue. It is suggested to review and update the product periodically feeds, for example, when a new feature is added to a product. 

5. Choosing Relevant Keywords 

Relevant keywords form the crux of an effective PPC campaign. 

Deep research can help find keywords related to the product, the users' requirements, and the industry. 

70% of the search traffic comes from phrases that are 5-6 words. 

Along with the short keywords, long-tailed keywords that align with the exact queries asked by users should also be included. Businesses should note that the long-tailed keywords have less competition but more intent. Delivering a clear solution to the users with keywords can help with a better conversion opportunity. 

Apart from the keywords you want to be found, you should also consider adding negative ones for which your brand doesn’t want to appear. This approach helps avoid traffic that isn’t interested in your offering. 

It helps businesses avoid paying for ads that show up for irrelevant audiences. By adding negative terms to your list, search engines are signaled not to waste the budget on audiences that the business doesn’t cater to. 

6. Creating a Good User Experience 

Ensure creating a seamless user experience by making the purchase easy. Picking the right shopping cart platform is one of the primary steps. A lower-quality platform can give a poor experience. 

Consider each step of the buying process and establish that instructions for each step are clear for the buyers, checkouts are encouraged, the cart experience is optimized, and the forms aren’t long enough to overwhelm the prospects. 

7. Harnessing Google Shopping Ads 

These ads appear at the top of the search engine and are bound to attract the eyes of your leads when users search for relevant keywords. 

According to Hubspot, 63% of people have clicked on a Google Ad which makes it a practical, and well-known online advertising platform. An in-depth keyword analysis can help identify the untapped market and reap rewarding results. 

The Google platform allows these ads to be monitored and eventually improved. This requires understanding the PPC strategy used, how ad groups are structured and messaging on landing pages. 

Advantages of eCommerce PPC Management

  1.  

Here are some of the PPC benefits that demonstrate the importance of this type marketing for eCommerce: 

1. Low Barrier to Entry 

Small firms and startups don’t have a huge marketing budgets. PPC Marketing is an easy process for firms as it requires less time, money, and effort. Compared to other forms of marketing, it can offer a higher ROI and significant value to the firms. This can help firms maintain an edge over competitors with a larger marketing budget. 

Spending on campaigns can be increased after studying the conversion metrics. 

2. Acceleration of Business Goals 

As traffic grows, campaigns can boost their operations to meet the revenue requirements of the business. However, eCommerce businesses need to remember that making sales requires a blend of multiple activities. 

Hiring professional services helps develop the product line, design new products, hire staff, and boost new products. On the other hand, an unqualified team or agency can turn out to be counterproductive. 

Being quick, PPC advertising campaigns are ideal for businesses that seek prompt results. In comparison, other strategies may take a long time to show results. 

However, all the options available for PPC might not be the best fit for your business. These ad campaigns might differ for B2B and B2C models and audiences on diverse platforms. 

3. Controlled and Targeted  

PPC models such as Google Ads allow you more control over the budget and the audience you wish to target. However, it is necessary to note that even if you use Google ads and not Google Analytics, you might miss out on precious information. 

Using such tools creates granular target groups for the ad's display. This approach can help you with demographic information that can be used for any other campaign for specific audiences. 

Targeting can also be done with A/B testing to reach out to audiences that are relevant to your offerings. When someone clicks on an advertisement, it is sure that they are interested in your offer and have a fair chance of moving ahead in the sales funnel. 

It also allows control over when and where the ad will appear influencing its placement and leading to more visibility. Understanding the desired audience segments can help you optimize the campaign to positively impact your audience's online behavior. 

4. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) 

Your marketing efforts are enhanced by SEO. 

eCommerce PPC campaigns can also help with SEO strategies; however, it is essential to note that PPC isn’t a replacement for the same. This is where writing strong SEO content comes into the picture. 

eCommerce PPC campaign can help with SEO strategies too. A/B testing is also a common practice that can be harnessed to enhance PPC practices. It can assess which advertisement gets more engagement through clicks and impressions when conducted correctly. This can help pivot the strategy in a more rewarding direction. 

5. Balanced Marketing Budgets 

Marketing budgets usually get out of hand, especially when you are just starting to gain visibility. 

However, PPC ads can be different as you only have to pay for the clicked ads. Keywords can further be streamlined by striking out irrelevant keywords so that your marketing costs are not spent on ads targeted at users that are not your audience. Businesses can also pick the keywords that aren't high on competition and hence are manageable in terms of cost. 

