.png)
Carving out opportunities for exposure is a highly necessary step for Amazon sellers. After all, brands are often competing against dozens (if not hundreds) of sellers offering similar (or even the same) products. As an Amazon seller you’re likely looking for new ways to convert Amazon shoppers, and Headline Search Ads is one of the methods you should consider.
So how do you stand out from the competition? Obviously you need to present a quality product with as much emphasis as possible on the benefits of the product, but once you’ve nailed that down you need to tackle the issue of being seen as much as possible, in the right place, at the right time.
One of the ways you can stand out is by using Headline Search Ads. These ads appear above the search results, displayed based on keyword relevance. These ads are top of the funnel advertisements geared toward converting shoppers, so if your brand wants a full funnel they are a great opportunity to get that attention of more potential buyers.
There is plenty of research that points to search advertising as being a highly effective method towards increasing conversions. Research from Forrester states that, “Amazon in particular is increasingly demonstrating its value as a search engine. Consumers in the US and Europe are much more likely to discover the brand of a recent purchase from Amazon rather than from a traditional online search engine.”
Understanding Amazon Headline Search Ads
So what exactly are we talking about when we refer to Headline Search ads? As previously mentioned, these ads appear above search results using keyword targeting. Up to three different products can appear in a headline banner, depending on the availability of relevant ads.
Headline Search ads can also be customized by the brand. They can be optimized with engaging headlines and links to unique landing pages; both elements that will help with discovery and getting shoppers into your funnel. Some of the biggest benefits brands can experience by using Headline Search Ads are:
- Prime Real Estate: Show up first on target keywords.
- Feature Multiple Products: You can advertise up to 3 ASINs at one time.
- Upsell: Grouping similar or complementary products can result in sales of multiple products when a consumer was only searching for one.
- Custom Brand Experience: Provide shoppers with a unique experience by customizing headlines and landing pages.
As you can see, Headline Search Ads come with a wide array of benefits and are a great way to convert shoppers who are already in the market for the type of products your brand sells. Think of it as having a stand-out display of your cleaning products to greet shoppers in the aisle of their supermarket where they came specifically looking for cleaning products.
Who should use Headline Search Ads?
Most brands can benefit from the use of Headline Search Ads. The only time we would suggest not using them is if a brand carries less than 3 products, but this is a rare occurrence.
Even if a brand has ads on other platforms, such as Google or Facebook, Amazon Headline Search Ads have significant benefits due to the shopper intent. Just consider the fact that the shopper is already on Amazon searching for a specific type of product, and if your product is a match you are able to place it in their path and shorten the time to conversion.
These ads are quite different from banners on social platforms or search engines because of the shopper’s intent. While you might use a social platform to create awareness for your brand, Amazon Headline Search Ads have a much shorter path to conversion.
4 Conversion-Boosting Strategies for Headline Search Ads
So now you know why you should be using Headline Search Ads, but you may be wondering how you can make the most of your ad dollars spent on this platform. Here are 4 ways you can optimize your ads to convert shoppers:
1. Speak Directly to Your Audience - Determining and addressing your target shoppers’ needs is step 1. Do you know what your number one value proposition is? Now you need to write effective ad copy that points out that value proposition and addresses what the shopper is searching for.
Try creating formulas and using power words to influence clicks, and always keep in mind the natural language shoppers use to search for your product. For example:
- Our (product) is (multiple)x(desired outcome) - Our Batteries Last 5x Longer
- You (target user) will be (adjective) (desired Outcome) - You will be amazed by how clean your house smells.
2. Find the Best Keywords - A large part of why Headline Search Ads are so effective is that they appear above the listings for a product the shopper is searching for. It doesn’t get more relevant than this, but you need to make sure you are using the right keywords when you create your ads to make sure you are reaching the right audience.
You can find helpful keyword data in the Search Term Report (located under Advertising Reports) to understand the natural language of your customers and to group effective search terms with associated products. Amazon will even present you with a list of suggested keywords as you start entering your own, complete with a traffic identifier next to each one. This identifier will let you know if that keyword receives high, medium, or low traffic. Naturally, the highest traffic keywords will have the highest bids, so selecting keywords that are more niche with lower traffic can be a great strategy for attaining lower bid prices.
Image Source: amazon.com
3. Create Highly Relevant Campaigns - Relevance is a key component for successful Headline Search Ads. If you sell dish towels this isn’t the platform for converting people looking to buy paper towels. In order to optimize your ads you should create tightly knit ad groups that don’t allow for ambiguity. This is where your unique value proposition comes in. Make sure shoppers know why your product is different (and better) than the other options available.
For example: a gourmet food brand conducted a headline test with branded vs. non-branded headlines. They ran a campaign with the headline just “Grilling Spices Set” vs “{Brand} Grilling Spices”. In this case, having their brand name in the headline had a 2x increase in click-through rate, showing that shoppers were searching for their particular brand.
4. Test and Optimize Continuously - Amazon allows you to customize your Headline Search Ads, so you should take advantage of this by testing multiple campaigns simultaneously and periodically changing ad images, headlines, and the ASIN order or mix. Amazon suggests changing only one variable at a time and running it for a minimum of two weeks to determine its effectiveness before making additional changes.
For example: a personal care brand conducted an image test by creating ads with their logo vs. product image. On the ads where they used their brand logo there was a relatively low volume of sales & traffic with an $8 Spend resulting in $160 Sales. When they used a product image they received a higher volume of traffic and more engaged customers, resulting in $507 Sales from $44 in spend.
Image Source: amazon.com
Ready to get started?
Now that you know the benefits of Headline Search Ads and how to optimize them to your biggest advantage as an Amazon Brand, are you ready to create your first campaign? If you want to grow you Amazon funnel, and therefore, Amazon sales, we highly recommend implementing this strategy.
With almost 40% of online spending happening through Amazon, it’s a platform that your brand can’t afford to leave unoptimized. Headline Search Ads are a great way you can optimize your conversions on the Amazon platform.
If you’re looking for help with Headline Search Ads, and Amazon PPC in general, request a consultation with our expert team and see how Bobsled may be able to help drive more traffic and conversions on your Amazon product listings.
