Amazon PPC (Pay-Per-Click) is a powerful tool for e-commerce businesses- by implementing advanced strategies, Amazon sellers can drive high-quality traffic to their store page and ultimately increase conversions and profits.
The purpose of this outline is for us to explore the various aspects involved in unleashing the full potential of Amazon advertising campaigns through effective keyword research, bidding practices, campaign structure optimization, reports analysis, A/B testing methods, and more!
So what are you waiting for? We will provide critical insights into how marketers can leverage these strategy elements collectively to maximize performance from an online business’s existing ad investments on Amazon — positioning those pursuing success with digital marketing one step closer towards achieving better growth rates than ever before…
Amazon PPC (Pay-Per-Click) allows advertisers to create targeted campaigns that are designed with the goal of driving more sales, views, or clicks from users who may be interested in a specific product/service listing.
To begin running ads through Amazon PPC, it’s essential you understand some basic concepts such as keywords, ad types including:
With this understanding comes success – higher visibility which leads to increased engagement meaning potential customers can find exactly what they’re looking for, efficiently enhancing overall customer experience all around.
Keyword research is an essential element of Amazon PPC success. Knowing the right keywords to target can ensure that your ads drive more relevant traffic, improving performance and ROI. By conducting thorough keyword research upfront you will be able to discover valuable insights such as popular search terms used by customers, high-converting targeted phrases, and competitor’s strategies which in turn may help inform decisions around ad copywriting or budget allocation for different campaigns/keywords.
Taking time on this step prior to launching a campaign ensures that there are clear objectives from day one about which audience segments you should seek out first while also laying down strong foundations going forward so changes based on learnings along the way can make a significant impact long-term.
Keyword discovery begins with evaluating existing data sources for search terms, competitor analysis, customer reviews, etc. to gain a better understanding of current market trends and consumer buying behavior in order to optimize ad performance.
Additionally, leveraging powerful online keyword suggestion tools – such as Google’s AdWord planner or Moz Keyword Explorer- can help discover high-converting keywords that would otherwise be missed due to manual processes alone.
The use of predictive analytics platforms like Editfox allows advertisers the insights needed into user intent behind each query combined with organized display options necessary for improved campaign management best practices.
Keyword research is a crucial step in any successful Amazon PPC campaign. One of the most important objectives when conducting keyword research is to identify high-converting keywords that are specifically relevant to your product and its target market. By researching related terms, synonyms, misspellings, long-tail variations as well as competitor analysis you can develop an extensive list of targeted keywords for your campaigns.
Additionally making use of available tools such analytics will help provide invaluable insights into appropriate bids based on performance metrics like click-through rate (CTR) or cost per engagement(CPE) which helps further refine targeting efforts resulting in greater ROI from paid search ads.
Creating high-performing campaigns with Amazon PPC requires building a comprehensive campaign structure. Best practices for establishing an effective framework include:
Following these strategies can help advertisers maximize reach within budget while delivering best ROI possible.
Creating relevant ad groups is an important step in structuring successful Amazon PPC campaigns. Ad groups should be focused on particular products, services, or promotional offers within a campaign and feature-related keywords for placement optimization.
To maximize relevancy from search engine users, it’s best to include one narrower theme per group—splitting granularly where necessary so that each unique keyword has its own dedicated setting with respect to bids and budget settings.
Furthermore, ad copy should mirror the product being advertised while capturing the attention of potential customers quickly– making sure your ads don’t get lost in competitive searches.
When it comes to crafting compelling ad copy for a PPC campaign on Amazon, the key is to focus on providing value and appealing directly to customers.
When possible, try using unique language that captures attention; include features like discounts or free shipping where applicable. Include your brand name as well as product names at least once in each ad too. Finally, be sure you’re staying within character limits (including any extensions) so that users can see all of the details without having them cut off before they finish reading.
Bid optimization is one of the most important aspects of optimizing Amazon Pay-Per-Click campaigns. Bids can have a significant impact on campaign performance, as they determine how much an advertiser will pay each time their ad is clicked and ultimately their return on investment.
Bid management strategies involve making strategic bids at both the keyword level and account level so that ads are shown to users with intent for specific products or services while also being cost-effective enough to maximize profits over time. Proper bid adjustment allows advertisers to get more visibility when it matters most by targeting different groupings such as location, demographics etc., thereby increasing click rates and conversions from potential customers who are interested in what you offer.
It’s important to understand the various bid strategies and how they affect your campaign performance in order to optimize bids effectively. Amazon PPC offers several options, such as:
Understanding these different strategies enables marketers to set appropriate bids while taking into account varying market conditions across keywords.
