The Black Friday season is almost here, when advertisers and shoppers alike prepare for the year's biggest online shopping rush.

PPC campaigns play a particularly significant role during this time; with the right settings, creatives, and offers, impressive results can be achieved in just a few days.

BUT!

If you've been postponing campaign planning, pay close attention now, because we've brought you some tips and tricks to set up effective "last minute" PPC campaigns that truly drive conversions, not just clicks.

What are the most important tasks?

This year, Black Friday falls on November 28th, but from a campaign perspective, the one or two weeks leading up to it are key, as this is when shoppers actively start looking for deals.

In this guide, we've gathered everything you can still do in the final days to ensure your campaigns achieve maximum performance during Black Friday.

Optimizing existing campaigns

We'll look at how to advertise effectively in Google Ads, Meta, and TikTok campaigns when there's no time for extensive testing. What can you quickly review, modify, or scale up now so the system can optimize for the peak season as soon as possible.

Ad creatives and messages

How to communicate effectively, and what keywords, ad copy, and visual elements are worth using during Black Friday.

Remarketing

During Black Friday, remarketing is crucial, as you can entice previous visitors back to complete their purchase with targeted messages and urgent offers.

Setting budget and bidding strategy

How to set the right budget and what bidding strategy to use.

4+1. The importance of webshops

Advertising is only half the battle; alongside it, a transparent and clear offer, fast page loading, and a smooth purchasing process are essential.

#m1-p#Let's look at these in detail, one by one!##

Most important tasks before Black Friday

1. Optimizing campaigns for Black Friday

During Black Friday, it's perhaps even more crucial to understand your users' behavior and, based on that knowledge, determine which strategy is most effective for you on each platform.

Google Ads is key during this period due to search intent, as it allows you to reach shoppers who are already close to making a purchase decision. Meta (Facebook and Instagram) excels in impulse buys and remarketing, while TikTok is unbeatable for reaching a younger, trend-conscious audience.

Google Ads

Google Ads is one of the most powerful channels during Black Friday, as it allows you to reach shoppers who are already searching with a specific intent.

Therefore, it's especially important that your Search, Shopping, and Performance Max campaigns are technically and strategically ready for the increased traffic.

If you want to learn more about Performance Max, read our previous blog post.

Update and expand keywords:

In search campaigns, review and update your keywords, as people tend to search more consciously and specifically during this time e.g., Black Friday deals, Black Friday shoes, etc.

Tip: Use the Search Term Report in Google Ads and review it daily to see what new searches have triggered your ads.

Based on the search terms, update and expand your keyword lists with new, relevant phrases, and exclude any irrelevant ones as needed.

#m1-y#In the days leading up to Black Friday, search volumes can continuously, even dramatically, increase day by day, meaning what's worth appearing for can change within 24 hours.##

Use extensions:

Ad extensions, also known as assets, are additions in Google Ads that display extra information below your ad. Extensions (assets) include sitelink extensions, callouts, calls, promotions, prices, or structured snippets, among others. If you haven't set them up yet, it's definitely worth doing so now, as they help you stand out from competitors, increase click-through rates, and more effectively direct shoppers to promotional offers, which is especially crucial during the Black Friday period.

The sitelink extensions You can specifically direct customers to the promotional landing page or a featured category.

The with promotional extensions you can draw attention and highlight the extent of the promotion.

Check your feed:

Make sure all products are approved and none are rejected. Product prices, descriptions, and images must exactly match the information displayed on your webshop; do not include anything that is no longer current.

Although Google Ads continuously monitors your feed and notifies you of any issues, it's worth checking the Merchant Center as well, because there you'll receive detailed error messages and suggestions for improvement. For example, you can see if an image is missing, if a product is not approved, or if it doesn't comply with Google's policies. This is crucial because a rejected or faulty product can negatively impact ad performance.

Tip: if you have thousands of products, it's worth creating a separate promotional feed exclusively for Black Friday products, so you can more clearly see which ones perform better. In this case, however, create a new asset group in the specific PMax campaign.

Updating asset groups:

In existing asset groups, just like in search campaign ads, use seasonal texts, and also use creatives that highlight the promotion. e.g., Black Friday sale -50% using creatives with text overlays. If possible, also replace your videos with Black Friday-themed content.

Remember, your ads will only be effective if your landing page is fast, relevant, and contains information consistent with the ad.

Tip: Create a separate Black Friday landing page and direct your ads there. This shortens the path for the user to find what they're looking for, leading to quicker decisions and a higher chance of conversion.

