Succeeding in eCommerce PPC doesn’t merely involve selling quality products.
True, that’s critical (you won’t have many loyal customers if your products don’t offer actual value, after all), but it’s not the only way you can boost sales.
In a competitive marketplace, you need to stand out in the crowd by running pay-per-click ad campaigns through Google Or PPC ads and Amazon.
You also need to apply tested strategies that align with user behavior.
Consider the following examples.
If you’re trying to grow an eCommerce business with a PPC advertising campaign, these tips will help you achieve your goals.
Let’s get the obvious tactics out of the way first! Different types of Google Shopping ads offer different features and serve different purposes. Google Shopping Ads allow you to showcase your products and directly encourage users to purchase them. They also have a relatively strong chance of showing up as sponsored links when users perform relevant Google searches. Naturally, they’re ideal for eCommerce PPC.
Depending on the nature of your business, some of your products may be more popular among customers during specific times of the year. For example, if you’re a digital marketing /PPC marketing apparel brand, you shouldn’t expect your winter coats to typically sell best in summer.
That’s a basic example. The main point to keep in mind, though, is that you want to be prepared to leverage seasonal trends instead of scrambling to make seasonally-appropriate Google Shopping ads at the last minute. That means even when it’s not winter, you should be developing Google Shopping ads for the products that sell best in winter. You can always make minor changes later before publishing them.
Most marketers understand the value of using the right keywords when designing PPC ads/PPC advertising for Google. However, while including the “right” keywords in your descriptions and ad copy is important, it’s also smart to specify any negative keyword’s you wish to associate with your ad.
Negative keyword’s help you boost sales by telling Google’s algorithm what you’re not offering. This minimizes the chances of users with little interest in your products seeing your ads, thus allowing you to optimize your paid search budget.
For example, maybe you’re selling physical desk calendars. As such, your target audience doesn’t consist of people looking for online or downloadable calendars. Make sure you’re not wasting money advertising to them by including “online calendars” and similar terms in your list of negative keyword’s.
That said, you should keep in mind that just as making a list of keywords involves some trial and error, so does deciding which negative keywords to specify when creating ads. Monitor your eCommerce PPC campaigns’ performance regularly and update your list of negative keywords whenever you come up with new ideas.
With each year, it becomes increasingly common for online shoppers to browse eCommerce sites and make purchases via mobile devices. Remember this when designing your ads. At least some of your PPC ads/PPC advertising should be designed specifically for customers shopping on smartphones and small tablets.
There are various ways you can incorporate mobile-friendly elements into your ad designs. The specific choices you make will at least to some degree depend on what you’re selling. In general, ads that are designed to look impressive and clean on mobile devices strike a balance between catching a user’s attention with vibrant imagery without overwhelming them. For example, an ad featuring a large chunk of text may be somewhat difficult to read on a small mobile screen. Mobile-friendly ads should instead be designed to convey essential information efficiently and clearly. As always, you should also A/B test different ads to get a better sense of which yield higher levels of engagement with mobile device users.
You may already appreciate the importance of creating PPC ads/PPC advertising to highlight sales when you plan on running them. A general rule of thumb that tends to hold true states that when potential customers are told they can save money if they act fast, they’re more inclined to make purchases.
However, along with buying items when they’re on sale, your customers may be able to save money in various other ways when buying your products. Perhaps if they spend a certain amount of money they’re rewarded with a discount. Maybe you offer discounts to users when they sign up for your email list. Or, you might have a customer loyalty program that allows repeat customers to save money.
When planning eCommerce PPC campaigns, review the products you’re selling and make a list of any promotions, discounts, and other such money-saving options that may be associated with said products. Whenever it makes sense to do so, touch on these money-saving opportunities in your ads. You’ll likely find that sales increase accordingly.
Additionally, even when an item isn’t necessarily available at a discounted price, it’s still often smart to mention its price in the title of an ad anyway. While this isn’t a universal rule, as there are instances when mentioning the price in the main ad copy may feel forced, in many instances it’s wise to let a potential customer know how much you’re charging for a product right away.
The fact that a lead considered buying one of your products but ended up not actually making a purchase doesn’t always mean they’ve decided for good that they’re not interested in buying a product. There are many, many reasons online shoppers don’t make purchases right away when browsing items. Often, they’re simply distracted. When they click away from a product page, they might tell themselves they’ll complete a purchase later, only to forget to actually do so.
Luckily, these potential sales are by no means lost forever. You can use Google’s Dynamic Remarketing features to show relevant PPC ads/PPC advertising to users who engaged with your brand or products in the past when they visit sites within the Google Display Network. This is an easy but effective way to improve your ROI.