Setting appropriate bids based on keyword performance is absolutely essential to optimizing your budget and getting the best return from your Amazon PPC campaigns. Keyword research, competitor analysis, campaign structure practices, and other aspects of advanced strategies all come together to help you make informed decisions when setting existing or new bid prices.
By analyzing metrics relating to click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate (CR) Advertising Cost of Sale(ACoS), and Return On Ad spend (ROAS). Ultimately, it doesn’t matter how great your ads are if they’re not paired alongside an effective bidding strategy that reflects overall goals.
Utilizing product targeting campaigns is indeed a powerful way to maximize the effectiveness of Amazon’s PPC strategies. With product targeting, ads can be tailored to reach specific customers who are more likely to purchase the products being advertised.
This increases visibility and allows for better control over where your ad dollars are going by targeting those most interested in what you’re selling. To set up this type of campaign, advertisers should create targeted keyword lists related specifically to their products or services as well as competitor offerings that users may also find interesting. These lists will influence which search results in an ad appears on when triggered by user searches within Amazon’s platform.
Exploring refined audience targeting allows Amazon PPC advertisers to target highly-specialized, specific audiences and generate higher conversions. Advertisers should take advantage of customer interest segments provided by Amazon Advertising such as age range, gender breakdowns, or interests − allowing campaigns to accurately reach a desired demographic while maximizing tighter budgets.
Custom parameters can also be set up using keywords for more detailed segmentation options like job title or marital status which could prove beneficial in high competition markets from other competitors who might not have employed tightly targeted ads yet.
Dayparting in Amazon PPC strategies involves setting different bids for specific times of the day to reach target customers during peak hours and they’re most likely to click on an ad. This method not only helps advertisers save costs but also allows them to customize campaigns according to their objectives.
Dayparting requires proper bid management, tracking performance metrics over a certain period of time, making adjustments based on results gathered from testing multiple variations, including budget allocation changes or shifting focus entirely towards selected segments. Setting competitive bids is essential when it comes dayparting as this empowers brands with accurate targeting capabilities that drive more efficient customer acquisition rates at lower cost per conversions than other options available online (e-commerce).
Staying up-to-date with Amazon advertising updates is a never-forget part of any successful PPC campaign. To ensure compliance and avoid costly setbacks, advertisers should closely monitor changes to Amazon’s policies for each supported region.
It’s important to thoroughly read the latest information provided by AWS Asia Pacific or your regional partner sites regarding new terms, features, products campaigns limits, and other areas that could impact how you promote on their platform. Additionally, understanding applicable legal restrictions can help protect yourself against potential violations while ensuring a positive consumer experience going forward.
Utilizing Amazon’s resources and support can help ensure full utilization of available features to achieve desired results. By consulting advertising blogs, webinars, guides, and customer service representatives regularly for the latest changes in bidding tactics or ad targeting options – sellers can be well-equipped when making decisions related to optimizing their campaign performance.
Amazon PPC is an incredibly powerful tool for eCommerce businesses to drive sales. Advanced strategies can help unlock the full potential of Amazon Advertising and optimize campaigns efficiently.
A thorough understanding of keyword research, campaign structure best practices, bid management techniques, advanced targeting options as well other key concepts are critical in leveraging maximum performance from your ads.
Furthermore it’s important to stay up-to-date with changes on the platform both in terms of policy updates and algorithm shifts that impact ad visibility or cost efficiency – all while properly monitoring existing campaigns and finding areas where improvements can be made for better return on investment.
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Most marketers love Google Ads.
We're no exception.
But we totally understand that businesses in certain industries sometimes have a deep resentment of Google Ads and their restrictive policies.
Google's policies for advertising are generally intuitive and straightforward, but for certain regulated and sensitive categories, the standards are much higher and less clear. Pharmaceutical companies, gambling websites, political campaigns, and other industries often struggle to get their ads approved consistently.
In fact, if you don't know what you're getting into, trying to advertise as a business in one of these categories can be a recipe for disaster.
How are you supposed to use Google Ads effectively if you belong to one of these regulated or sensitive categories?
Sensitive and regulated categories in PPC advertising face a number of challenges, including:
· Stricter guidelines. Most PPC advertisers are familiar and comfortable with basic Google Ads guidelines. But if you belong to a regulated or sensitive category, you'll have far more guidelines and more nuanced guidelines to deal with.
· Higher scrutiny. Google pays much closer attention to ads in regulated and sensitive categories, meaning you face closer scrutiny when your ads start circulating. Reports will be investigated quicker and much more strictly, and even minor violations can work against you.
