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How to Increase Landing Page Conversions

Samuel Edwards
|
May 12, 2023

Would you like to see more sales and signups from your landing pages? If you’re not happy with your conversion rate, you can certainly improve your results. However, it takes a commitment to a long-term strategy to see significant results that stick.

Creating a high converting landing page requires more than just writing some quick sales copy and publishing it on a webpage. From start to finish, creating a landing page takes research, planning, testing, adjusting, and more testing.

Landing page optimization begins with testing

Optimizing a landing page to convert at a high rate requires multiple revisions sandwiched between multiple tests. Landing page optimization is an ongoing process. Even highly optimized landing page can be further improved. Unless you have a 100% conversion rate optimization there’s always room for improvement.

If you’re tired of minimal conversions and you’re wondering what you can do about it, you’re in the right place. This article will explain several ways you can increase your landing page conversion rate.

As a brief summary, to increase your conversions you need to identify opportunities for improvement and then implement the necessary changes. You can identify improvement opportunities by performing tests, which will all be explained below.

Here are X landing page tests you can run – and X changes you can make – to improve your landing page conversion rates.

4 landing page elements to test

Optimizing your landing page to increase your conversion rate optimization will rely on testing. Although you should hire a professional marketing agency to set up your tests, here’s a general idea of how it works.

Once creating landing page, that landing page is considered your “control.” Then, you create copies of your control page and change 1 or 2 elements on the page – preferably just one change at a time. Then, you market those pages through ads to the same target demographics and see which pages convert better.

When you identify the highest converting page, that page becomes your “control” and you can tweak additional elements to test those changes. This process is repeated on a regular basis.

Here are 4 landing page elements you’ll want to create variations for when running your tests. Since PPC ads begin the process of conversion, that’s where you’ll want to start optimizing first.

1. Test your PPC ad headline and copy

Test your PPC ad headline and copy

Traffic to your landing page will almost always come from PPC ad campaigns. There are other possible sources, but most people stick with PPC ads. Whether you’re using PPC ads or another ad source, start testing variations of your headlines and copy.

Headlines are the most important part of any ad. An effective headline will capture someone’s attention and influence them to click. The easiest way to capture attention with a headline is to promise to solve a big problem. Granted, your landing page copy will need to make good on that promise if you want conversions.

Tips for optimizing ad headlines and copy

  • Condense your message to as few words as possible
  • It’s okay to skip small words to meet character limits
  • Use power words, but avoid using fancy adjectives
  • Be specific with your copy – speak to your target’s problem, not about your product’s features
  • Make sure your headline and copy match the content on the target landing page – don’t mislead people with “clickbait”

Your landing page visitors/website visitors will be heavily influenced by whatever they are exposed to right before arriving on your landing page. In other words, your PPC ads aren’t just a way to get clicks – they’re actually the beginning of the process of persuasion.

Persuasion begins with your PPC ads

You can use your PPC ads to create a state of mind that will make visitors more perceptive to your marketing messages on your landing page.

Persuasion expert and author Robert Cialdini explains how this works, in detail, in his book Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade. However, he gave plenty of useful information in an interview with Forbes.

In the interview, Cialdini explained that researchers generated a higher participation rate from people by asking a question to get people thinking about how they are helpful people. When asking for help with a marketing survey, only 29% would participate. When asking a pre-suasive question, “Do you consider yourself a helpful person?” 77% of people agreed to participate.

If you’re running your own tests outside of a marketing agency, be willing to continually test ad headlines and copy. Improvement is an ongoing process that takes time.

2. Test your ad images

In addition to your ad copy, your ad images (where applicable) have the potential to influence conversions. Before you start randomly testing images, read what other people have discovered to save yourself from having to reinvent the wheel.

For example, most people have learned through trial and error that proper contrast is more important than specific colors. Although, blue tends to be a good choice for a specific color scheme.

Wherever your ads display images, keep your images simple and relevant to your ad. Avoid gradients and complex graphic details that will make your image hard to see.

3. Test your landing page design

Your landing page design consists of the following:

  • Page elements like images, testimonials, ‘buy’ buttons, headings, etc.
  • Placement of page elements (the layout)
  • Design colors and images, i.e., graphical containers that hold testimonials and horizontal rulers

There are seemingly endless variations you can create to test landing page elements. Unless you’re running a large budget marketing campaign, it’s important to start with one element at a time. For example, you might create variations of your landing page performance that includes all testimonials at the bottom of the page and another variation that sprinkles testimonials throughout the content.

