11 Best Tools to Boost Your PPC Conversion Rate and Click-Through Rate and Reduce Ad Spend

Everybody wants to know how they stack up against their competition when it comes to PPC conversion rates.

If you’re honest, the thought has probably crossed your mind at least once.

PPC ads are indispensable to ecommerce retailers. They provide a scalable, secure, targeted stream of visitors and aren’t subject to the ups and downs of search engine rankings.

But could you organize your PPC campaigns more effectively? Could you make changes to your ad design and formatting processes, targeting options, and even your choice of platform, to improve your conversion rate?

In this post, we’re going to look at eleven tools you can use to optimize your PPC campaigns for more clicks, higher conversions, and lower ad spend.

In a hurry? Here’s what you’ll find in this article:

Types of Ecommerce Advertising
Understanding Conversion Rate in PPC
Top 11 Tools to Boost Your PPC Conversion Rate and Click-Through Rate
1. SimilarWeb
2. iSpionage
3. Ahrefs
4. WordStream
5. AdWords Performance Grader
6. Google Analytics
7. Optmyzr
8. AdStage
9. BuzzSumo
10. AdEspresso
11. Native Analytics Tools (Google, Bing, Facebook, etc.)
Closing Thoughts on 11 Best PPC Tools

Sound good? Let’s dig in.

Types of Ecommerce Advertising

Let’s take a quick look at the leading ad platforms and formats. Your advertising strategy will likely encompass placements on numerous platforms with numerous ad types, and your toolkit should account for this.

Here are the main types of ecommerce ads and the platforms on which they run:

• Google Shopping (previously Google Product Listing Ads or PLA) – Google Shopping ads are the most successful and widely-used ad types for ecommerce. Google Shopping runs on two platforms: Google Ads and Google Merchant Centre, where your product feed is stored.
• Google Ads (formerly AdWords) – Ads served by Google Ads are instantly recognizable and probably the most well-known among search users. They appear above and below organic results and resemble unpaid search listings. Most retailers will use a combination of Google Shopping and Google Ads placements as part of their paid advertising strategy.
• Facebook Advertising – The Facebook ads platform has become immensely popular among online retailers. Huge reach along with unmatched targeting options have made it a profitable avenue for both small and large ecommerce businesses to take advantage of Facebook ads. You can target a worldwide base of customers by their marital status, musical interests, college degrees, and more.
• LinkedIn Ads – LinkedIn ads has become a top platform for B2B-focused online retailers. Many marketers have found they’re able to drive high-quality ecommerce traffic with similar ad spend to Facebook.
• Bing Shopping – Bing is often overlooked in favor of its larger competitor, Google. But the world’s third-largest search engine also has dedicated shopping ads that can drive significant results for retailers.
• Amazon Advertising – Amazon ads are exclusively for retailers with Amazon listings, which makes sense. The Amazon advertising platform is very effective at profitably driving traffic to listings, but ads also play a significant role in boosting organic listings by enabling retailers to acquire more sales and reviews.
• Instagram, Pinterest & Twitter – So-called “social commerce” is a significant trend in the ecommerce industry. Most popular platforms now offer dedicated shopping ad formats, which can be leveraged for more sales. These ads enable native purchases (without the need for visitors to leave the app) and provide the option to drive traffic to third-party stores.

Understanding Conversion Rate in PPC

Your PPC conversion rate is the percentage of your PPC traffic that turns into paying customers. If you generate 100 clicks per month from PPC ads and 10 of those visitors make a purchase, your conversion rate is 10%.

Your click-through rate is the percentage of people that see your ad and click on it to reach your landing page. If 100 people view your ad and 10 click on it, your click-through rate is 10%.

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Your PPC conversion rate and PPC click-through rate are the two most important metrics when it comes to optimizing your advertising campaigns. If you can boost your CR and CTR while remaining within the same spending limits, your revenue will increase.

