They’re coming! Black Friday and Cyber Monday, two of the biggest shopping days of the year, are just around the corner. That means it’s time to make sure your PPC campaigns are primed, optimized, and ready to go. You won’t want to miss out on the opportunity to bring in as many customers as possible on these days. According to Fortune, “Cyber Monday 2016 was the biggest day in the history of U.S. e-commerce.” Customers spent an amazing $3.45 billion online that day, and this year’s sales are expected to be at least as big.
But before you start daydreaming about your company’s Cyber Monday revenue, let’s do a reality check. Have you checked up on your PPC advertising? Check out the some Last-Minute PPC Tips for Black Friday and Cyber Monday.Use AdWords Ad Customisers
AdWords ad customisers allow you to customize the text of your ad based on a number of criteria. For example, your ad text could be customized based on the content of searches, the device someone is using, the searcher’s location, or even the day of the week or time of day. You can also customize your ads by inserting the time remaining before a certain promotion ends. This infuses your ad with urgency, and urgency has been shown to increase conversions.
Reach Mobile Users
More and more people are shopping from their phones instead of sitting down and using their laptops or desktops, so make sure your PPC ads are optimized for mobile users.
Create several mobile-optimised landing pages that are exclusively devoted to your Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. You can also add mobile bid modifiers in order to target the top spots on mobile devices. Do you have day parting bid optimizers enabled on your PPC ads? If so, consider removing them during the holiday weekend. People will be shopping at all times of day and night.
Update Your Ad Extensions
Where do you want your ads to be positioned during Black Friday and Cyber Monday? You’ll want them as close to the top as possible, right?
Get as much real estate as you can on Google Search Network by updating your ad extensions. They encourage additional clicks to the site by displaying extra information alongside your ad. Try using callout extensions to highlight your special offers. Looking to bring your site towards the top of Google, be sure to check out our Free SEO analysis.
Optimize for Black Friday and Cyber Monday
Add key phrases to your AdWords ads such as “Cyber Monday,” “Black Friday,” “discount deals,” “Black Friday sales,” “offers,” and “promotions.” People will be using these search terms, and you’ll want to show up in as many searches as possible.
Evaluate Your Budget
Are you prepared for the influx of traffic and competition that inevitably accompany PPC ads on the holiday weekend? Look at your budget now, and prepare for increased costs on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. If your ads are working well and leading to increased traffic on your website, the last thing you want to happen is that you exhaust your budget and have your ads stop just when things are really cooking.
You can maximize your profits by using day parting and bid scheduling during the top converting hours of the day. You can also lower your bids during times of day when you expect traffic to be slower. These measures can help you to optimize your PPC bids over the holiday weekend.
Target Local Keywords if Your Budget is Small
The cost per click for broad Black Friday keywords could be in the $15 range, and that’s quite expensive for many retailers, especially for smaller companies. If you’re feeling priced out of the market, consider using location-based keywords over the holiday weekend.
For example, you could target keywords like “NYC Black Friday Discounts” or “Brooklyn Cyber Monday Sales.” Alternatively, you could add product-based keywords to make them even more specific: “New York baseball gloves Black Friday.” These narrower search terms will lower your costs but still allow you to market to people who are looking for the products you offer.
For more information about PPC advertising, get in touch with us at Park Slope Softworks, an inbound marketing company in Brooklyn.