4. Test your landing page headlines and copy

Just like you’ll test your PPC ad headline and copy, you’ll want to test your landing page headlines and copy. Remember that people tend to scan copy rather than read it from start to finish. Because people scan, powerful, influential headlines will help your conversions.

The most important heading on your entire landing page is the top heading. Work on that heading first and then optimize the remaining headings.

5 changes to make to your landing pages to get more conversions

Landing Page Without Menu

For the most part, the changes you’ll make to your landing page will depend on what you’re testing. However, there are 5 basic changes you can make to your landing page that will optimize your conversions.

1. Remove all distractions from your landing page

Distractions make it hard for visitors to know what to do next. Should they play the video or click on a link you provided in your sales copy? Or should they keep reading your sales page?

It’s important to create your landing page to be free from distractions. You’ll probably want to create a custom page template to start with a blank slate. It seems natural to create your landing page from an existing web page as a template. However, doing that will create multiple distractions for your visitors.

Landing pages need to be free from distractions. Distractions divert visitor attention away from your sales copy and can kill your conversion rate.

What counts as a distraction? Technically, anything that stops a visitor from reading your copy or pulls them away from the page is a distraction. Elements like:

  • Internal and external links in the sales copy
  • The presence of a navigation menu
  • Sidebars with content (clickable or not)

The only links on a landing page should place your sale item in a shopping cart

Any and all links you insert into your sales copy on your landing page should place whatever item you’re selling into your visitor’s shopping cart. Aside from links in the footer, any other links will hurt your conversions.

Avoid linking to content in your landing page sales copy. You don’t want visitors to land on your sales page, click a link, and start wandering around your website or someone else’s website. You want visitors to stay on your sales page until they make a purchase.

Every link you publish on a sales page is one more opportunity for visitors to bounce without making a purchase. Don’t give visitors a reason to wander away from your sales page.

Navigation menus are the ultimate distraction

Navigation menus are the worst distraction for visitors on a sales page. If a visitor sees a navigation menu, they might start exploring your site instead of reading your sales copy.

You’ve probably seen landing pages with navigation, and there are exceptions. For example, navigation is okay if your landing page is a self-contained mini-website designed to provide visitors with important information. In that context, navigation is helpful.

On dynamic landing pages designed to generate sales or signups, a navigation menu will be a distraction and kill your conversions.

Sidebars don’t belong on landing pages

If you use your main web pages as a template for your landing page, make sure to eliminate the sidebar. Sidebar content will distract visitors and if it’s clickable, they’ll end up bouncing.

No matter what the content, sidebars don’t belong on landing pages – not even if the content is related to your product. If you have so much information that you want to present it to visitors in a sidebar, your landing page is already too complicated.

With few exceptions, landing page should be straightforward, simple, and clean. No navigation, no non-sale-related links, and no sidebar content.

2. Hire a professional copywriter

Do you know the difference between a content writer and a copywriter?

If you’ve hired a content writer to write your landing page sales copy, you’ve hired a professional in the wrong industry. You need a copywriter, not a content writer. While both types of writers can be highly skilled, they’re entirely different professions.

Get your landing page copy written by a professional copywriter. It’s important to find a copywriter and not a blogger or content writer. Although content writers and bloggers can be phenomenal writers, high-level writing skills can actually prevent someone from writing effective sales copy.

Effective sales copy requires speaking directly to a well-defined target market using persuasive copywriting techniques that often defy grammar, punctuation, and other writing ‘rules.’

Why you need a copywriter to write your sales copy

Say you’re an SEO firm selling an SEO Mastery Course that teaches entrepreneurs how to get high-level results. Your sales copy will directly influence your conversion rate and it won’t be based on perfect grammar.

You could have a landing page with well-written copy, perfect grammar and punctuation, and your conversions might still be low. Why? Good sales copy isn’t defined by the same standards as a good blog article. In fact, effective sales copy often uses incomplete sentences, incorrect punctuation, and a conversational tone that would make any English teacher whip out a red pen.

The point with sales copy isn’t to write perfect copy – it’s to persuade the reader to take a specific action. That often requires breaking the rules of grammar, punctuation, and style.

A content writer might craft sales copy like this:

“Our SEO Mastery Course will show you how to get big results. Our expert SEO professionals will teach you how to increase your ranking in the search engines using several powerful techniques not available to the public.”