· More ad disapprovals. Similarly, ads are much more likely to get disapproved in these categories. You'll face an uphill battle as you try to get your ads circulating.
· The risk of suspensions. Businesses in these categories also face the risk of frequent, ongoing suspensions. This trend is also worsening; in fact, in 2023, Google Ads suspended more than 12.7 million advertiser accounts – doubling their actions over the previous year.
This makes it much more difficult to advertise effectively and secure a positive return on investment (ROI). Additionally, failing to adhere to Google’s advertising policies can hurt your company's reputation and compromise your long-term potential for success.
The most important thing you can do to improve your results in a regulated or sensitive category is to plan for a sustainable, long-term strategy. Every year, thousands of business owners in these categories attempt to fool Google, find clever ways around its policies, and devise techniques that allow them to cheat the system.
These approaches can usually work temporarily. You can cheat your way into the listings and generate some traffic to your landing page.
But inevitably, these techniques fail, and they can ultimately get you blacklisted.
You're much better off taking the slow, steady approach, following the rules even if it means compromising your advertising effectiveness in the short term. Think about the long-term consequences and possibilities of each decision you make.
There is some good news here.
Google isn’t shy about publishing its advertising policies.
If you're willing to do the reading and research, you can thoroughly understand what Google expects from regulated and sensitive categories like yours – and you can easily adhere to the guidelines.
Well, maybe not “easily,” but reliably.
Generally, Google splits content into two types:
· Restricted content. Restricted content is sensitive content that is subject to more regulations. You must precisely comply with requirements for copy, images, website content, and more if you want to remain in circulation.
· Prohibited content. Prohibited content is totally disallowed. You cannot include it without facing significant consequences.
Unfortunately, we can't give you a big list of all the rules you need to follow, as the rules are different for various industries. Some of the most popular industries and categories that face steeper restrictions include:
· Pharmaceuticals and healthcare products
· Weapons and explosives
· Financial services (including cryptocurrencies)
· Gambling/games of chance
· Alcohol, tobacco, and similar products
· Political ads
· Adult content and services
While there are certainly commonalities between regulations across these categories, each category has its own unique blend of restrictions and rules to learn. For example, pharmaceutical businesses require formal certification from Google and are only allowed in some countries. In the financial services industry, you'll likely need a specific license, and you'll need to provide adequate disclosures for your products and services.
The more intimately you know these rules and regulations and how they apply to your industry, the more likely you'll be able to advertise successfully. Don't advertise until you're sure you understand all applicable Google Ads policies.
One other important note here: you need to stay updated.
Google isn't stagnant, and its advertising policies are constantly in flux. Accordingly, you need to stay abreast of recent changes and update your ad approaches in line with them.
The easiest way to do this is to subscribe to Google Ads policy updates, but you should also regularly engage in Google Ads forums. If you're lucky enough to have a representative, maintain open and transparent communication with them and stay in touch regularly; they can be a massive benefit for businesses in regulated and sensitive categories.
The more research you do, the better. You need to thoroughly understand your advertising landscape before you try to thread this needle.
· Google Ads policies. Obviously, read and understand Google Ads policies as they relate to your industry. We mostly covered this in the previous section, but it's part of the research you need to do.
· Licensing and certification requirements. Even if it's not specifically required by Google, it's a good idea to get any appropriate licenses or certifications. It's a mark of authority and trustworthiness that might save you if any of your ads are reviewed for potential policy violations.
· Laws and regulations. Similarly, violating any laws and regulations in the country where you're advertising could be grounds for ad removal or account suspension, even if those violations aren't specifically listed in Google Ads policies. Always ensure legal compliance before advertising with Google.
· Competitor advertising. It's also a good idea to research your competitors. It's very likely that businesses similar to yours, in the same category, are already advertising successfully. Look at what they're doing. How are they phrasing things? Which disclosures are they including? Do you notice anything missing? You can learn a lot simply by studying previously successful ads.
· Market research. The success of your Google Ads largely depends on your ability to successfully target and appeal to your demographics. If you're properly informative and persuasive, with relevant messaging to the people you're reaching, you're much less likely to face reports, removals, and suspensions. Accordingly, you need to do a deep dive into market research so you better understand your target demographics and can appeal to them with relevant content. If you don't have buyer personas, develop them. If you don't know what your target audience is struggling with or what they want to, pause your ads until you figure it out. There are no shortcuts here, so do a deep dive into your market research if you want a reasonable chance to succeed.
