We’ve increased Google Ads conversions for SevenSins by 61%. Find out how! 

Article preview: From this article you will find out how we’ve managed to increase the conversions volume for SevenSins – an online shop – by 61% in less than a year, with the help of Google Ads. We’ll explain in details the steps we took in the account audit process and the campaign implementation, as well as the outcome.

For this week’s blog post, we’ve chosen a special theme, one that will hopefully bring some inspiration for Valentine’s Day as well, and for the first time we’ll share with you the details regarding the approach we’re taking on a PPC account. You are about to find out how we manage to deliver results for the online shops we work with.

The customer we are going to talk about in this article is a very dear one to us: SevenSins – a lingerie online shop. First and foremost, we would like to thank them for agreeing to disclose this case study. We will try to give you as much useful information on the technical part as possible, but we are counting on you understanding the fact that we cannot disclose confidential details. 😉

SevenSins doesn’t need a very detailed introduction, because it is one if the best lingerie online shops, being on the market for more than 10 years. We have been following them closely for several years and we think they are a successful example on the Romanian e-commerce market.

Step 1: The initial talk

When we first started the talks with SevenSins, their Google Ads account was managed internally, and the results were satisfying, considering that the time dedicated to managed the account was limited. During the talks, we wanted to understand the following points:

• who is the target audience
• who are the competitors
• what is the SevenSins USP
• what are the performance objectives (especially ROI)
• what other marketing channels are being used
• what is the seasonality

Following the initial talk, we received access to the Google Ads account, in order to make a detailed audit. This way, we were able to analyze the real time situation and we managed to identify the main opportunities we can use to grow this account.

The results didn’t take long to come, and here we are today, almost one year after we started working together, registering an increase of more than 60% for the conversions, while the profitability conditions established with the client were fully met.

How did we succeed? You will find out from the information below.

Step 2: Auditing the Google Ads account

Usually, whenever we discuss with online shops representatives about the potential in Google Ads, we ask for access to the account (based on an NDA), to better understand the inside situation and to analyze the growth potential. For SevenSins, we have identified a fairly simple account structure, one that yielded decent results, especially thanks to the automated auction type: target CPA.

However, we have noticed that certain groups were cannibalizing, certain keywords were set on broad mode and were attracting irrelevant traffic, Search ads were created based on the old format, and the conversion tracking model was last click. Therefore, we already had a few points that required work.

From a technical point of view, we didn’t have recommendations regarding the website: the tracking was already installed correctly, the website was flawlessly optimized for mobile (using While1, a platform we’ve talked about here). Plus, the telephone conversions were tracked using a solution called VoIP  CallTrack.

Step 3: Google Ads strategy

Upon analyzing the existing campaigns in detail, we started working on the account strategy. Specifically, we’ve covered these aspects:

• keyword research: using Keyword Planner in particular, we were able to identify the main keywords for the Search campaigns, that were not covered yet in the account
• audience lists research: for Display campaigns we’ve used data acquired from Google Ads and Google Analytics that helped us identifying in-market segments and the preferences of our target audience
• competitors research: the client provided us with data in this regard, but we’ve also used Auction Insights from the Google Ads account
• establishing the types of messages
• establishing the account structure: we’ve created a slightly more complex structure for the Search campaigns, isolating the most searched and profitable categories.

Step 4: Implementing the Google Ads campaign

We’ve discussed all the recommendation with the client and received a green light for setting up campaigns. Usually, we take 1-2 weeks for the implementation part, depending on the account’s complexity.

Structure

Google’s recommendation is to have an account structure reflecting the categories structure on the website. This will make it easier for you to group and track campaigns. We wanted to treat general top of funnel searches, such as “lingerie” or “underwear”, separate from bottom of funnel searches, which were organized in product specific campaigns from the beginning.

To ensure that we are completely covered with all the content on the website, we’ve also implemented a Dynamic Search Ads campaign, opting for a feed based campaign.

