You may have heard of Amazon Sponsored Ads, but that’s not the only advertising method this e-commerce giant offers. Amazon Headline Search Ads can increase your brand’s visibility and get your products in front of more customers, which may translate to higher sales for you.
Amazon Headline Search Ads were previously only available in Vendor Central through Amazon Marketing Services. Now, as a third-party seller, you can take advantage of this advertising method, too.
Similar to Sponsored Product Ads, Amazon Headline Search Ads display when customers search for the keywords you’re targeting. You bid on keywords and pay when a potential customer clicks on your ad.
Learn how to build a successful Amazon Headline Search Ads campaign in this guide from the Amazon ads management experts at Click Fluency.
Amazon Headline Search Ads vs. Sponsored Ads
If you’ve used Amazon Sponsored Ads before, you might think that Amazon Headline Search Ads sound similar. Both operate on a cost-per-click model, but these advertising methods have a few differences you should be aware of.
Ads for sponsored products campaigns can show up at the top, bottom, or right side of the Amazon search results page. Amazon Headline Ads, though, only show at the top of the page. If you want to reach the largest possible audience, Amazon Headline Ads are the smartest choice.
Headline Search Ads include your brand logo, up to three products, and a message up to 50 characters long. Customers can click on a product they’re interested in to see its listing. If they click your logo, Amazon will send them to a page displaying featured products from your brand.
Three Benefits of Amazon Headline Ads for Your Business
Why are Amazon Headline Ads a good choice for your business? The top three reasons are:
- You’re not limited to just one Amazon Headline Ad. You can create different ads for various purposes, such as one ad for visibility and another ad that aims to boost sales.
- You can display up to three products, so you’ll have a better chance of making a sale.
- Amazon Headline Ads also show up at the top of search results, which helps you build brand visibility so that customers associate your business with its chosen niche.
How to Create an Amazon Headline Search Ad
Amazon Headline Ads aren’t open to everyone. To use them, you’ll need to meet these requirements:
- You pay for a Professional Seller subscription
- You’ve registered your brand with the Amazon Brand Registry
- You sell at least three products in a qualifying category
If you meet these requirements, you’re ready to build your first Amazon Headline Search Ad.
Planning Your Ad
You’re probably eager to get started, but it’s smart to plan well if you want your Amazon Headline Search Ad campaign to succeed. You’ll need:
- A 400×400 image of your logo
- A custom message that’s 50 characters or less
- An understanding of the audience you want to target
- A daily and monthly budget for your campaign
Amazon Headline Search Ads are keyword-based, which means you’ll need to choose the keywords you want to target. Don’t go after keywords that are too broad or irrelevant to your niche. If you pick poor keywords, you might end up spending too much money on ads that don’t work.
Check your previous Sponsored Ads campaigns for help figuring out which keywords worked and which didn’t.
You’ll also need to consider the search volume of your chosen keywords. If few customers search for those keywords, your ads might not show up at all. But if the search volume is very high, you’ll pay more per click for your ads. This can drain your budget quickly if you aren’t careful.
Building Your Ad
To build your first Amazon Headline Search Ad, head to Seller Central. From there, go to Campaign Manager, choose Headline Search Ads, and click on “Create Campaign.”
Next, you’ll need to select your keywords and bids. Don’t go with the lowest possible bid because it’s likely that a competitor will outbid you. For best results, bid at least $0.05 more than the suggested bid.
Put careful thought into your ad’s custom message, too. You’re limited to just 50 characters, so craft an impactful message that stands out using as few words as possible.
Once you’ve created your ad, Amazon will email you to let you know that it’s live or if you need to make any changes before the ad can start running.
What to Do if Your Amazon Headline Search Ad Isn’t Performing
If you’re targeting the right keywords and placing high bids, your ads will usually have a high conversion rate. A low conversion rate could mean that you need to switch up your campaign.
Go to Seller Central and look at the metrics for your campaign’s impressions and clicks. If users aren’t clicking on your ads, try adjusting your custom message or the keywords your campaign is targeting.
If impressions are low, customers might not be seeing your ads at all. This can happen if your bids are lower than your competitor’s bids. Bid a bit higher until you get the results you’re looking for. Bidding isn’t an exact science, so it might take a while to see the results you want.
It’s also important to keep an eye on the Advertising Cost of Sales (ACOS). The ACOS is the cost of your marketing campaign divided by the number of sales it’s earned you. If this number is too high, customers might be clicking on your ad but not buying. You may need to adjust your messaging or keywords further.
Improve Your Amazon Headline Search Ad Success with Click Fluency
We understand that managing an Amazon Headline Search Ad campaign can feel a bit overwhelming. It’s easy to choose the wrong keywords or bid too much on ads that don’t perform.
If you’d like guidance on your Amazon Headline Search Ads, contact Click Fluency! We can help you manage your Amazon experiments and learn what it takes to make your sponsored brands ad campaign a success. Book a discovery call with us to find out more today!