The entire purpose of a pay-per-click (PPC) campaign is to immediately attract prospects from the search engine results pages (SERPs) and direct them to a landing page where they can be converted into paying customers.
Clearly, the impetus of any PPC campaign is targeting an exhaustive list of short and long-tail or target keywords to attract as many prospects as possible. Of course, this has to be done while maintaining a reasonable budget.
Creating a successful PPC campaign is about finding equilibrium between exact keyword usage and budget management. To achieve remarkable growth in your PPC campaign, it’s important to learn and master the concept of using exact-match keywords.
Using Positive or negative exact match keywords can help deliver the most qualified leads to your landing pages, improving your ad quality score, and increasing your business’ revenue. If you’re not familiar with this concept, then you’ve come to the right place.
This complete guide will cover everything you need to know to master using exact-match keyword’s in your PPC campaign.
Understanding what an/how exact match keyword is is fairly simple. It’s a different keyword match type that are available in both Google and Bing Ads. When you use an exact match keyword, your google ads campaigns will be able to reach potential customers searching for the exact match search term you’re bidding on, or at least a very close variant.
By placing bids on exact match keywords, you can explicitly control how much you’re spending on Google and Bing Ads. This will help you to achieve a higher ROI with your campaign.
If you’re a beginner creating online ads, then it’s best for you to learn what the same or different keyword match types is (let’s use Google Ads for an example). When you want to create a textual ad in Google Ads, you can choose between a wide variety of different match types, such as broad, exact match keyword, and phrase.
Let’s discuss the other keyword types below.
Broad match is the standard choice for text ads on Google Ads. As its name suggests, broad match keywords are designed to reach the widest audience possible. When you choose to target broad match keyword’s, your ad will reach internet users who use search term’s that match any word of your targeted keyword, in any order.
For example, if your modified broad match keyword is “luxury race car”, your ad will appear for user search terms like “fast cars”, “fast race cars” “luxury cars” and many more different variations.
With broad match keyword’s, Google will also match your Google ads with synonymous variations. For example, Google may show your ad when a person types in “expensive cars” in their search bar.
Since broad match types are designed to reach the largest audience possible, it can capture the attention of people who may not be looking for your particular service or product. As such, your ad costs can quickly increase without affecting your conversion rate.
Unfortunately, broad match type is the default option for text ads. This means that your google ads could be set to this option without you even realizing it. To put it simply, broad match keywords drive a lot of clicks, but you should be careful about positioning your business for keywords that aren’t going to result in more conversions.
For example, here is what an SERP looks like for the same keyword “Google ads”:
Of course, the first ad placement is from Google. No one is going to outrank them for this keyword. However, the second placement is for a google ads campaign manager tool, and the third placement is for advertising on Snapchat.
These products and services differ tremendously. Therefore, if you’re targeting a specific audience, you’re better off using another match type.
Phrase match keyword’s offer some of the flexibility compared to broad match keywords, while giving them a high level of control over their spending.
When you target phrase keywords match types, your ad will only appear when a user searches for keywords in its exact match order. However, some words can appear either before or after the original search terms.
As you can see, phrase match keywords work a bit differently than broad match keywords. Though, there are some noticeable similarities. Exact match keyword are extremely different from both default match types.
Using them in your campaign can have a significant impact on your upcoming results.
Fortunately, using exact-match keywords isn’t as difficult as it seems. Below, you’ll learn about three proven ways to utilize exact match keywords in your campaign.
The shorter your positive or negative keyword match types is, the more impressions and clicks you’ll receive if you bid on it. However, receiving a lot of clicks isn’t always a great thing. Long-tail keywords are known for having nearly infinite variations.
Thus, if you were to target a bunch of different long-tail keywords while promoting a very specific service, you could waste your budget on a lot of irrelevant search queries/exact keywords.
When targeting a broad target audience, it’s always best to cast a large net in a small pond. Exact match keywords help to narrow down your focus if you’re targeting a large audience.
Wide reach can run up your advertising costs significantly. With exact match keywords, you can at least know that your ads will focus intensely on the most qualified leads for your budget.
Search intent is the context an internet user is looking for when searching for a keyword. Before trying out any exact match keywords, conduct a preliminary search and see what types of words appear in existing ads.
Do you see words like “purchase”, “buy”, and more, then you can potentially target internet users who are more willing to buy than window shop.
Becoming fluent in using exact match keywords isn’t difficult. Though, it requires much patience, experimentation, and a lot of time. If you lack all of these qualities, then it’s safe to say that you need help.
Contact us today to receive a free proposal and start growing your PPC campaign.
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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?
Contact us today to schedule a free audit and discover how we can help you achieve similar results.
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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!