Also, to protect the brand, we’ve created a Brand Protect campaign, establishing from the start that its figures will never be integrated into the monthly report.

Ads

Regarding the ads, we apply Google’s recommendation to have at least three ads per group in any account we manage. There are three aspects worth mentioning here:

• testing different types of messages: we’ve conducted A/B testing between ads with commercial messages (Up to x% discount) and ads with a more inspirational message (Feel special…);
• ad extensions: we always use all the available ad extensions (sitelinks, callouts, phone, location, promotion etc.);
• Ad Customizers and If functions: we always use them, especially Ad Customizer according to the user’s location, and If Functions according to the device, considering that more than 70% of the PPC traffic comes from mobile devices.

Search Ad with If Function – Mobile

Search Ad with Ad Customizer – by Location

Negatives

For both Search and Display campaigns, we’ve made negative keywords lists, respectively negative placements (websites and apps where we don’t want banners to be displayed. In order to make your work with the account easier, our recommendation is to use these lists without hesitation.

Conversion attribution model

In this case, we’ve brought an important change, switching the account on Data-driven attribution. The main reason behind this decision was the fact that we already had the necessary conversions to switch on this model, and we knew, from our previous experience with managing similar accounts in terms of attribution volume, that DDA will work wonders together with target CPA.

Audience lists and Remarketing

We’ve tried to make the most of the remarketing lists available in both Search and Display campaigns (lists of the past 30 days containing users without conversions or users who spend long time on the website etc.). We’ve also added some audience lists (In-Market Segment – Apparel & Lingerie) that we wanted to monitor in the Search campaigns.

Display campaigns

We love testing new features in the accounts, especially if we feel that there is a good conversion potential and we know for sure that we’ll have a decent ROI. So, we didn’t hesitate to implement Smart Display campaigns for the swimwear collections. The novelty last year was that we were able to optimize the campaign and pay for conversions, which helped us a lot in terms of profitability.

Another Display feature that is starting to fascinate us more and more is Custom Intent targeting. In this case, we believe that there are huge opportunities for brands to reach the appropriate audience. For confidential reasons, we are unable to disclose the type of targeting used with Custom Intent.

Step 5: Google Ads results

Almost one year after we started working with SevenSins we’ve managed to increase the number of conversions in the account by 61%. It’s true, the invested budget has increased significantly, but this has never been an issue, because each month we were able to stick to the profitability target or Cost of Sale (ratio of invested budget vs. transactions value) of up to 25% (excluding the brand and telephone conversions).

Cost of Sale evolution (COS= % of invested budget vs. value of generated sales)

Last, but not least, we believe that two essential aspects contributed to this outcome:

1. The account was managed by a specialized agency. We were telling you here when you should outsource your accounts to a PPC agency and what are the benefits of doing so.
2. The general SevenSins marketing strategy, focused on making the most out of each marketing channel. For them, Google Ads is just a marketing channel, part of a complex strategy that includes social media, influencer marketing, email marketing etc.

We’ve come across e-commerce entrepreneurs who, once they start with Google Ads, they expect to increase conversions by x%, neglecting the other marketing channels available. Of course, PPC platforms, Google, Facebook can help you grow, but only to a certain extent. On the long run, or a profitable and healthy business, you need an integrated marketing strategy and a valuable know-how. 

We hope you’d find this information useful and we encourage you to contact us at contact@dev.xarites.com if you need help with your PPC accounts.

About Optimized

At Optimized we are specialized in e-commerce PPC campaigns (Google Ads and Facebook Ads). Unlike other local agencies, our portfolio only includes online stores and our approach is based on clear performance objectives (CPA, ROAS. ROI). Our team consists of PPC specialists and certified Google trainers, as well as people with hands-on experience in e-commerce.

Our strategies are not generic, but strictly applied to e-commerce. We work with stores that want to profitably scale PPC campaigns, with clear objectives, aware that marketing is an investment.