Your Paid Search Playbook For E-Commerce Success This Black Friday

In our latest insight piece, Sheena Mulligan, Junior Search & eComm Account Manager at JAA, shares expert guidance on how to build and execute a winning paid search strategy that converts clicks into customers, during the biggest retail event of the year.

Black Friday, when businesses hustle, shoppers bustle, and everyone’s flexing their best deals. It’s one of the most exciting times and competitive times of the year. While Black Friday offers incredible opportunities for sales and growth, it also presents intense competition. If you’re an e-commerce brand or marketer, your goal is clear: prepare for success and leverage Black Friday’s sales potential. 

With Black Friday 2025 fast approaching, now’s the time to sharpen your paid search strategy, boost conversions, and avoid missed opportunities. At JAA, we’ve been busy planning for Black Friday and the peak season, so we’ve compiled our top tips and tricks to help you optimise your campaigns and stand out this shopping season. 

Timing is everything. Many businesses wait too long to launch their campaigns, missing out on valuable pre-event traffic. The key to success? Build anticipation early, not just a week before the event, such as: Fake Black Friday, but ideally, a month in advance. 

A steady build-up helps engage your audience and keeps your brand top of mind. Tease discounts, showcase upcoming products, and drop hints about exclusive deals to spark curiosity. 

PAID SEARCH TACTIC: Start targeting Black Friday specific keywords a few weeks before the event. Phrases like “Black Friday deals on [product]”, or “early Black Friday sales”, can capture early intent and drive pre-event traffic. 

Put yourself in the customer’s shoes and think about the customer journey. Your website will be the heart of your Black Friday success and it needs to perform flawlessly. Slow-loading pages or poor mobile experience can quickly turn potential customers away. 

Ensure your website can handle traffic, especially on mobile devices, where most shoppers are browsing and making purchases. Make sure your checkout process is smooth and easy to complete to reduce cart abandonment rates. 

PAID SEARCH TACTIC: Design dedicated landing pages for your Black Friday deals. When users click on your paid search ads, they should be taken directly to relevant, high-converting landing pages that showcase your best offers. Make sure these pages are mobile-friendly, load quickly, and are easy to navigate.

During Black Friday, competition will be fierce. You need to refine your keyword strategy to ensure your ads show up when people are searching for your deals.

PAID SEARCH TACTIC: Target Black Friday-Specific Keywords. Expand your keyword targeting to include terms like “Black Friday sale”, “Black Friday discounts”, and “Black Friday special offers”. These terms capture high-intent traffic, which is more likely to convert.

Ad extensions: small but mighty add-ons. They’re powerful tools that help increase visibility, boost click-through-rates, and in turn, conversion rates. When competition is high, it’s essential to use every advantage. Take up more real estate on the search engine results page and make your ads stand out in the search crowd. 

PAID SEARCH TACTIC: 

Promotion Extensions – If you have specific monetary discounts or percentage discounts, you can use promotion extensions to display them directly on your ads. This is particularly effective if you’re offering significant discounts on popular products. 

Promotional Extensions – Highlight your Black Friday discounts directly in your ads with promotional extensions. These allow you to showcase deals such as: “50% Off Sitewide”, or monetary discounts without relying solely on ad copy. 

Sitelink Extensions – Use sitelinks to direct users to specific Black Friday pages on your website. These might include product categories, sales pages, or other special promotions. 

A sense of urgency is a powerful motivator, especially during peak shopping season. If customers don’t feel like they need to act quickly, they may delay their purchase decision or completely abandon their carts. 

PAID SEARCH TACTIC: 

Countdown Timers – Add countdown timers to your ads to create that sense of urgency and remind customers of limited-time offers. For Example: ‘Hurry, Only 2 Hours Left!’. 

Remarketing Ads – Use remarketing ads to target customers who visited your site but didn’t convert. Include messages such as: ‘Your Items Are Waiting’, to create a sense of urgency and encourage them to complete their purchase.

Black Friday is a high-traffic event, which means higher Cost-Per-Click (CPC) rates. To maximise your Return-On-Investment (ROI), you need to bid more strategically. 

PAID SEARCH TACTIC: 

Automated Bidding – Use automated bidding strategies like Target ROAS (Return On Ad Spend) or Target CPA (Cost Per Acquisition) to ensure your bids adjust in real-time, optimising for conversions while styling within budget. 

Mobile Optimisation – As mobile shopping continues to rise, ensuring your campaigns are mobile-optimised is crucial. If your website and landing pages aren’t mobile-friendly, you may lose potential customers. Consider increasing bids for mobile users if your data shows higher conversion rates on mobile devices.

Black Friday campaigns require constant monitoring and quick adjustments. Be ready to pivot based on what’s working, and what’s not. 

PAID SEARCH TACTIC: 

Performance Tracking – Use tools like Google Analytics and Google Ads to monitor your campaigns. Adjust bids, keywords, and ad copy as necessary to maximise ROI. 

A/B Testing – Test different ad variations to see what resonates best with your audience. Small changes in messaging, offers, or targeting can lead to significant improvements in performance.

While Paid Search is a great way to get in front of the right customer at the right time, combining it with creative campaigns can help you stand out even more. Black Friday shoppers are looking for excitement, and your marketing should reflect that. 

Collaborations – Partner with complementary businesses or influencers to offer bundled products or joint promotions to expand your reach and create a buzz around your deals. 

Exclusive Deals – Consider offering exclusive deals to specific groups, such as: first-time buyers, repeat customers, or even business clients who may be looking to bulk purchase.

Black Friday 2025 is just around the corner, and with the right preparation, your business can maximise its sales potential. From building early excitement with paid search, to optimising your website and creating a sense of urgency. There are numerous strategies your e-commerce brand can cut through the noise and drive record sales. 

Start planning today and make the most out of Black Friday 2025! 

Happy Selling, 

The JAA PPC Team