Here’s how a copywriter would present the same piece of information:

“If you’re like most entrepreneurs, you’ve learned a little SEO, but it’s not enough. You want agency-level results without the price tag. You don’t mind doing the work – if only you knew the secrets.

Imagine learning 2 closely-guarded SEO techniques that will make leads pour in faster than you can follow-up with. Imagine generating instant sales from leads who have no prior contact with your brand. Marketing pros do it all the time and you can, too.

When you take our SEO Mastery Course, you’ll learn some of the top SEO secrets marketing gurus keep from even their top students. When you implement these strategies, you’ll get breakthrough results you never thought possible.”

Which copy is better?

Both versions of copy are well-written, but the copywriter’s version is specifically written to persuade the reader to buy the SEO Mastery Course.

The biggest difference is in the style and tone. Content writers are trained to create informative, factual, well-researched copy. Copywriters create persuasive copy using specific techniques to influence the reader.

How to find a professional copywriter

The best solution is to hire one of the A-listers like David Deutsch or John Carlton. However, you may not have a 5-figure budget.

If you’re on a budget, work with a marketing agency to get access to copywriters. If that’s out of your budget, start poking around online to find copywriters for hire.

When you find a possible copywriter, ask to see a portfolio, and if possible, e the stats for how well their copy performs. Good copywriters get paid royalties for their work. They should be able to provide statistics on how well their copy has performed for past clients. If a copywriter doesn’t know how well their copy performs, keep looking for someone who can provide you with that information.

3. Simplify your typography

Good typography is critical for conversions. Although, with typography, less is more. You don’t want visitors to notice your typography – you want all typography to blend into the experience of reading your sales page or watching your video.

Simplify your typography as much as possible. Use a web-safe font face, preferably Arial or Times New Roman. Don’t use background colors other than white or off-white with black or dark gray main text. It’s okay to use colors in your copy and as headings. However, avoid the high-contrast color schemes that use black or dark backgrounds with light text.

If you really want to dive into the art of persuasion using typography, read up on the 2012 experiment run by Errol Morris published in the New York Times. In the experiment, 40,000 readers read a passage from a book and were asked if they agreed with the passage by stating ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ The experiment utilized 6 different typefaces and determined that:

  • People who read the statement printed in Comic Sans provided the highest amount of disagreement followed by Helvetica.
  • The majority of agreement came from people who read the statement printed in Baskerville.

Typography can be a tedious element to optimize, but if you have the time and dedication it’s worth the effort.

4. Simplify your page design

Simplifying your landing page design and colors, and reducing the number of elements used will support an increase in landing page’s conversion rates / page speed/page load time. Ideally, your landing pages should be as plain as possible – almost boring in terms of design. Plain or ugly landing pages convert better than fancy landing pages.

Why do ugly sites convert more than fancy sites? Technically, it’s because plain and ugly sites contain little to no distractions and just offer the ‘meat and potatoes’ of the content. In other words, a website’s value is more accessible on an ugly site than a fancy site. There’s no eye candy, which is perfect for conversions.

When you create plain or ‘ugly’ landing pages, you’re stripping away all the bells and whistles and presenting pure content. It’s a natural way to prevent yourself from creating unnecessary barriers to the sale.

5. Use large ‘buy’ buttons

Another element that might seem strange is using large ‘buy’ buttons. At first, it might seem cheesy and spammy to use huge ‘buy’ buttons that take up most of the viewport. However, just like the ugly site phenomenon, large ‘buy’ buttons increase conversions.

If you’re not sure about using large ‘buy’ buttons, you can always split test your buttons against your highest converting page.

4 changes to make to your marketing strategy to increase conversions

Keyword Research Flowers

Optimizing your marketing strategy is the final component required to increase your landing page conversion rate. Here are 4 changes you can make to your marketing strategy to get better results.

1. Revisit and research your market in-depth

How well do you know your market? How long has it been since you researched your market? Have you researched your market or are you guessing?

Finding your target market is a lot like generating a keyword list for SEO; both require extensive research and your opinion might not be accurate. For example, many business owners make the mistake of thinking they are their own target audience market. So, they craft marketing messages that appeal to them. In reality, their main market is usually an entirely different demographic.

