Google Ads will attempt to pair your advertisements based on the keywords you’ve placed a bid on. However, let’s say that you’ve placed a bid for “men’s basketball shoes”.
Depending on the keyword match type setting you select, there’s a possibility that your ads can show up for the keyword, “men’s Nike shoes”. This is the purpose of the broad match keyword type.
Sometimes, this is the best setting you can choose for your campaign. If you’ve decided to use this setting, this article will explain all of the best practices you should follow to ensure your Google Ads campaign is a success.
Broad match keywords let Google Ads know that your ads should show whenever someone searches for any variation of the keyword you’ve provided.
As a result, if someone searched “women’s running shoes”, your ad could also show up because the ad text includes “running shoes”.
This is crucial to remember: Google Ads will treat this search query as though they typed in exactly “women’s running shoes”.
So, what does This mean? Broad match campaigns are often the most difficult type of campaign to grow. Even if someone does search for one of your exact keywords, there’s always a chance they’ll include a misspelling or different verbiage than what you’re targeting.
Broad match keywords are the answer to fixing a lot of PPC visibility issues. By specifying additional keywords and phrases within your keyword, you can further define what a potential customer looks like.
Let’s look back at our running shoe example: If we only allow broad matches for “women’s running shoes”, we might not show up for someone who searches for “black women’s running shoes”. Using Broad Match Modifier would allow us to include additional keywords such as “black” or “lace-up” in order to be visible for these types of search queries too!
Additionally, while it may seem redundant to target a phrase that exactly includes your primary keyword, there are successful campaigns that follow this strategy.
Broad match keywords can be useful for ensuring that your campaign is visible for a bunch of different keyword variations. Essentially, you’ll be getting the most bang for your buck, even if you’re bidding for a select few keywords.
So how should you decide whether or not to use broad match modifiers? When it comes down to it, you don’t have to choose. In fact, most people don’t even know about the broad modifier options until they’re in the campaign setting up their ads. If you want to make sure that your ads run with modified broad keywords as well as exact-match keywords then just leave them checked off!
If you want more control over your ads and are interested in creating a highly specific audience for your campaigns (e.g., women’s athletic shoes between 5-10 sizes), then turn this feature off.
Broad match keywords aren’t for everyone. The main disadvantage to allowing this setting is that ad visibility isn’t everything. Just because your ads are showing up for several different keyword variations doesn’t mean more leads will convert on your landing page.
In fact, if your ad shows up for irrelevant keywords, you’ll not only be decreasing your ad quality score, but you’ll also waste a lot of money. This can be frustrating when you notice a lot of people viewing your ads, but no one is converting.
If you have created a landing page for a specific product, it’s probably best to turn off this setting and direct your attention to more focused keywords that are relevant to your campaign.
When it comes to using broad match keywords, the task isn’t all too difficult. Below, are some helpful tips to consider when using this setting in your campaign:
If you’re serious about reaching a broad audience, start by performing in-depth keyword research. The best practice is to create new campaigns for each group of keywords.
For instance, if your goal is to reach both women and men who are interested in investing in stock market portfolios, create two new campaigns based on your initial keyword list that contains relevant keywords specific to each audience.
When creating separate campaigns, remember to use the ad groups feature so you can manage your unique key phrase lists as efficiently as possible. Be sure to only include exact match keywords in each campaign or ad group.
This will allow Google’s system to better analyze which ads are most effective with this type of search query since exact match queries have been manually triggered by searchers looking for keywords that are semantically the same as the ones you’ve placed a bid for.
Once you’ve set up your campaigns, it’s time to create a list of negative keywords.
These are the words that trigger irrelevant ads from appearing when someone searches for them. They also help narrow down bids and save money as you won’t bid on meaningless queries in the first place.
By creating a list of negative keywords, you can avoid the disadvantages of broad match keywords, which are usually your ads appearing for irrelevant searches.
Once you’ve created your list of negative keywords, don’t assume it’s complete.
As people search for terms that would trigger irrelevant ads, add them to the end of your list. Remember, these are single words so make sure there are no other variations on the word (i.e., “point”, “pointers” and “pointer”).
This way you’ll be syncing up with what your end users want as time goes on.
Adding new words will also help prevent unnecessary spending. After all, money is not being wasted when ads aren’t triggered by searches that aren’t relevant!
