How to Get Started with PPC for Your E-Commerce Business

PPC for E-commerce: Your Fast Track to Sales

Learn how PPC for e-commerce drives fast, measurable sales. Simple steps, best practices, and expert help from RankingCo—your global growth partner.

PPC for e-commerce is the fastest way to put your products in front of people ready to buy. No waiting months for SEO to kick in. Launch a campaign today. See data—and sales—today.

I’m Kerry Anderson, co-founder of RankingCo. For 15+ years, we’ve helped startups and scaling brands grow across Australia, New Zealand, the US, and Canada. We’re the world’s best little digital agency—big on strategy, small on fluff.

Quick answer: What you need to know

• What it is: Pay only when someone clicks your ad.
• Where it works: Google, Microsoft (Bing), Meta (Facebook/Instagram), TikTok, and more.
• Why it’s powerful: Instant visibility, precise targeting, measurable results.
• Typical performance: Businesses often earn around $2 for every $1 spent on Google Ads. According to industry benchmarks, the average search click-through rate (CTR) is 6.11%, with e-commerce conversion rates around 2.81%.

How this guide works

To keep things simple and practical, we’ve structured this as a clear, step-by-step guide:

1. What is PPC for e-commerce?
2. Why it matters
3. How to get started
4. Best practices
5. Common mistakes to avoid
6. A friendly summary and next steps with RankingCo

What Is PPC for E-commerce?

PPC (pay-per-click) is an advertising model where you pay when someone clicks your ad. For e-commerce, that means your products appear in front of shoppers as they search, scroll, and browse.

How PPC works (in plain English)

• You choose where to show ads (e.g., Google, Microsoft, Meta).
• You set your audience, keywords, product feed, and budget.
• An auction runs each time someone searches or opens a feed.
• Your ad position depends on your bid and Quality Score (ad and landing-page relevance).

Short version: relevant ads and strong landing pages mean better positions at lower cost.

The main ad types for online stores

• Search ads: intent-driven text ads for high-intent queries.
• Shopping ads: image, price, and rating shown in search results—highly effective for retailers. Check out our Google Ads services.
• Display ads: visual placements for awareness and retargeting.
• Social ads: discovery-friendly ads on Meta, TikTok, and more.
• Microsoft (Bing) ads: great incremental reach and cost efficiency—see Microsoft eCommerce Ads.

Why PPC for E-commerce Matters

• Speed: PPC generates traffic immediately, unlike SEO which takes time. Many retailers see first sales within days of launch.
• Control: You set daily budgets, bids, and audiences. Scale up what works and pause what doesn’t.
• Measurable: Track clicks, conversions, and revenue in real time.

Data to back it up:

• Industry data shows businesses typically make about $2 in revenue for every $1 spent on Google Ads.
• According to broad industry benchmarks, the average Google Ads search CTR is 6.11%, and e-commerce conversion rates are around 2.81%.
• For many retailers, Shopping ads capture a significant share of retail search clicks on Google.

How to Get Started (Step-by-Step)

1) Choose the right platforms

• Google Ads: non-negotiable for high-intent demand. Strong for Shopping campaigns. See our Google Ads services.
• Microsoft (Bing) Ads: lower CPCs in many categories, strong desktop share. Explore Microsoft eCommerce Ads.
• Meta (Facebook & Instagram): ideal for visual products, prospecting, and retargeting.
• TikTok & Pinterest: great for discovery and trends.

Tip: If you’re local to Brisbane and want fast support, we’re your Google Ads Brisbane and digital marketing Brisbane partner.

2) Nail your keyword and audience strategy

• Prioritise high-intent keywords: e.g., “buy [product] online”.
• Use long-tail terms: specific phrases often convert better and cost less.
• Add negative keywords: block irrelevant searches (e.g., “free”, “DIY”).
• Build audiences: past purchasers, site visitors, and lookalikes.

3) Structure campaigns the smart way

• Group by category or margin band to control budgets.
• Create tightly themed ad groups for relevance.
• For Shopping, clean and optimise your feed titles, attributes, and images.