No matter what your product is, only research can pinpoint your target market. Even when your market seems obvious, you can always go deeper. For example, if you sell socks, your obvious market is everyone. However, you won’t sell many socks marketing to everyone with a general message. Even when you sell a product as universal as socks, you still need to define a smaller group of people so you can craft specific, targeted messages to the group.

Perform market research

Market research will open the door for you to discover more about your market than you can gather from your own thoughts. With in-depth market research, you can discover multiple sub-niches that are also individual markets you can target with even more detailed and tailored marketing messages.

2. Target multiple segments

Most products and services have more than one target market. However, some markets are more profitable than others. Still, if you can target multiple niche segments of your market, you’ll increase conversions.

Specific marketing messages tailored for your market segments will increase conversions. Here’s how that works. Say you’re selling frozen black bean burritos. You can market your burritos to people who love black bean burritos and you’ll generate decent conversions.

You can also market your frozen black bean. burritos to people who don’t have time to cook and you’ll probably get more sales – even from people who aren’t too thrilled about black beans. Why? When marketing to that segment, the product is convenience. When marketing to burrito lovers, the product is the black bean burrito.

This is where having a professional copywriter will help you the most. They’ll know exactly how to write unique sales copy that reaches multiple market segments.

3. Direct your copy to your target market

You’ll get landing page conversion rate when your marketing message is effective. To be effective, your marketing message needs to be targeted. Sales and conversions will increase as your marketing message more specifically targets your market. However, it’s important that you direct your marketing message to a specific target au market rather than creating a general marketing message.

The world’s top A-list copywriters get results because they write sales copy that targets specific markets. They’ve perfected their craft over many years and often earn tens of thousands of dollars – plus royalties – for writing just a few paragraphs.

For example, the late copywriting master Dan Kennedy was routinely hired by large corporations to see if his copy could outperform the company’s control piece. When Kennedy was allowed to run with his ideas, his copy outperformed the company’s control by a landslide.

However, Kennedy ran into the same problem with nearly every company that contracted him. He would go into a marketing meeting and people would toss out random advertising ideas based on the product’s features. If the company was selling a perfume, they’d toss out creative ideas for a product name, what colors to use, how to package the product, and what kind of music to put in the ad.

Nobody in the marketing meetings would talk about the target market.

In these meetings, Kennedy would redirect the conversation and get people talking about the target rather than the product.

Thinking of the target is the only way you’ll develop effective marketing messages. Effective copy speaks directly to the target rather than about the product.

The difference between copy that speaks to a target and copy that talks about the product is a small, yet critical distinction. Here’s a simple example:

A marketing message talking about the product’s features

With the Speedy Coffee Maker Pro, you can make a fresh cup of hot coffee without getting out of bed. Just open the app, choose your flavor and strength, and hit ‘brew.’ Coffee has never been so easy.

A marketing message directed toward a target (customer)

Have you gone to work empty-handed because you didn’t have time to brew your morning coffee? With the Speedy Coffee Maker Pro and app, you can brew a fresh pot of hot coffee before you get out of bed. Take that extra five minutes in the shower. Your coffee will be waiting. Just fill your favorite mug on your way out the door.

The difference between marketing messages

The difference between these two marketing messages is huge. The first message that simply discusses the product’s features is not a targeted message and won’t be that effective. There will always be some people who will buy items without targeted messaging, but it’s a small number.

The second message speaks directly to a target market consisting of busy people who don’t have time to make coffee in the morning, but can’t function without their coffee. This isn’t the most specific target possible, but it’s targeted enough to give you an idea of what specific targeting looks like.

Once your landing pages contain professionally-written, targeted sales copy, there’s one more step to ensure success. Your traffic source needs to be highly targeted as well.

4. Optimize your targeted demographics

It’s easy to manipulate people into clicking on PPC ads. However, that tactic will only decrease your landing page conversion rates.

Your PPC ads create an expectation for what the content will be your landing page. When people click on your advertisement, they expect the target page to be relevant to the ad. If the content doesn’t deliver on the promise in your ad, or if the content was hyped up in the ad, your visitors will bounce.

Additionally, if you’re running PPC ads to random demographics, you’re wasting your marketing budget. There are people who click on ads that look casually interesting even if they’re not part of that market.

The solution is to first work on defining your target market’s demographics. Then, optimize your PPC ads to be displayed for your target market. Ultimately, you’ll increase your landing page conversion rates when you target the right people with relevant and influential messages.