Do you want to learn more about how we can improve the success of your Google Ads campaign? If so, then you’ve come to the right place. Contact us today to receive a free proposal for your campaign and get started.
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When this apartment complex client partnered with PPC.co, their goal was clear: generate more qualified leads through Google Ads. In just 60 days—from January to March 2025—we transformed their paid acquisition performance. Total conversions more than tripled, jumping from 10 to 32, while the overall conversion rate soared by over 300%. At the same time, we drove down the cost per conversion by 44%, delivering significantly more leads at a much lower cost.
By strategically combining Performance Max and high-intent Search campaigns, we not only increased lead volume but improved overall efficiency and ROI. This rapid and measurable improvement underscores the value of data-driven optimization and expert campaign management.
This case study is a testament to what can happen when a well-structured campaign meets expert strategy and continuous optimization. Whether you're launching a new property or looking to boost occupancy in a competitive market, PPC.co delivers real results—fast.
Ready to grow your leads and lower your cost per conversion?
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If you’re running an e-commerce or retail business, you already know that visibility is everything. The best product in the world won’t sell if no one sees it. That’s where paid ads for ecommerce comes in.
Done right, they drive traffic, conversions, and repeat customers.
Done wrong, they drain your budget and leave you wondering what went wrong.
Whether you’re spending $500 a month or $50,000, your goal is the same: profitability. Not just clicks, and certainly not just impressions. You want to turn ad dollars into real, predictable revenue.
So how do top-performing e-commerce and retail brands make their paid ads work?
What are they doing that you’re not?
This guide breaks it down step-by-step, so you can start running profitable ads with confidence.
Before you launch a single campaign, you need clarity on your audience and goals. Are you trying to boost first-time sales? Increase average order value? Each objective requires a different strategy and metrics for success.
Don’t fall into the trap of launching ads just to “see what happens.” Paid media works best when it’s part of a bigger strategy. So before you log in to Google Ads or Meta Ads Manager, get specific about what success looks like.
If you want to run profitable paid ads, knowing your numbers is the foundation of your entire strategy. Without a clear understanding of your margins, break-even points, and how much you can afford to spend to acquire a customer, you’re essentially gambling with your ad budget.
And in e-commerce, that can get expensive fast.
Let’s start with the most critical numbers you need to know:
Your break-even ROAS tells you the minimum return you need on your ad spend to not lose money. It’s calculated by dividing 1 by your gross profit margin.
So if your margin is 50 percent, your break-even ROAS is 2.0. That means for every $1 you spend on ads, you need to make $2 in sales just to break even.
For example, let’s say you’re running Facebook Ads and spending $1,000 on a campaign. If your break-even ROAS is 2.0, you need to generate at least $2,000 in revenue to avoid losing money. Anything above that is profit. Anything below that eats into your cash.
Once you know your numbers, you can reverse-engineer your ad strategy instead of throwing money into the void and hoping for results. For instance, if your AOV is low (say $25), you might struggle to profit from ads unless you have a very low COGS or high conversion rates. In that case, you might want to:
On the other hand, if your AOV is $150 and your margins are strong, you have more room to compete in ad auctions, bid more aggressively, and test multiple audiences and creatives without instantly wiping out your profit.
A lot of beginner advertisers focus entirely on immediate return from ads. That’s understandable – but short-sighted. If you’re breaking even or slightly losing on the first sale, that might still be a smart move if you’re building long-term customer relationships.
That’s where Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) comes in. If you know that your average customer places three orders a year, each worth $60, then their LTV is $180. If you spend $40 to acquire that customer with your first ad, but earn $140 more over the next 12 months, that ad was extremely profitable in the long run.
Top e-commerce brands build their paid strategies around LTV-to-CAC ratio – how much they earn over time compared to what they paid to acquire the customer.
A healthy ratio is usually 3:1 or higher. So if you’re spending $50 to acquire a customer, you want to earn at least $150 from that customer over time.
Once you understand your numbers, you can plan your ad spend with precision. You’ll know exactly:
Let’s say you want to make $5,000 in profit this month, and your product has a 50 percent gross margin. That means you need $10,000 in sales. If your target ROAS is 2.5, you can spend up to $4,000 in ad spend to hit that goal. With those numbers in hand, you now have a roadmap for campaign budgeting, not just a shot in the dark.
