Running Google Ads from scratch for a cosmetic raw materials website in the US for a cosmetic raw materials website

The work was started at the end of June 2023 In the first month of the project, in order to get the most relevant traffic, we decided to launch two search advertising campaigns for priority categories (Essential Oils and Body Care Basics), as well as a single Performance Max campaign with two different groups of objects for greater user reach.

After the launch, we continuously worked on optimizing the ad campaigns:

• analyzing and “cleaning” search queries (expanding minus words at the account level, adding and adjusting keywords)
• bid/strategy adjustments
• analyzing placements in Performance Max reports

Of course, to get incredible results from the first clicks on advertising is a cherished wish for every business, but in practice you can usually count on feedback from the invested resources only after the first month of work.

Despite the maximum relevance of search queries, at the end of July the results did not show any direct transactions from advertising campaigns, but the total traffic to the site increased significantly and the results on transactions, in particular on the Direct channel (direct transitions) appeared. picture

We found our audience

In addition to standard work on optimizing advertising campaigns (adjusting bids/strategies, analyzing queries, expanding minus-words, adding keywords), work was done on adjusting audience signals, focusing on search queries we decided to remove more general audiences such as “skin care” and added users by interests “soap making” and “candle making”, as well as added to the signal audience by events “recently started a business”, which further contributed to the positive dynamics in conversion rate. Also, by constantly monitoring auction statistics – we improved the competitor list that was used in the Performance Max signals.

We eliminated ineffective campaigns

In the second month of work, we started receiving direct transactions from advertising, namely from Performance Max campaigns. Thanks to the installed script for analyzing P Max playsets, we found out that after the trade show, a significant share of impressions is made in the search network and the cost per click is lower than in classic search campaigns, which at that time did not bring transactions. Thus in the middle of August Search campaigns were suspended and the advertising budget was completely directed to Performance Max.

Time to change the Performance Max strategy

Usually we didn’t launch Performance Max campaigns in “empty” Google Ads accounts, because this format requires a database for automatic strategies to work, but in the case of this project we had the goal to reach users not only in the Search and Google Shopping networks, but also in the contextual media network, using banners with UTP, which could not only attract users who already have a goal to buy cosmetic raw materials, but also interest new ones.

At the start in the settings of campaign goals, we used both transactions and conversions “Add to cart”, forms, newsletter subscription.

In the second month of work, when we had data on transactions in Google Ads, the Performance Max campaign goal was adjusted exclusively for purchases. Already at the end of August, the transactional dynamics of the Google Ads channel were only positive.

From Google Ads ads were received:

• 44 transactions
• ROAS exceeded 200%

And again and again optimizing and scaling the results

Observing the positive dynamics of Performance Max, it was decided to split the overall campaign into two separate campaigns by priority categories and increase the budget in the Google Ads account.

This action became necessary because the average check of purchases from the category Essential Oils is lower than the average check from the category Body Care Basics, we understood that ROAS will be different, that it is necessary to apply different strategies for these categories and allocate a separate budget for them. At the end of October, after agreeing an additional budget with the client, the separation of campaigns was implemented.

We have no right to compare the results of work with the period before our intervention in filling the site with traffic (through contextual advertising), because before that the site was not even set up e-commerce.

But in the dynamics since the start of work observe that from September 15 to November 30 compared to the same previous period June 30 – September 14:

• the number of users increased by 11.5%
• the total number of transactions on the site increased by 138%
• total revenue from the site increased by 156.7%

The main source of traffic is now the Cross-network channel, namely our Performance Max campaigns. Also, thanks to relevant advertising traffic, the transactional and user numbers from the Direct channel have increased.

It should be noted that at the beginning of the work the client planned to distribute the budget between the priority categories 50% / 50%, but the division of Performance Max campaigns into separate categories allowed to see the difference in ROAS:

• in the category Essential Oils ROAS = 115%
• Body Care Basics = 211%

Now we allocate 80% of the advertising budget to the Body Care Basics category.

Thanks to the customized P Max playset analysis script, we found that 100% of transactions for the Essential Oils category come from Shopping, so now we have removed the ad objects from the campaign to direct the entire campaign budget to Shopping only.