TikTok is not only an entertainment platform but also a conversion channel, especially among younger shoppers. During the Black Friday period, users are looking not only for inspiration but also for specific offers, and

if your ad quickly and authentically grabs their attention , there's a higher chance it will lead to a purchase.Target Audience:

Just like with Meta, it's worth using interest-based target audiences here too, e.g., Black Friday, Online shopping.

Additionally, create lookalike audiences based on your customers or website visitors, so the system can find users most likely to convert.

Ads:

Don't rely on just one ad; create several videos of different lengths (10–15 seconds) and test which performs best. Due to TikTok's fast-paced interface, the first 2–3 seconds are crucial, so your main message and brand should appear immediately.

If you feel stuck, feel free to ask for

the help of our marketing agency !2. Ad Copy, Creative Content

During the Black Friday period, competition is fierce, and the battle for attention is much sharper than at any other time of the year. The key to success then is quick reactions, clear messaging, and the use of eye-catching creatives. It's worth adding new ad texts, creatives, and promotional elements to your existing ads so you don't lose your accumulated learning data, yet can still respond to the shopping frenzy with fresh, relevant content.

For Google Ads , the most important thing is for the ad text to clearly indicate to the user that a promotion is currently running. In search campaigns, users arrive with a specific intent, so every word counts. In headlines and descriptions, it's worth using seasonal, urgent phrases such as "Black Friday Sale," "Today Only," "While Stocks Last," "Up to -50% Off," or "Don't Miss Out!"

The ad text should always include the discount amount, its duration, and a clear call-to-action, such as "Shop Now" or "Add to Cart."

Tip: Use dynamic keyword insertion so Google can automatically combine the best-performing variations.

For Performance Max campaigns, it's also worth updating headlines and descriptions to align with the season, allowing the system to test new combinations without launching a new campaign. This is particularly useful because the campaign has already learned, so modifications can have an immediate impact on performance. Use creatives that highlight the promotion. e.g., "Black Friday Sale -50%" using creatives with text overlays.

If you have the opportunity, also replace your videos with Black Friday-themed content.

On Meta platforms, the key to success is to stop users from scrolling. Therefore, you need ads that immediately grab users' attention.

Decisions here are made impulsively, so your ad must immediately pique interest. The text should be short, concise, and make it clear from the first glance what promotion is being offered, which products it affects, and how long it lasts.

Use urgent elements, e.g.: "Last pieces!", "Today only -30%!" , which strengthen the urge to buy.

Emojis can help structure and visually highlight your ads, but be careful not to overdo it, as too many graphic elements can undermine credibility.

For creatives, it's crucial that they convey the message of the promotion from the very first moment.

Static Ads:

Make sure the promotion is clearly visible in the image, e.g.: “Black Friday -50%”, or “Valid today only!”.

Ensure that the main visual element is not cluttered, the product remains in focus, and the CTA is clearly distinct, e.g.:“Shop Now”, “Add to Cart”.

Video Creatives

For video content, the first 2-3 seconds are crucial. Users quickly scroll past, so the offer and brand must appear immediately, either as a short caption or in narration.

The end of the video should always conclude with a clear call to action (CTA), for example “Buy now!” or “Grab it while the offer lasts!”.

For TikTok , visual appearance and the first few seconds mean everything; users decide in moments whether to scroll past or watch the ad. Therefore, the video creative must immediately grab attention from the very beginning. The promotion or offer should appear right at the start “Black Friday -50%”, preferably as a caption too. The video's mood should fit the TikTok environment, meaning it should be natural, spontaneous, and not feel like an "ad."

Here, the text plays a supplementary role, but it is still important: it should be short, to the point, and urgent. Use simple CTAs, such as “Grab it now!”, “Don't miss out!”, “Click and shop!” , which work well with TikTok's dynamic pace.

If you have the opportunity, collaborate with micro-influencers who can showcase your product in a natural style. The TikTok audience responds much better to authentic, real-experience content than to perfectly composed, precisely edited promotional videos.

*Create eye-catching, purchase-driving ads*

#promobox-newsletter-en###

3. Remarketing

During the Black Friday period, remarketing campaigns play a crucial role, as the customer decision-making process is significantly shortened. Many users browse multiple online stores and only return later to complete their purchase, making it especially important now to re-engage them and remind them of your offer. The primary goal is to bring back existing visitors and encourage them to make a purchase.

