Paid Search: Holiday Ramp-Up

As you're getting ready to ramp-up your PPC campaigns for the holiday be sure to check out the major retailers in your category for valuable competitive information. When you look at the major retailers or competition look for product identifiers. While you and a competitor might carry a similar product, your competition might use a different product identifier and its an opportunity for you to capture new traffic and customers.

On retailer sites like Amazon, Wal-Mart, Target, look for information like:

• ISBN-10


• ISBN-13


• ASIN


• Item Model Number


• Item #

Don't forget to add the product's name and manufacturer ID in your list of keywords/phrases. Let's use the Garmin nuvi 780 as an example:

• On Garmin's site, you'll see Part Number: 010-00657-05


• On Amazon's site, you'll see ASIN: B0011UEUNG and Item model number: Nuvi 780. If you're savvy enough, you'll also pick out the unique identifiers in the URL.


• On Crutchfield's site you'll find Item #150NUVI780.

For one product on three sites, there are at least three unique identifiers (I'm not including the Item model number from Amazon). While these may generate small amounts of traffic (and typically a very low CPC) in your campaign they may convert more often. The Internet is ultimately a research tool and many people will research a product before buying. The buying decision may be based on several factors including price, taxes, shipping costs, etc. The more often you appear in the search funnel the more likely you are to convert a visitor into a customer.