Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising has a 200% ROI, and yet many businesses do not get the full advantage of this Digital marketing strategy because they fail to use effective call to action . In fact, 70% of small business B2B sites lack CTAs.
If you want a high click-through rate (CTR) on your PPC ads, you’ll need to craft irresistible call to action. In this article, we’ll go over what PPC call to action are and give you 12 tips on how to make them stand out.
In marketing, a CTA is any language that invites readers to do something. Whether it’s signing up for a newsletter, viewing a website, or making a purchase. Without CTAs, a landing page leaves a potential buyer hanging, without direction on where to go next. That’s why CTAs are so crucial. They turn casual browsers into potential leads and customers. Any marketing effort involves writing the perfect CTA Button.
In pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, CTAs are what drive the click-through rate (CTR). They are what get users to click on the ad. CTAs go hand in hand with PPC. So they need to be compelling.
There are 3 broad categories of CTAs in PPC: those that invite user engagement, those that generate leads, and those that encourage a direct response. Which you use will depend on your ad campaign goals:
No matter which type of Call to action/(CTA Button) you’re after, following some basic guidelines can make them more effective. So without further ado, here are 12 tips on writing the most effective PPC calls to action:
Call to action need to be simple and clear. Tell people exactly what clicking the ad will do. In other words, what you want them to do, e.g. “buy now.” Remember PPC ads have a strict character limit, so you need to make every word count. You can’t afford to be vague or unclear.
Always write digits for numbers as this reduces character count and the time it takes to read the ad, e.g. “24” instead of “twenty-four.”
We recommend sticking to just one 1 Call to action – (CTA Button) line per PPC campaign. That way, your CTA buttons are not competing against each other and your campaign has a clear goal & desired action for the users.
Every Call to Action should get the user to do something. So use strong verbs that convey action. call to action examples, “skyrocket your ROI on SEO marketing Materials” sounds a lot better than “read SEO insights.”
Use words that tap into users’ emotions. After all, people buy with their emotions first, then rationalize their purchase later. This is true even for B2B customers. Try to make them enthusiastic about trying your product by using exclamation points, e.g. “Buy now for 50% off!” If your Call(CTA) is enthusiastic, users are more likely to be.
Creating a sense of urgency motivates users to act. If they feel like the offer is limited, they’ll think it’s now or never. So consider advertising a limited-time sale, offer, or promotion to get their attention. This way, you take advantage of their fear of missing out (FOMO), a powerful motivator.
You might even contrast with something negative, like “stop eating junk and transform your life with an easy diet proven to work by thousands.” Appealing to users’ negative sentiments, like their bad eating habits, is risky and may not always work. But it can be a powerful way to incite action.
Show that there is value behind every Call to action, e.g. benefits, bonuses, or return on investment (ROI). Otherwise, users don’t know whether clicking on the ad is worth their time.
Draw on a unique selling point (USP). Maybe you can offer a free consultation or a free trial. Such offers communicate value to the user by showing what’s in it for them. If it can’t show value, your Call to Action won’t generate clicks. Simple as that.
Say what your business does and the results you get, while keeping it at a high level. This will intrigue customers and make them want to learn more. You don’t want to give away too much, but just enough to spark interest.
Leave cliffhangers. TV shows have mastered the art of cliffhangers to get viewers to keep watching. As humans, we need closure. The same goes for Call to action-(CTA Buttons). Make a promising claim without giving all the details and users will want to learn more.
Humans have an urge to belong. We want to do what we see others doing. Call it the bandwagon effect, following the crowd, or peer pressure. Whatever you call it, it’s here to stay, and your Call to action can leverage it by citing influencers or celebrities, e.g. “Try Lebron James’s work out routine for $10/month.” You can also cite recommendations, endorsements, reviews, and ratings. Together, these are considered “social proof.”
Social proof is the future of marketing. As the modern world becomes more connected, people place more and more value on the opinions of others. Try including social proof for your product or service in your CTA to make it that much more irresistible.
What keeps many from investing in a new product or service is risk. People don’t want something to turn into a waste of time or money. So your CTA should show that they have nothing to lose. Do this by offering a free trial, a money-back guarantee, or no-obligation quote. Users feel more at ease when they know what they’re getting into.
Offering a low-priced or free product in hopes of gaining a new customer is called the loss leader strategy. By marketing a product below its value, you stimulate interest. Then once the user is hooked, you can increase the price. The user will feel more comfortable paying more once they’ve experienced the product’s real value. It’s a win-win.
The internet makes us impatient. We want instant information and gratification. Your Call to Action can tap into this by showcasing instant delivery, e.g. “Get a free demo now.” By including the word “now,” the Call to Action implies that the user won’t have to wait for a benefit. The reward for clicking on the ad will be immediate. This way, you’ll increase your click-through rate (CTR) and generate more leads.
Make your CTA highly relevant to your target audience. It could be masterfully crafted, but it won’t do you any good if it’s targeted at the wrong people. For instance, asking regular consumers to buy B2B software is unlikely to generate much response. You need to match the Call to action to the intended customer.
You can also personalize the Call to Action by drawing on shared interests or using a casual tone. Users want to connect with you before engaging. One way to do this is by writing in the second person. The pronoun “you” implicates the reader, making them feel involved. For call to action examples, “buy the hot tub you deserve” is more appealing than “buy a hot tub.”
Consider the words users type into search engines when looking for your product and tailor your Cal to action(CTA) accordingly. If their searches include action phrase like “free,” “best,” or “near me,” you’ll want your Call to action to reflect that. Try writing “free SEO tool” or “best SEO tool,” for instance.
PPC ads display differently depending on the device. Mobile devices have smaller screens, for call to action examples, so ads have to be smaller. Keep this in mind when crafting CTAs for a mobile audience. Plus, mobile users are usually searching for a quicker answer. So make mobile CTAs short and to the point and try offering an instant solution. You might also enable call extensions for mobile CTAs. That way, clicking the ad automatically triggers a call to your business phone number. When you do this, make sure to set the PPC campaign preferences to only show ads to mobile users. Otherwise, users on other devices will be left at a dead end when clicking your ad.
As for PCs and tablets, search engines, including Google, consider them the same when it comes to PPC ads. Since tablets have only slightly smaller screens than PCs, you don’t need to worry about altering your CTA much between tablet and PC users. Both devices, and PCs especially, allow users to research more easily, so you might leave CTAs that require more time to this audience.
Success with PPC advertising is a matter of trial and error. Perform A/B tests to see what CTAs work best. Call to action examples: you can test different CTA button placements and colors. Generally, the CTA button color should contrast with the blog post & web pages/landing page background color. Test different CTA wordings, word orders, and lengths. The amount of variation is endless.
Though A/B testing different CTAs can be time-consuming, it’s worth nailing down the best one because it could make a huge difference in clicks, conversions, and revenue.
Of course, there are some pitfalls to avoid when crafting the perfect CTA. If you can avoid them, you’re guaranteed to improve your click-through rate (CTR). Here they are:
Having a sensational call to action can make the difference between a failed PPC campaign and a successful one. If you implement the tips above, you can dramatically increase your click-through rate, conversions, and sales.
Need help managing your next PPC campaign? Our experts at ppc.co have over a decade’s worth of experience in everything from Google and Facebook Ads to landing page optimization. We specialize in optimizing your return on ad spend. You name it, we can help. Get in touch to start scaling your business today.
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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.
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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!