6. Quick Traffic Boost 

With a conducive price model, PPC can drag traffic to your store almost instantaneously. PPC offers various campaigns to choose from. Besides the immediate needs, campaigns can also be run to amplify app downloads, increase brand awareness, and increase traffic to e-commerce sites. 

These goals can be achieved with social media, search and display, Google ads, and Instream ads, to name a few. 

While the sales funnel is primarily involved in converting your leads, the derived traffic can still play a crucial role in bringing audiences to your website to explore your offerings. 

What are the Benefits of Hiring an eCommerce PPC Management Company?

Some of the most notable benefits of hiring an eCommerce PPC management company are:

  • Expertise: PPC management firms use skilled individuals who specialize in optimizing and managing online advertising campaigns.
  • Cost-effectiveness: They can assist you increase your ROI by spending your advertising cash efficiently.
  • A/B Testing: They test and adjust ad campaigns on a constant basis to boost performance and user engagement.
  • Ad Positioning: Making sure your ads display in the correct place at the appropriate time in order to reach your target demographic.
  • Targeting: The use of demographic, regional, and behavioral targeting to effectively reach out to potential customers.
  • Keyword Research: They perform extensive keyword research to identify the most relevant and cost-effective keywords for your products or services.
  • Ad Copy Optimization: A basic capability of PPC professionals is the creation of attractive ad copy that promotes clicks and conversions.
  • Tracking and analytics: They set up and monitor analytics tools to gauge campaign success and make data-driven decisions.
  • Budget Control: Managing your budget properly to avoid overspending and maximize the performance of your campaign.
  • Scalability: As your eCommerce business grows, PPC management may easily increase your advertising efforts.

eCommerce PPC Management – Key Takeaways 

Digital marketing trends continue to change, and keeping up with them could be a task. Doing so with enhanced knowledge before your competitors can be an added advantage. 

Developed keyword research, structured ad campaigns, and writing compelling ad copy are just the tip of the iceberg. The PPC management strategy goes way beyond the basics. 

An effective way for eCommerce PPC Management requires you to set aside time and effort from your team. Businesses can opt for assistance from third parties with eCommerce PPC Management so that it’s easy for them to focus on other essential tasks. 

Ecommerce PPC Management FAQ 

Which is better, SEO or PPC?

Which is better for your business, search engine optimization (SEO) or pay-per-click (PPC) depends on various factors such as your business goals, budget, competition and industry.  

SEO is a long-term strategy that improves your website's organic search rankings and drives traffic through unpaid search results. At the same time, PPC is paid online advertising that focuses on targeting specific keywords and audiences to drive traffic and conversions.  

Conducted separately, SEO and PPC provide many advantages, but combining them raises your chances for great results. 

Which is cheaper, SEO or PPC?

SEO is generally cheaper than PPC in the long run, as it does not involve paying for every click or impression.  

SEO takes time and effort, but it will result in sustained traffic and leads over time if done correctly. On the other hand, PPC can be more expensive in the short term as you pay for every click or impression, but it can provide more immediate results.  

However, the cost of both SEO and PPC can vary depending on factors such as competition, industry and the specific strategies and tactics used. 

Is PPC good for B2B?

Yes, PPC advertising can be an effective strategy for B2B (Business-to-Business) companies that aim to reach and engage with their target audience.  

PPC can help B2B generate high-quality leads and drive traffic to specific landing pages or products by targeting relevant keywords and audience demographics. The PPC advertising model can also help B2B companies increase their visibility in search results and display networks, improving brand awareness and generating new business opportunities.  

However, it is essential to carefully plan and conduct B2B PPC campaigns to ensure the abovementioned benefits. 

What is the disadvantage of PPC?

One of the main disadvantages of PPC advertising is that it can be expensive, especially for highly competitive keywords. Since advertisers pay for each click on the ad, costs can quickly add up and a PPC campaign can quickly become cost-prohibitive.  

Additionally, PPC advertising requires ongoing management and optimization to ensure that it is effective and delivers a positive return on investment. Without management, a PPC campaign can become less effective over time, leading to a wasted budget and poor performance.  

Finally, PPC results are temporary - once you stop paying for ads, traffic and conversions will decrease, unlike SEO, where you'll experience long-term benefits. 

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