Every ad platform has strengths. But if you try to use them all at once, you’ll burn through your budget without learning much. Instead, pick one or two that align best with your business model and customer behavior.
If you’re selling visually appealing products like apparel, skincare, or home goods, platforms like Instagram and TikTok can deliver strong returns – especially with the right creative. If you’re focused on high-intent buyers, Google Search and Shopping Ads are goldmines. And if you’re targeting professionals or B2B retail buyers, LinkedIn may offer surprising results.
Test channels strategically. Start with the one that matches where your customers spend their time and scale from there. The best platform for you is the one where your ideal customers are already shopping, scrolling, or searching.
One of the biggest mistakes retailers make is casting too wide a net. You don’t want everyone to see your ad – you want the right people to see it.
On Google, this means targeting high-intent keywords that signal buying behavior. Focus on terms like “buy,” “best,” “free shipping,” or product-specific searches. On Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok, you’ll want to dial in your custom audiences using demographic data, lookalikes, interests, and behavior.
Don’t forget retargeting. Most people won’t buy the first time they visit your site, but retargeting brings them back when they’re ready. Set up ads that follow people who viewed a product, added to cart, or engaged with your brand but didn’t check out.
The more relevant your targeting, the more efficient your spend and the higher your return.
Creative is the make-or-break factor in most e-commerce ad campaigns. You can have perfect targeting and the right product, but if your ad doesn’t grab attention in the first two seconds, it won’t convert.
Your creative needs to do three things quickly:
Use high-quality product photos or videos. Show your product in action. Highlight a clear benefit or solve a specific problem. Incorporate customer reviews or user-generated content to build trust.
For paid social, test multiple creatives at once – video vs. image, UGC vs. branded, short-form vs. long-form – and let performance data guide your iterations. On search platforms like Google, focus on copy that’s compelling and packed with relevant keywords. Test different headlines and descriptions to see what gets the best click-through rate.
Sending paid traffic to your homepage is a rookie mistake. You want every click to land on a page that’s designed to convert. That means fast load times, mobile optimization, and a clear call-to-action.
If you’re promoting a specific product, send users to that product page and not your full catalog. If you’re offering a bundle or a seasonal deal, create a dedicated landing page with copy, visuals, and layout tailored to that offer.
Remove distractions. Reduce friction. Make it stupid-easy for people to buy. The less effort it takes, the more sales you’ll see. And don’t forget to A/B test. Sometimes a simple tweak to your headline or CTA can double your conversion rate overnight.
Once your ads are live, your job isn’t done. In fact, this is where it really begins. You need to monitor performance regularly, looking at more than just the surface-level metrics.
Click-through rate (CTR) tells you how well your ad is capturing attention. Conversion rate shows how well your landing page is sealing the deal. ROAS tells you how profitable your campaign is. And CPA helps you compare efficiency across different products or audiences.
Watch for early indicators of success – or failure.
Treat your campaigns like living systems. Tweak, test, and improve them continuously.
Once you find a winning combination – an ad, offer, and audience that works – it’s time to scale. Increase your budget gradually while keeping an eye on performance. Scaling too fast can tank your results, so go step by step.
Duplicate high-performing campaigns to test new audiences or creatives. Experiment with upsells, bundles, or time-limited offers to increase AOV. Layer in email or SMS marketing to retarget paid traffic and drive repeat sales.
And just as importantly, don’t be afraid to kill underperforming ads. If something isn’t working after a reasonable test period, cut it. Your budget should be flowing to what works – not what you hope will work.
One of the biggest mistakes in paid advertising is chasing one-off sales without thinking about the bigger picture. Winning e-commerce brands think in terms of customer lifetime value.
If your first sale breaks even, that’s fine. (As long as you have a plan to turn that customer into a repeat buyer. ) You can use post-purchase emails, loyalty programs, and retargeting ads to bring people back.
At the end of the day, when you view paid ads as the beginning of a customer relationship – not the end – you unlock real long-term profitability. And at PPC.co, that’s where we want to help you! We offer industry-leading PPC management services for ecommerce and retail brands who want to stop wasting ad spend and start generating real ROI.
Contact us today to learn more!