Segmenting your audience and creating different types of Google ads to appeal to different types of customers is one of the most well-known ways to improve a PPC ad campaign. That said, some eCommerce PPC marketers make the mistake of only segmenting their audiences once, then never returning to make adjustments based on what they’ve learned from their eCommerce PPC campaigns.
This deprives them of an opportunity to squeeze more profit out of their ads! When you monitor your PPC campaigns performance, consider if you can glean any new insights regarding audience tastes, behaviors, and other such factors in order to segment your audience even more effectively.
For example, after reviewing a PPC campaigns performance, you might find that leads who live in one particular city respond (whether positively or negatively) differently to certain PPC ads/PPC advertising when compared to those from a different city. If this was a behavior you hadn’t predicted when first segmenting your audience, now that you’re aware of it, you can segment your audience even further to boost sales.
Another mistake that’s too common in digital marketing/PPC marketing? Only creating new Google ads when you “need” them.
For instance, you’re well aware of the fact that you should create new Google ads when promoting new products, when running sales, and when your existing Google ads are stale and simply need to be refreshed. However, it’s worth remembering that there is no such thing as a truly “perfect” ad. Even if you’re not completely sure how right now, it’s almost certain that each and every one of your ads could be improved upon in various ways.
Constantly creating new Google ads should be one of your top priorities. True, you can’t devote all your time to generating ads, as doing so will prevent you from focusing on other important business tasks, but you should probably focus on creating new ad content when you have the time to do so more than you currently are.
Creating new Google ads naturally gives you more chances to test them. The more ad variants you test, the more you’ll learn about which strategies are most effective. That said, even when you aren’t actively running all the news ads you’ve recently generated, consistently engaging in the ad generation process will ensure those creative muscles remain strong.
Additionally, it’s helpful for very practical reasons to have a large number of Google ads available on the backburner. When you reach a point where it is necessary to incorporate new Google ads into your PPC campaigns, you’ll already have plenty of unused content to experiment with.
The Internet is brimming with potential distractions. Again, the list of distractions that could prevent an otherwise interested lead from making a purchase is extremely long. When a potential customer clicks on one of your ads, you typically have a very limited amount of time to make a sale.
Keep this in mind when reviewing your current PPC ads/PPC advertising and generating new ones. Your ads should send leads directly to a product page (or other page from which they can easily make a purchase) right away. If there are too many steps between the point when someone clicks on an ad and the point where a purchase is complete, you’re losing out on sales.
Researching your competitors’ keywords and using them in your own PPC ads (when it makes sense to do so) is generally a smart online advertising strategy. That said, there are certain keywords the competition may be using that you should not incorporate: branded keywords.
It may be tempting to use a competitor’s branded keywords in your PPC ads not because you want to deceive a potential customer by making them think you’re selling another brand’s products, but simply because you want to target customers who are interested in brands similar to your own. For instance, maybe you’re selling a more affordable alternative to a popular product, and you want to let potential customers know about how much money they could be saving if they bought an item from your brand instead of the competition.
The problem is, branded keywords tend to only be valuable when used with the relevant brand’s ads. The attention your PPC ads receive when you rely on the competition’s branded keywords will primarily come from low value leads who are probably already planning on buying an item from their chosen brand. You’ll have little success convincing them to buy your products instead.
Properly incorporating branded keywords into your PPC ads in a way that’s ethical is also, well, hard. Even if your intentions aren’t malicious, if a competitor finds you’re using their branded keywords excessively in your own ads, they can complain to Google or any other advertising platform you’re using. The consequences may include account suspension, cease and desist orders, and more.
Some classic eCommerce PPC tips will always be relevant. Some grow even more relevant over time.
For example, today’s online shoppers tend to be very savvy when it comes to their understanding of advertising tactics. Your potential customers know that just because you’re describing your products in a way that makes them sound desirable and valuable, that doesn’t necessarily mean your own description can be trusted.
Surveys often reveal that online shoppers are increasingly prioritizing customer reviews when determining whether to buy products. They may not trust a company to honestly describe a product’s benefits, but they trust other customers.
You can appeal to that trust by including language from real customers reviews in your ads. You don’t need to do so with every single ad you create, but you should highlight customer reviews at least to some degree from time to time.
However, while these tips absolutely will improve the effectiveness of your eCommerce PPC advertising campaigns now, remember that best practices are always evolving and changing.
You need to ensure the success of your eCommerce business by continuing to read blogs like this one. Staying on top of the latest best practices is one of the simplest yet smartest ways to remain competitive.
