74% of marketers say pay per click advertising is a huge driver of income for their business. If you aren't among this majority you may need to take another look at your approach to eCommerce PPC. Even small tweaks and improvements can transform a campaign's performance. So it's time to identify your mistakes and make some changes. But where should you start?
In this article we run through five common mistakes to watch out for when managing pay per click campaigns.
Managing PPC ads is a continuous process which allows marketers to oversee and optimize their ad strategy and spending. It is particularly prominent in eCommerce marketing as the industry relies on online traffic to generate sales.
PPC management is about maximizing the impact of eCommerce ads while also optimizing expenditure. Because PPC advertising is data-driven there is unlimited scope for testing scaling and optimization. So if your campaigns are ineffective there is always a way to improve them.
PPC management can help all kinds of businesses but it is critically important for eCommerce brands. This is because PPC advertising offers the industry some unique opportunities and benefits. These include:
PPC advertising can be a profitable way to market your products and reach new audiences. But certain slip-ups can limit your success across search social and retail networks.
Whether you run your own campaigns or enlist the help of a third-party watch out for these five mistakes to ensure your eCommerce PPC strategy is on the right track:
Monitoring and analyzing results is a key part of managing PPC campaigns. However they won't provide a clear image of your progress unless you implement precise goals beforehand.
In fact defining clear goals KPIs and timelines should be the first step in crafting any PPC strategy. This allows marketers to accurately assess the performance of their eCommerce ads and understand if it is moving in the right direction.
To choose progressive goals just think about your brand's overall business and marketing goals. You can then set out specific targets for each campaign. For example if your business wants to build brand awareness set targets for impressions and clicks.
Once you know the purpose of your campaign it's easier to plan a strategy choose keywords and create impactful ad copy.
Because the results offer a clear indication of what works and what doesn't A/B testing is an essential part of managing eCommerce PPC.
You can split test any aspect of your ads including copy CTAs graphics keywords and landing pages. The likes of Google, Amazon, and Facebook even have A/B testing features built-in.
You can run split tests on a regular basis to continually optimize your ads and increase ROI. It's also a good idea to analyze the results of each test. This can help you understand your audience and run better campaigns on other channels too.
Knowing exactly how much to spend on your eCommerce PPC is a huge challenge. There is no one-size-fits-all figure. However it's a good idea to allocate funds based on the performance of individual campaigns.
To avoid budget mishaps we suggest following these tips:
Keywords can make or break an eCommerce PPC campaign. If you use search terms that are too broad you may get lots of clicks and no conversions. But if they are too specific you mightn't reach anyone at all.
To avoid this mistake it's a good idea to do some keyword research. This will help you figure out what phrases people type into Google, Bing or Amazon when searching for your products. Tools like SEMRush Keyword Explorer and Google Keyword Planner will help.
As mentioned above you should also choose some negative keywords to reduce the number of irrelevant search terms for which your ads appear. For example if you sell luxury leather handbags you wouldn't want your eCommerce ads to show up in searches for 'cheap handbags' or 'low-cost leather handbags'. By excluding these keywords you'll reach more relevant shoppers.
Marketers aim to present a consistent message and tone throughout all the content they create. But when it comes to eCommerce PPC ad copy is often overlooked because of the limited space available.
As well as including your chosen keywords it's essential to ask:
If you run PPC ads through Google consider using free ad extensions to expand the copy in your ads. You can add price tags locations store links app links reviews promotions and other features. This extra copy makes your ads more eye-catching informative and engaging - all of which should attract more clicks.
Generally pay per click ads offer a decent return. According to Google its PPC ads generate $8 of profit for every dollar spent while research suggests that Amazon's product listing ads generate $3 for every dollar spent.
However in a recent survey 9% of marketers said Amazon's product listing ads didn't help with growth. This means investing in eCommerce PPC isn't enough. Serious marketers need to carefully manage and optimise their campaigns as well.