When creating and preparing new ads, make sure everything is compliant, including your copy, your images, and any of your website content.
Remember that the rules and restrictions vary by industry, but these are some general rules that can help you get started:
· Stick to the facts. Don't exaggerate. Don't embellish. Certainly don't lie. It's important to stick to the facts as closely as possible, even if it makes your ad a bit stoic or “boring.” Purely factual advertising rarely gets removed.
· Avoid prohibited or sensitive terms. Review prohibited and sensitive terms that apply to your industry, and avoid those terms like the plague. Consider creating a list of alternatives that you can rely on instead.
· Be transparent. Be absolutely transparent with your target audience, even if you're forced to reveal things that weaken the appeal of your products and services. Offer disclosures when required, and potentially when not required if they can boost your credibility.
· Adopt a serious, professional tone. Don't play with fire. Your best course of action is to adopt a serious, professional tone across your ads. It's much less likely to be reported, and it will seem more authoritative and trustworthy.
· Eliminate sensationalism. In line with this, eliminate all forms of sensationalism. Graphic or revealing content, exaggerated claims, and other techniques designed to evoke strong emotions are probably going to work against you.
· Focus on using images for context. If you're going to include images, make sure they provide meaningful context. Advertisers sometimes select images based on how easily they grab attention or how exciting they are, but this is a surefire way to fail if you belong to a sensitive or restricted category.
· Include warnings if necessary. If there are any warnings that are relevant to your products and services, include them. More information is typically better in matters like these.
· Leverage the power of AB testing. The more relevant and effective your ads are, the more likely they are to succeed. Leverage the power of AB testing to learn more about what your audience wants to see and how to give it to them.
Don't forget about your landing pages.
These are important to Google as well.
If your landing pages deviate from Google Ads guidelines, or if they contradict what's in your ads, it could work against you.
These are some tips to get you started:
· Keep it relevant. Always make sure your landing page is completely relevant and in line with whatever is included in your ad. If users click your ad and find something unexpected, unpleasant, or otherwise jarring, Google might take action.
· Issue disclaimers and warnings. This is an opportunity to double down on disclaimers, warnings, and important disclosures. Err on the side of caution and make these prominent to show that you're in full compliance with both Google Ads policies and laws in your area.
· Make your business information accessible. Make your business information transparent and accessible. Offer your brand name and business location information, and give visitors some way to contact you, preferably via phone and email. It's a sign of trustworthiness and it can proactively resolve potential disputes.
· Be straightforward and transparent. Everything on your landing page needs to be straightforward and transparent. Follow the same rules you did for your ads, and avoid exaggerations and sensationalism.
· Double check Google Ads requirements. Always double-check Google Ads requirements when constructing your landing page. You should fulfill or comply with each item on your landing page to be safe.
You've already done significant market research, so make sure you apply it correctly. Target your audience very specifically so that your messages are only shown to people for whom they are relevant. If someone outside the scope of your target demographics sees your ads, they'll be much more likely to issue reports – and your ads will be much more likely to be removed. It's especially important to target people in the right geographic area.
There are some Black Hat techniques designed to circumvent Google Ads rules and regulations, or otherwise give you an unfair advantage in a sensitive or restricted category. These techniques typically violate Google policies and are largely considered unethical by the advertising community.
One of the most prominent examples is cloaking. Using one of several techniques, cloaking can allow you to advertise to audiences with content different from what you showed Google for approval. It's obvious why this is potentially beneficial, but it's also obvious why this is unethical.
As you might imagine, these techniques can work temporarily. They can give you a significant short-term advantage, allowing you a better strategic position and potentially more ad opportunities. However, if you use them, you could get your account suspended, or even permanently blacklisted. Even if you evade that, you could ruin your company's reputation and jeopardize your long-term results.
Do not follow these strategies. If a PPC agency recommends any such strategies to you, fire them.
They simply aren't worth it.
Navigating the world of Google Ads isn't easy.
In fact, it's stressful and incredibly difficult if your business happens to belong to one of these sensitive or restricted categories.
The good news is it's much easier to be successful when you work with a PPC advertising agency that has experience creating and managing ads for a business like yours. We're deeply acquainted with all the rules and restrictions you need to worry about, and we know how to make target demographics like yours convert.
If you’re ready to get started with a free consultation, contact us today!
When you want to use paid search marketing platforms, Google Ads often leads the list. Because of its versatility, simplicity, and popularity, it’s obvious why it’s a popular choice. But when you drop all of your PPC advertising money into one marketing strategy, you could lose some leads.