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If you run a fashion or apparel brand, you already know how fierce the competition is. One scroll through Instagram and you’re up against influencer capsule collections, fast fashion giants, and a dozen other brands selling something that looks eerily similar to what you just launched last week.
So how do you rise above the noise?
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising can be one of your most powerful weapons…if you know how to use it right.
PPC isn’t just about throwing money at Google or Meta and hoping for the best. It’s about strategy. Precision. Timing. And a deep understanding of what makes your ideal customer click, scroll, save, and, most importantly – buy.
This article will show you exactly how successful fashion brands are using PPC to grow fast, scale smart, and stay ahead.
Whether you’re a DTC startup or an established apparel line looking to boost your online sales, you’ll walk away with clear steps to sharpen your strategy and drive real results.
Before launching a single ad, the best fashion brands get laser-focused on who they’re talking to. Not just demographics like age and gender – but psychographics, style preferences, income levels, and buying behavior.
You need to know:
Use Meta’s Audience Insights, Google Analytics, TikTok Creator Marketplace, or post-purchase surveys to dig deep into the habits of your buyers. The more you understand your buyer persona, the easier it is to write ad copy, choose images, and build irresistible offers that convert.
Here’s a pro tip for you. Many successful brands create different audience segments and run tailored ads for each. One segment might respond to lifestyle-focused creative. Another might want free shipping and a clear price. By segmenting the audience into different buckets, these brands are able to consistently deliver ads and creatives that are more likely to convert for each demographic.
In the fashion world, your creative is your first impression. With just a second or two to capture attention, your ad needs to stop the scroll cold. Successful fashion brands do this by focusing on movement, people, and something we like to refer to as “microhooks.”
When it comes to getting people to stop scrolling, movement is the best way to grab attention. Research shows that short-form video (6–15 seconds) outperforms most static images across Meta, TikTok, and Pinterest. (Think quick outfit transitions, close-up fabric reveals, or behind-the-scenes clips.) You can also use stop motion or cinemagraphs to add subtle animation to product shots without producing full video. And for TikTok or Instagram Reels, use fast-paced cuts, trending sounds, and quick outfit changes to match user expectations on the platform.
As for people, do your best to feature user-generated content (UGC) from happy customers wearing your products. (You can reach out to repeat buyers or incentivize customers to tag you for a chance to be featured.) You can also collaborate with micro-influencers to shoot content that feels natural, not like an ad.
Finally, leverage microhooks. This is ad copy that highlights the unique benefits that your audience gets with your products. One way to do this is by asking questions that expose a current pain point and insinuate that your products do the opposite. For example, “Wearing stiff jeans in 2025?” or “Tired of leggings that show everything?”
One of the biggest PPC mistakes you can make? Launching a campaign, watching it flop, and declaring, “PPC doesn’t work for fashion.”
Top brands don’t just test – they test smart. Here’s how you can do the same:
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. The objective is to keep refining it until it runs smoother and faster.
Most people won’t buy the first time they visit your site – and that’s not a failure. It’s just how online shopping works, especially in fashion. Shoppers might be comparing prices, waiting for payday, or simply scrolling while distracted.
But successful apparel brands don’t let those warm prospects slip away. They use retargeting to stay top-of-mind and guide potential customers back to the cart.
With tracking pixels installed on your site, you can identify who visited what, how long they stayed, and which products they interacted with. From there, you can serve hyper-relevant ads that feel personal – not generic.
If someone browsed your linen jumpsuit but didn’t add it to their cart, you can show them that exact product again later – this time with a timely offer like “Free Shipping Ends Tonight” or “Only 3 Left in Your Size.”
For cart abandoners, you might highlight a hassle-free return policy, reviews from other buyers, or even a quick video showing how to style the item. Retargeting works because it removes the guesswork and friction that keep shoppers from checking out.
More advanced brands go even further by segmenting their audiences based on behavior. For example, someone who lingered on a high-ticket leather jacket might get a different follow-up sequence than someone who looked at a discounted tee. Some campaigns re-engage past customers with complementary products (“Bought the dress? Here’s the perfect bag.”), while others reach back out to lapsed buyers with a loyalty discount. The goal isn’t to stalk – it’s to stay relevant, helpful, and persuasive at exactly the right moment.
If you’ve already paid to get someone to your site, don’t let that investment go to waste. Retargeting is how you turn passive interest into real sales – and it often delivers the highest ROI of any campaign in your entire funnel.
Successful brands don’t rely on aesthetics. They give people a reason to act now. That’s where the offer stack comes in – everything your customer gets when they click “buy.”