Increasing landing page conversion rates is a trifecta

Although there are separate components, it’s all one continuous experience, from your PPC ad to your landing page.

You can’t increase landing page conversion rate by only optimizing your landing page. Increasing conversions is a trifecta that includes optimizing your landing page, your PPC ads, and your target demographics.

Increasing landing page conversions begins with market research

The tips and strategies outlined in this article will help you optimize your PPC ads and landing pages to generate higher conversion rates. However, your ability to get conversions will always hinge on how well you know – and target – your market.

Don’t skip market research, and don’t confuse market research with checking out keywords using Google Analytics. Market research is a fundamental aspect of marketing that has been somewhat lost in the DIY marketing revolution of the last decade or so.

It’s understandable if you’re on a tight budget and you can’t afford to pay a research firm for information on your target market. However, not having access to that information will hold you back. However, there are things you can do on your own to discover more about your market.

Do you want effortless conversions? Contact PPC.co today

Are your conversions lacking? Does DIY marketing sound too exhausting? Get more conversions effortlessly by partnering with PPC.co. We’ll help you create a powerful PPC ad campaign that reaches your most profitable target market and we’ll create landing pages with professionally-written copy that sells.

Contact us today and tell us what you need. We’ll help you creating landing pages or high converting landing pages &  get the landing page conversions you deserve.

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Author
Recent Posts

Samuel Edwards

Chief Marketing Officer

Throughout his extensive 10+ year journey as a digital marketer, Sam has left an indelible mark on both small businesses and Fortune 500 enterprises alike. His portfolio boasts collaborations with esteemed entities such as NASDAQ OMX, eBay, Duncan Hines, Drew Barrymore, Price Benowitz LLP, a prominent law firm based in Washington, DC, and the esteemed human rights organization Amnesty International. In his role as a technical SEO and digital marketing strategist, Sam takes the helm of all paid and organic operations teams, steering client SEO services, link building initiatives, and white label digital marketing partnerships to unparalleled success. An esteemed thought leader in the industry, Sam is a recurring speaker at the esteemed Search Marketing Expo conference series and has graced the TEDx stage with his insights. Today, he channels his expertise into direct collaboration with high-end clients spanning diverse verticals, where he meticulously crafts strategies to optimize on and off-site SEO ROI through the seamless integration of content marketing and link building.

Latest posts by

Samuel Edwards

 (see more)
PPC Case Study: Tampa, Florida Apartment Complex
-
May 30, 2025
How to Build Better PPC Campaigns for Your Law Firm
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May 23, 2025
High-Performance PPC for Roofing Contractors: A Tactical Guide to Lead Generation
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April 25, 2025
PPC Tips to Help Plumbers Get Real Leads Without Wasting Money on Clicks
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April 8, 2025

Author

Samuel Edwards

Chief Marketing Officer

Throughout his extensive 10+ year journey as a digital marketer, Sam has left an indelible mark on both small businesses and Fortune 500 enterprises alike. His portfolio boasts collaborations with esteemed entities such as NASDAQ OMX, eBay, Duncan Hines, Drew Barrymore, Price Benowitz LLP, a prominent law firm based in Washington, DC, and the esteemed human rights organization Amnesty International. In his role as a technical SEO and digital marketing strategist, Sam takes the helm of all paid and organic operations teams, steering client SEO services, link building initiatives, and white label digital marketing partnerships to unparalleled success. An esteemed thought leader in the industry, Sam is a recurring speaker at the esteemed Search Marketing Expo conference series and has graced the TEDx stage with his insights. Today, he channels his expertise into direct collaboration with high-end clients spanning diverse verticals, where he meticulously crafts strategies to optimize on and off-site SEO ROI through the seamless integration of content marketing and link building.

Related posts

Samuel Edwards
|
May 30, 2025
PPC Case Study: Tampa, Florida Apartment Complex

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.

January 2025

March 2025

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Campaign Analysis Summary

January 2025

  • Total Ad Spend: $498.63

  • Total Conversions: 10

  • Cost per Conversion: $49.86

  • Overall Conversion Rate: 1.12%

  • Campaigns Active:

    • Performance Max (PMax):

      • Conversions: 10

      • Conversion Rate: 1.12%

      • Cost per Conversion: $49.86

    • Search Campaign: No conversions or spend.