Good on-site optimization practices are essential for improving your PPC conversion rate. But, fundamentally, conversion rate optimization is also about three other “campaign-side” elements: crafting compelling ads that match with your site’s landing pages, identifying the best platforms and audiences, and optimizing ads for high-quality clicks.

In this post I’ll focus on campaign-side optimization rather than on-site conversion optimization, which I’ve covered fully in the following articles:

• 115-Point Ecommerce Conversion Rate Optimization Checklist of a 7+ Figure Online Store
• The Ultimate Ecommerce A/B Testing Guide: Strategy, Tactics, Tools, Data Science and Case Studies
• 34 Best Ecommerce Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) Tools in 2019 
• 20 Optimization Tips for Ecommerce Product Page Design and Testing
• The How and Why of Ecommerce Landing Pages: 15 Optimization Tips and 10 Design Examples

So what is a good conversion rate in PPC?

There is a lot of variation across ad formats, platforms, and industries. Here’s a quick rundown of the most important stats:

• The average CTR for AdWords search ads in ecommerce is 1.66%.

The average CTR for Google Adwords ads (now “Google Ads”) is 1.66%.

• The average CTR for Google shopping ads is 0.86%.

Click-through rates vary depending on the industry.

• The average conversion rate (CR) for Adwords search ads in ecommerce is 2.81%
• The average conversion rate (CR) for Google Shopping ads is 1.91%.
• Ads on the search network, which displays ads alongside search results, are significantly higher than Google Display Network ads, which display on a huge network of websites across the web. GDN ecommerce ads have a conversion rate of 0.59%.
• You can use online tools to track your CTR for certain types of ads and see how you stack up against your competitors.

Top 11 Tools to Boost Your PPC Conversion Rate and Click-Through Rate

Let’s take a look at the best tools for running and optimizing your PPC campaigns. Using the apps listed here will ensure you’re able to optimize your click-through and conversion rates at all stages of your campaigns, from research to implementation and beyond.

1. SimilarWeb

When it comes to competitor research, SimilarWeb is our absolute favorite tool. It gives you access to data on your competitors’ audiences, marketing strategies, traffic sources, and more. For PPC, you’re able to see keywords, ad landing pages, and preferred ad formats. You can also track competitor apps as well as websites.
Another important benefit of SimilarWeb is that it enables you to track your competitors across many different metrics, providing you with much-needed benchmark data.

2. iSpionage

iSpionage is another competitor research tool that complements SimilarWeb’s huge dataset. The platform has specific features for tracking competitor PPC campaigns and you can see competitors’ budgets, which keywords they’re bidding on, how long they’re running ads for, how many ads they’re displaying, which ads perform best, and so on.
Crucially, iSpionage allows you to see competitor landing pages for ad groups and replicate conversion-boosting design elements. The “Keyword Effectiveness Index” is one of iSpionage’s top features, and you can use it to identify the highest potential keywords for your campaigns.

3. Ahrefs

Keyword (KW) research is essential for running successful ecommerce PPC campaigns. And few KW research tools even come close to Ahrefs. It repeatedly tops roundups of the best KW tools on the market.

The comprehensive keyword research dashboard enables you to find and evaluate keywords for your ads. Powerful suggestion features expand your “seed” set of keywords, while competitor analysis enables you to uncover which keywords other online stores are bidding on. You’ll also be able to see the cost, volume, and competitiveness of specific keywords.

Keyword research is a crucial part of boosting both your click-through rate and your conversion rate because it enables you to reach highly-targeted and eager-to-buy audiences. Don’t settle for an inferior tool.

4. WordStream

WordStream is one of the biggest names in the PPC sphere. The company’s core package, Wordstream Advisor, includes tools for researching, tracking, managing, and optimizing campaigns across a multitude of platforms. They claim that the average WordStream user converts 60% more clients, so it would be a big mistake not to at least give it a go.