Think about:
But don’t make the mistake of jamming every offer into every ad. Instead, match your offer to the audience and funnel stage. For example:
Make sure your offer feels like a win – not some gimmicky trap to get people to buy something. There has to be a level of consistency with your brand that people recognize and resonate with.
Not all PPC platforms are created equal – and the most successful fashion brands understand that. Instead of putting all their ad spend into one platform, they diversify based on their audience, product category, and buying behavior. They choose channels that align with how people shop for their specific type of apparel. Here’s how smart brands match platform to product:
Google Shopping Ads
If you’re selling products people are actively searching for – like “vegan leather boots” or “wool pea coat men’s” – Google Shopping Ads are your best friend. These ads show up directly in search results with product photos, prices, brand names, and ratings. This format is ideal for intent-driven shoppers who already know what they’re looking for and are ready to compare options. For fashion brands with a strong product-market fit and clear differentiators like price, materials, or shipping perks, Shopping Ads can drive highly qualified clicks that convert.
To get the most out of Google Shopping, successful brands optimize their product titles and descriptions with keywords, upload high-quality images, and keep their feed clean and accurate. This is a volume play – great for staples, seasonal items, or products that meet specific needs.
Meta Ads (Facebook + Instagram)
Meta is where most fashion brands start – and for good reason. It’s visually driven, highly customizable, and perfect for storytelling. You can build full-funnel strategies here: introduce your brand with engaging lifestyle video, retarget product viewers with carousel ads, and upsell past customers with limited-time bundles. Meta’s strength lies in its ability to create desire through imagery and social proof.
The most successful apparel ads on Instagram and Facebook pair compelling visuals with aspirational copy. Think: “Your new favorite weekend hoodie,” or “Outfits made for airport looks and coffee runs.” These platforms are especially strong for trend-based products, impulse buys, or highly aesthetic pieces like dresses, outerwear, or coordinated sets.
Pinterest Ads
Pinterest is a hidden gem for fashion brands – especially those targeting women, occasion-based shoppers, or DIY fashionistas. It acts like a visual search engine, which means users are actively planning their next look, vacation wardrobe, or event outfit. Unlike Meta, where ads interrupt, Pinterest ads blend seamlessly into content users are already curating for inspiration.
What works well here? Seasonal collections, bridal and maternity wear, capsule wardrobes, and anything that taps into life milestones. Brands that do well on Pinterest often repurpose lookbooks, blog content, or style guides into promoted pins that link back to product pages or collections. And because pins have a long shelf life, Pinterest campaigns can continue driving traffic well after the ad spend stops.
TikTok Spark Ads
If your brand skews younger – or if you’re trying to reach trendsetters – TikTok is super important. But it’s not about polished brand videos. The content needs to feel native, raw, and personal. That’s where Spark Ads shine. These are paid boosts of organic content (either your own or from creators) that blend seamlessly into the feed.
Fashion brands win on TikTok by showing products in motion, using trending audio, and leaning into humor, storytelling, or transformation-style videos (like before-and-after outfit reveals). Fast fashion, streetwear, bold accessories, and viral-friendly products do especially well here. You can work with creators to show “how it looks on” or do mini hauls that demonstrate fit, stretch, and styling versatility.
This channel is less about direct conversion and more about top-of-funnel discovery. And when it’s done right, it creates cult followings fast.
YouTube Shorts and Pre-Roll Ads
YouTube is an underrated but powerful channel for fashion brands looking to show off movement, build trust, and drive longer engagement. YouTube Shorts (their answer to TikTok) can showcase outfits in action, quick styling tips, or model walk-throughs in 60 seconds or less. Pre-roll ads, on the other hand, give you more control over brand storytelling.
Think of YouTube as a storytelling and branding platform. It’s especially strong for higher-ticket items like outerwear, formalwear, or custom-tailored pieces where the buyer needs more confidence before purchasing. Brands that leverage YouTube well often blend influencer partnerships, educational content (like “how to build a capsule wardrobe”), and in-depth product demos to establish authority and build affinity.
Clicks are worthless if the landing page doesn’t convert.
Once someone clicks your ad, they expect to land on a page that matches the promise of that ad. If they don’t see the product, price, or offer you teased? They bounce.
Here’s what winning landing pages include:
As a final note: Don’t forget to use Dynamic Product Ads (DPAs) where possible, so your landing page and ad are in perfect sync.
Did you know that less than 25 percent of PPC ads industry-wide actually produce conversions? That’s because most PPC agencies are doing it wrong.
At PPC.co, we don’t just pump out ads and try new creatives. We have concrete, proven strategies and frameworks that ensure you get the results you’re looking for.
Want to learn more? Contact us today and we’ll show you how we get results.