4) Write ad copy that sells

• Lead with benefits, not just features.
• Use social proof (reviews, awards, ratings).
• Add urgency or value: “Free express shipping” or “30-day returns”.
• Always include a clear CTA: “Shop now”.

5) Build landing pages that convert

• Align page content to keywords and ads.
• Use fast, mobile-first design and trust signals.
• Surface price, shipping, returns, and delivery ETAs.
• Optimise product pages with eCommerce SEO and Onsite SEO.

6) Set budgets and choose bidding

• Start small to gather data, then scale winners.
• Use manual CPC for control early, or automated bidding (e.g., Target ROAS) when you have enough conversions.
• Know your margins and acceptable CPA before scaling.

The Metrics That Matter

• CTR: Are people clicking? Improve relevance if not.
• CPC: What’s each click costing?
• Conversion rate (CVR): Are visitors buying? Fix landing pages if not.
• ROAS: Revenue per ad dollar—your north star for profitability.

Benchmarks to sanity-check performance:

• Average search CTR: ~6.11% across industries.
• E-commerce search CVR: ~2.81%.
• Many retailers find Shopping ads outperform text ads for ready-to-buy intent.

Pro tip: Compare against your own past performance and seasonality; use the Meta Ads Library for creative research.

Best Practices to Maximise ROI

Keep optimisation simple—and frequent

• Review search term reports weekly. Add negative keywords to stop wastage.
• Increase bids on profitable terms; pause poor performers.
• Refresh ad creatives to avoid fatigue.
• Split out branded vs non-branded campaigns.

A/B test consistently

• Test headlines, CTAs, images, and offers.
• Test landing-page layouts and copy blocks.
• Run experiments for bid strategies (manual vs Target ROAS).

Build a real performance engine

• Use remarketing lists and dynamic product ads.
• Layer in lifecycle segments: new vs returning customers.
• Connect analytics and conversions properly (GA4 + offline conversion uploads if applicable).
• Use our Technical SEO services to ensure pages are crawlable and fast.

Regular testing and feed optimisation are key drivers of PPC growth across retail.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Paying for irrelevant clicks: missing negative keywords.
• Poor targeting: wrong demographics or placements.
• Weak landing pages: slow load times, thin content, unclear pricing or shipping.
• Chasing platform features without enough data: let results guide you.
• Ignoring the full funnel: prospect, retarget, and re-engage with email and ads.

You can learn a lot by reverse-engineering competitors’ creative and messaging via the Meta Ads Library.

From DIY to Pro: When to Bring in Help

Running an online store is a lot—stock, logistics, service, and growth. If ROAS is sliding, you’re time-poor, or you want to scale across Google, Microsoft, Meta, and TikTok, it’s time to get an expert in your corner.

We’re RankingCo—your friendly SEO expert Brisbane and Google Ads Brisbane partner with global reach. We help ambitious brands across Australia, New Zealand, the US, and Canada build profitable, full-funnel ad programmes: Google and Microsoft Ads, Meta and LinkedIn, global/local SEO, websites and CRO, analytics, and free ad checkups. If you need Digital Marketing Services in Brisbane, or support across Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, or the Gold Coast, our team has you covered.

Where we fit:

• Strategy: market analysis, product/offer positioning, funnel design.
• Execution: search, Shopping, social, remarketing, and feed optimisation.
• Enablement: tracking, dashboards, GA4, and conversion modelling.
• Scale: campaign expansion, creative testing, and international rollouts.

We’re here to simplify, optimise, and scale—so you can focus on the business.

Take the Next Step to Online Success

You now have a clear plan to make PPC for e-commerce work: set up smart, optimise often, and build a full-funnel system that keeps converting. When you’re ready to accelerate, we’re ready to help.

RankingCo is based in Brisbane, QLD, with clients across Australia, New Zealand, the US, and Canada. We’re the world’s best little digital agency—sharp strategy, lean execution, real results. Explore our Digital Marketing Services in Brisbane , from expert Google Ads services and eCommerce SEO to specialised Microsoft eCommerce Ads.

Prefer a friendly chat and a fast action plan? Contact us and let’s get you ranking.