WordStream has a dedicated package for online retailers. The feature-set includes a management dashboard for keeping on top of multiple campaigns, smart optimization options, and on-site CRO tools for converting more customers and ensuring that landing pages fit seamlessly with ads. Furthermore, WordStream is compatible with all major platforms, including Google, Bing, and Facebook.

5. AdWords Performance Grader

This free tool from Wordstream is worth a mention in its own right.

It gives you a full audit of your Google Ads account and the performance of your campaigns. It pinpoints issues causing wasted spend and provides you with practical tips for boosting your CTRs, optimizing your keywords, and improving ad copy. You’ll also receive guidance for improving your CPC landing page conversions.

6. Google Analytics

You probably won’t be surprised to find GA on this list. It’s still the best analytics platform available to retailers when it comes to tracking PPC campaigns.

You can set up specific goals and events to keep on top of clicks, engagements, conversions, and more. GA’s array of tracking features enables you to drill down into your advertising audience to pinpoint the highest-converting segments while also locating areas for potential improvement throughout your funnel. It’s easy to connect your Google Ads and Analytics accounts.

7. Optmyzr

Optmyzer is a comprehensive solution for tracking and optimizing ad performance on Google and Bing. It’s aimed at small and medium-sized businesses, and its standout feature is the in-depth reporting it offers over both the short and long-term.

The reporting features are geared towards optimization and provide you with tips to manage ad spend, save time, and track the long-term impact of your campaigns. Because of its tight focus – on Bing and Google – the platform can provide highly-specific insights that aren’t available elsewhere.

8. AdStage

Adstage is an automation tool that can drastically cut the amount of time you spend on managing and optimizing ads. It allows you to gather all of your campaign data from multiple ad platforms in one place.

The key benefit it provides is the ability to see your funnel as a whole. By collating data about sales along with ad performance, AdStage enables you to understand exactly how you can improve on-site conversions along with your click-through rate and ad spend. What’s more, it’s possible to automate many aspects of optimization, further saving on time and resources.

9. BuzzSumo

BuzzSumo is fundamentally a content research platform. “What does that have to do with my ads?” you might be asking.
And the answer is simple: copy.

By honing in on the most-shared headlines, topics, and copy in your space, you’ll gain access to a wealth of material to inform and improve your ad copy.

Engaging customers from the get-go with original, captivating copy is the key not just to a higher click-through rate but also a higher conversion rate. If visitors are arriving on your landing pages already engaged, they’re much more likely to turn into paying customers.

10. AdEspresso

AdEspresso is a tool for running and optimizing Facebook and Instagram campaigns. Few other tools on the market can match AdEspresso when it comes to the specific application of paid social media advertising.

With a powerful array of features and automation options, AdEspresso enables you to manage multiple social campaigns from one dashboard. AdEspresso has a loyal following of ecommerce clients, and the platform has been designed with this group in mind.

11. Native Analytics Tools (Google, Bing, Facebook, etc.)

All of the major ad platforms have their own in-built analytics and optimization platforms. Often, these are more powerful than third-party tools.

Google Shopping, Amazon, Facebook, Bing, Instagram, LinkedIn – they all provide a range of features for improving ad performance. The key is in leveraging these tools correctly. Most marketers don’t have a full understanding of how to take advantage of them for full effect. It’s also worth pointing out that many advertisers also have mobile apps that make it easy to keep on top of your campaigns on the go.

Closing Thoughts on 11 Best PPC Tools

PPC ad campaigns are absolutely essential for ecommerce. A full understanding of how to implement a revenue-driving PPC strategy, along with how to optimize it going forward, is vital for your ecommerce store.

It’s important to commit fully to this aspect of your business and implement tested, flexible processes. And tools are an essential part of the mix when it comes to managing and optimizing these processes.

Get the 115-Point Ecommerce Optimization Checklist and Boost Your Conversions

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We’ve written an in-depth checklist (probably the most comprehensive ever written) that includes optimization tips for your home page, about us page, product pages, cart page, checkout page, and more.

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