What are the most important points for remarketing ads?

Update your remarketing lists and focus on those who have visited your site in the last 30 days, added items to their cart but didn't purchase, or have previously converted.
Don't over-expand your targeting, as your warmest audience will yield the best results during this period.
Include calls to action that encourage immediate purchase, such as: "Today Only" or "Last Chance." These types of messages create a strong sense of urgency.
When using catalog-based ads, ensure the discounted price is displayed so the extent of the saving is clear.

#m1-y#TIP: Always keep your feed up-to-date, ensure prices and product information are accurate, and avoid displaying products that are no longer available.##

*Remarketing is of paramount importance during this period*

4. Budget and Bidding Strategy

First and foremost, DO NOT run out of budget on the most critical days; ensure your balance is always topped up.

During the Black Friday period, both traffic and competition surge dramatically, making it crucial for your campaign budget and bidding strategy to be flexible and adaptable.

Always monitor whether your campaigns are budget-limited. If you see this status, it indicates that your campaign isn't able to capitalize on the increased demand. In such cases, it's worth considering if you can increase your budget, but only within reasonable limits.

Important! In these situations, don't necessarily follow Google's recommendations. It's advisable to implement gradual increases of 20-30% at a time. If you suddenly double your budget, the system might not be able to adapt immediately, leading to wasted spend without improved results.

The same applies to bidding strategies: DO NOT make radical changes during the Black Friday rush.

If you don't have sufficient conversion data, switching to a different bidding strategy (e.g., from Maximize Clicks to tROAS) could actually degrade performance. The system needs time to learn, and it's not advisable to restart that learning process at this critical time.

However, it's important to note that Black Friday campaigns are fundamentally built on conversions, so the best results come from campaigns running on at least a "Maximize conversions" or "Maximize conversion value" strategy. If your campaigns are already using these, stick with them and instead optimize your budget and ads for the increased demand.

Tip: If you have sufficient, stable conversion data (at least 50 conversions in the last 30 days) for a given campaign, switching to tROAS before Black Friday can be advantageous. This allows the system to optimize for higher-value purchases, which is particularly useful during Black Friday when average order values typically increase.

BUT! If you truly switch strategies at the last minute, meaning there are fewer than 5–7 days left until the peak period after the change, it can be risky. This is because the tROAS strategy will enter a re-learning phase, and the campaign's performance might fluctuate for a few days.

4+1. The Importance of Your Webshop

Ads alone are not enough for campaigns to perform well. If your webshop isn't functioning flawlessly, even the best PPC strategy will only be half as effective.

Users are impatient during this time; they make quick decisions, and if something doesn't work, they'll move on to a competitor with a single click.

Therefore, it's crucial to check your website's speed, especially on mobile. A significant portion of traffic during Black Friday comes from mobile devices, so if your page takes more than 3 seconds to load, you're already losing customers.

Furthermore, it's important that the promotion promised in the ad and the offer displayed on the page are perfectly aligned. If your ad communicates -50%, the user should genuinely see that on the landing page. Misleading or overly general messages erode trust and click-through rates.

Tip: In such cases, it's advisable to use phrases like "Up to -50%" or "Up to 50% off" to avoid misunderstandings while keeping the offer attractive.

Create a dedicated Black Friday landing page where all your discounted products are available in one place. This helps users make quick decisions, reduces cart abandonment, and improves your campaign's quality metrics.

*Always ensure information is accurate and clear.*

Make sure products are in stock and don't run ads for items that have sold out. During Black Friday, a satisfied customer not only makes a purchase now but may also return later; if they have a bad experience, they might not come back.

The purchasing process should be as simple and fast as possible. Reduce unnecessary steps between the cart and checkout, and provide multiple reliable payment options, e.g., credit card, Barion, Apple Pay, Google Pay, cash on delivery.

#m1-y#TIP: Do not make registration mandatory; guest checkout speeds up the process and increases conversions.##

Summary

Overall, the success of Black Friday campaigns doesn't rely on luck, but on conscious, well-prepared settings. Even at the last minute, you can significantly improve performance by thoughtfully optimizing your campaigns, refreshing creatives, and leveraging remarketing opportunities.

Remember, an ad truly pays off only if your webshop offers a fast, clear, and smooth shopping experience, as this is where it's decided whether a visitor ultimately becomes a customer.

#promobox-en#If you'd like a professional team to help optimize your campaigns, get in touch with us!##

Last-minute Black Friday PPC guide

What are the most important tasks?