Pay-per-click advertising is a digital marketing must-have that can benefit any business with any online presence. It is especially important for e-commerce companies to invest in PPC for their websites. E-commerce-only businesses rely entirely on online orders to thrive, thus increasing visibility through a PPC campaign and focusing on bringing in traffic that is likely to convert is imperative. Discover the main reasons why e-commerce sites require PPC.
Diversification of Website Traffic
When running an e-commerce business, it is vital to invest in multiple avenues of getting potential customers to your website. The more qualified users on your site, the higher likelihood you have of increased conversions.
Think of your website views like a stock portfolio—you want it as diverse as possible. E-commerce website owners need users to visit their sites from as many different sources as possible. If all your traffic stems from one source, you’re missing potential in other ways and setting yourself up for problems down the road. For example, if all the site’s traffic comes from PPC, it isn’t healthy, as the site pays for every visitor. It also helps businesses navigate the ebbs and flows of digital marketing. The SEM landscape is always changing and possessing a diverse customer acquisition strategy will mitigate periodic performance variability from individual channels.
A good starting point for traffic diversification is the following digital marketing methods:
- Pay-per-click advertising
- Search engine optimization
- Social media advertising
- Email marketing
Failing to invest in PPC will prevent your website from reaching its full potential. PPC is unparalleled in its ability to capture existing consumer demand. If you are selling something that people need, get it in front of them when they are searching for it.
It Is the Best Choice for Beginning Digital Marketers
PPC is the first thing e-commerce companies should do when exploring a paid option to get users to their website. Every advertiser has different goals in mind—the main two being growth or profitability. PPC allows companies to set return on ad spend goals, so they are in control.
PPC also has phenomenally trackable results (if you do it right). There is a spend level for almost every in-demand product that will at least break even for e-commerce websites, if not making a profit. We recommend using Google Analytics with “last non-direct” attribution as a source of truth for your PPC performance.
Pro Tip: A rule of thumb for e-commerce companies that don’t know where to start with PPC is to set a starting budget of about 10 percent of their total site revenue. For example, if a website is generating $10,000 a month without PPC, a reasonable starting budget is $1,000 a month. This way, if its returns are profitable, businesses can easily invest more.
The Results Can Come Fast (good or bad)
Of all the digital marketing methods a website can invest in, PPC often has the shortest turnaround time to show results. There are, of course, many factors, such as products with a longer time-to-purchase or new-to-market products. Regardless, for most e-commerce businesses, it is entirely likely to see 50 percent of conversions come the day of the click. With a sound campaign structure and strategy, advertisers should have a good sense of PPC’s viability for their website in a matter of weeks, or possibly even days.
Logical Position is an e-commerce PPC management company that can help your business reach its full potential. We take a conversion-driven approach through a very granular strategy. Our team puts in the work to ensure your company enjoys long-term growth and scalability. Contact us today for a free consultation on any of our services, including our e-commerce PPC management.