March 2025

  • Total Ad Spend: $898.54

  • Total Conversions: 32

  • Cost per Conversion: $28.08

  • Overall Conversion Rate: 4.64%

  • Campaigns Active:


    • Performance Max (PMax):


      • Conversions: 19

      • Conversion Rate: 3.74%

      • Cost per Conversion: $27.39

    • Search Campaign:


      • Conversions: 13

      • Conversion Rate: 7.14%

      • Cost per Conversion: $29.08

Strategic PPC Campaign Insights

  • Performance Max Improvements:

    • Conversions almost doubled (10 → 19) with just a 4.4% increase in spend ($498.63 → $520.45).

    • Cost per conversion was nearly cut in half ($49.86 → $27.39), showing better algorithmic targeting or improved creatives/landing page experience.

    • Conversion rate rose from 1.12% to 3.74%, indicating better audience alignment.

  • Search Campaign Activation:

    • Was inactive in January.

    • Delivered strong performance in March with a 7.14% conversion rate and 13 conversions at a very competitive $29.08 cost per conversion.

    • High interaction rate (7.65%) shows strong ad engagement and search intent alignment.

What’s the path going forward? 

  1. Continue Campaign Diversification:

    • The dual strategy of running both PMax and Search campaigns is proving effective. Continue scaling with both to diversify reach and conversion sources.

  2. Increase Budget Strategically:

    • Given the efficiency improvements (43.7% drop in cost per conversion), consider increasing the budget further to capitalize on momentum—particularly for the high-performing Search campaign.

  3. Refine PMax Targeting & Creative:

    • The Performance Max campaign is performing well but has room to improve conversion rate to match the Search campaign. A/B test creatives, refine audience signals, and check landing page relevance.

  4. Track Lead Quality:

    • Ensure that higher conversion volume aligns with high-quality leads or downstream metrics like closed deals or ROI.

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The client was thrilled with the performance. As they put it: 

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We’re super excited about the results! Can’t wait to see what’s to come!”

‍

Conclusion

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.

Click on the following link if you would like to see more PPC case studies! 

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Timothy Carter
|
May 29, 2025
The E-Commerce & Retail Guide to Running Profitable Paid Ads

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.

Understand Your Business Goals Before You Spend a Dime

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.

  • If your goal is new customer acquisition, your campaigns might be optimized for reach, clicks, or conversions. 
  • If your goal is profitability, you’ll focus more on return on ad spend (ROAS), customer lifetime value (CLTV), and cost per acquisition (CPA).

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.

Know Your Numbers

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:

  • Cost of Goods Sold (COGS). This is what it costs you to produce or source the product you’re selling, including manufacturing, packaging, and shipping to your warehouse (or dropshipping fees). If you’re selling a T-shirt for $30 but it costs you $10 to manufacture and another $5 to ship, your total COGS is $15.
  • Average Order Value (AOV). AOV is the average dollar amount a customer spends when they place an order on your site. If your total revenue for a given period is $10,000 and you had 200 orders, your AOV is $50. This number helps you understand how much revenue you can expect per customer interaction – and it’s key to setting realistic ad spend limits.
  • Gross Profit Margin. This is the percentage of each sale that’s actual profit before marketing and operational costs. Using the example above, if your product sells for $30 and costs $15 to produce, your gross profit is $15, or 50 percent. If your AOV is $50 and your average product costs $25, you’re working with a 50 percent margin overall. Higher margins give you more breathing room with your ad spend.

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:

  • Bundle products to increase AOV
  • Offer free shipping thresholds (e.g., “Free shipping over $50”)
  • Upsell or cross-sell related products during checkout

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:

  • How much you can pay to acquire a customer
  • How much you need to make per order to be profitable
  • What kind of ROAS you should target in your campaigns
  • When it’s time to scale or pull back

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.

Choose the Right Platforms for Your Audience

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.

Nail Your Targeting

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.

Invest in Scroll-Stopping Creative

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:

  1. Stop the scroll
  2. Spark interest
  3. Show value

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.

Use Landing Pages That Convert

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.

Monitor Performance

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. 

  • If your CTR is low, your creative probably needs work. 
  • If people click but don’t buy, your landing page or offer may be off. 
  • If your ROAS is negative, it’s time to adjust your targeting, bidding, or pricing.

Treat your campaigns like living systems. Tweak, test, and improve them continuously.

Scale What’s Working, Kill What’s Not

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.

Focus on Lifetime Value

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!

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