That’s why some businesses explore paid advertising marketing outside of Google, with many turning to Linkedin Ads.
Google Ads and Linkedin Ads are highly efficient ways to market your products and services to businesses and consumers. But each marketing channel has its advantages and disadvantages. Whatever you choose, make sure you discuss the matter with your web development company.
Below is a closer look at each option.
We think it’s reasonable to conclude that Google reaches a vast audience worldwide – its ad reach is a stunning 4 billion people. Google search handles about 70% of desktop searches, and many companies report that they get about 90% of their organic traffic from the search engines. Also, up to 95% of the mobile search market comes from Google.
People use Google’s search a lot, and having the ability to target search terms with specific search ads is a massive benefit of Adwords. People tend to search for very specific things in Google, so if you can customize your Google advertising for your targeted audience, you’ll receive plenty of leads.
So, we can assume that most people’s targeted audience uses Google to some degree. That’s a massive advantage for companies when they want to target an audience.
However, businesses that want to narrow down their search may have issues getting their Google ads settings right with both Google Ads. And if you blunder when segmenting your audiences, your digital ad campaign could suffer.
LinkedIn features a narrower audience – 500 million users – namely businesses and business professionals. But this more limited audience makes it the perfect place for effective B2B marketing. LinkedIn lets marketers serve online ads to decision-makers and vital audience members in several ways.
Summary: For B2B firms that want to reach decision-makers, Linkedin is a terrific advertising platforms. If your B2C company intends to increase its reach, Google Ads could be the best fit.
When you target your audience with Google Ads, you have a few options: location, affinity, technology, buyer behavior, demographics, and interactions with your app or website.
No matter how much you know about your buyer, you may struggle to avoid clicks from worthless leads that cost too much.
In some cases on Google, people may not even know what they’re looking for. You can try to advertise to your desired targeted audience on Google Ads, but it can be challenging to get to the precise people who will most likely buy what you sell.
When people sign up for LinkedIn, they usually provide many details, such as their occupation, title/job title, experience, industry, education, interests, and more. All of this information can be leveraged for great advantage when you start your marketing campaigns.
Also, LinkedIn users can join many groups, start conversations, and obtain followers. The data is priceless when you want to target a specific audience and market to them. LinkedIn also has a Matched Audience that helps advertisers match their email marketing lists and website visitors with users on LinkedIn.
Many marketing experts think that LinkedIn Ads offer more value. LinkedIn has refined targeting, and you can make your product known to them so that you can tell them about something they didn’t know existed.
Summary: For B2B and B2C companies looking for a broad audience, Google Ads has enough targeting features. But for B2B firms that want to target specific groups, LinkedIn Ads has about 100 segmentation methods for micro targeting.
When you want lead generation, Google Ads has a broader reach and is the most effective. First, you can bring in a lot of prospects to your site without breaking the bank. The audience you’re after on Google visits the search giant with the idea to find the best product or service. This makes generating leads easier.
Getting leads from LinkedIn can be more challenging. Users of the platform may sign in to read industry news or talk to group members. No matter how perfect your ad is, viewers may not be in the mood to buy anything.
That said, Linkedin has a way to target ad leads through in-site messaging, which can generate plenty of leads.
When it comes down to dollars and cents, LinkedIn Ads usually are more pricey than Google Ads. As in Google, you can select cost-per-click or cost-per-impression.
LinkedIn also features a cost-per-send for InMail advertising. Typically, you’ll pay about $5 for each click, $6 for 1,000 impressions, and .80 for each send.
With Google Ads, the average CPC is $1. But to leverage that low cost, you need to work on your audience segmentation. If you don’t your ROI may be below what you want.
Summary: Advertising budgets for each platform depends on several factors. On average, Google Ads cost less than LinkedIn Ads. If your B2B company has a tight budget, you may want to focus on a limited variety of LinkedIn ads instead of a broad range of Google Ads.
So should you advertise with Google Ads vs LinkedIn Ads? Yes!
What we mean is, it depends. The correct choice depends on your budget, product or service offered, marketing goals, and target audience. You should not assume that when you need a digital marketing campaign, Google Analytics Adwords is the only choice.
It’s critical to evaluate the market, understand who your buyer is, and make a data-driven decision about the best marketing platform to reach your well-defined goals. One type of company might do better with Google Ads, and another may find LinkedIn Ads preferable.
The great news is you don’t need to choose between the two platforms. Many businesses use both, as well as Facebook, Instagram, and others. If you have the budget, it may pay off to diversify your paid search advertising to get the best ROI.
