Black Friday is a goldmine for eCommerce and retail businesses. It’s also one of the most expensive times of the year to run Google Ads. If you don’t have a smart strategy, your budget can disappear faster than a half-price PlayStation 5.
The key to success? A well-structured campaign that targets the right audience, makes them click, and converts them into paying customers. Here’s how to do it without overspending or getting lost in the noise.
Understand Your Black Friday Audience
Black Friday shoppers aren’t all the same. Some are deal-hunters, jumping from site to site looking for the biggest discounts. Others are early Christmas shoppers, keen to get presents sorted before December. Then there are the impulse buyers who see a great deal and grab it before they even realise what they’ve done.
You need to know which type of shopper you’re targeting. If you’re selling high-ticket items like laptops or gaming consoles, you’re going after the planners and researchers who compare deals before buying. If you’re in fashion, beauty, or homeware, impulse buyers are your best bet.
This affects everything—your keywords, ad copy, bidding strategy, and landing pages.
Use Keywords That Actually Convert
Every brand and their dog will be bidding on broad terms like “Black Friday deals”. It’s tempting to go after these, but they’ll cost a fortune, and most of the traffic won’t be relevant. Instead, focus on high-intent, product-specific keywords.
If you sell trainers, instead of bidding on “Black Friday trainers”, go for:
- “Nike Air Max Black Friday UK”
- “Adidas Stan Smith sale Black Friday”
If you’re in tech, rather than “Black Friday laptops”, try:
- “MacBook Air M2 Black Friday UK”
- “Best Black Friday gaming laptop deals”
This way, you attract people who already know what they want and are ready to buy.
Set Up Your Campaigns Properly
A messy campaign structure means wasted budget and poor performance. The best approach is to split your campaigns by product category. That way, you can adjust budgets and bids based on what’s performing best.
If you’re an online fashion store, instead of running one Black Friday campaign, set up:
- Black Friday – Men’s Clothing
- Black Friday – Women’s Shoes
- Black Friday – Accessories
This gives you full control over where your money goes. If one category is smashing it and another is underperforming, you can shift the budget accordingly.
Use Google Shopping Ads (Because They Work)
Google Shopping Ads dominate Black Friday search results. If you’re not using them, you’re missing out. They show up at the top of Google with a product image, price, and reviews—giving you a massive advantage over text ads.
To get the best results, make sure your product feed is fully optimised:
- Use clear, keyword-rich titles (e.g. “Apple AirPods Pro Black Friday UK” rather than “Apple headphones”).
- Check your images are high quality and stand out.
- Keep your pricing competitive—shoppers compare multiple retailers before buying.
- Ensure your stock levels are accurate—running out of stock mid-campaign is a nightmare.
Write Ads That Make People Click
Getting your ad in front of people is one thing. Making them click and buy is another. Your ad copy needs to grab attention and create urgency without sounding like spam.
Instead of a generic “Black Friday Deals – Up to 50% Off”, try:
- “50% Off All Trainers – Ends Midnight”
- “Only 200 Left – Shop Black Friday Tech Deals Now”
- “Early Access: Black Friday Deals Live Now”
The goal is to make people feel like they need to act now.
Don’t Waste Money on Cold Traffic—Use Remarketing
Most people won’t buy the first time they see your ad, especially if they’re comparing deals. That’s why remarketing is essential.
Use RLSA (Remarketing Lists for Search Ads) to bid more aggressively when someone who’s already visited your site searches for similar products again.
For example, if a shopper visits your site looking at Bose headphones but doesn’t buy, you can bid higher on “Bose noise cancelling headphones Black Friday” searches later on. This way, you prioritise spend on people who are actually interested instead of throwing money at random clicks.
Get Your Bidding Strategy Right
Bidding during Black Friday is tricky. Competition is fierce, and CPCs skyrocket. The worst thing you can do is set your budget too low and get pushed out of auctions, or bid too aggressively and burn through your budget too early in the day.
A good approach is:
- Start with manual bidding so you have full control over spend.
- Use automated bidding (e.g. Target ROAS or Maximise Conversions) once you’ve gathered some data.
- Increase bids on high-converting keywords and pause underperforming ones.
If you’re using Google’s automated strategies, keep an eye on your costs—they can sometimes get out of hand if left unchecked.
Mobile Matters More Than Ever
More than 70% of Black Friday searches happen on mobile. If your site isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re throwing money away.
Check that:
- Your pages load in under three seconds—slow sites kill conversions.
- The checkout process is smooth—no one wants to enter their card details on a clunky site.
- Buttons and CTAs are easy to tap—if people have to zoom in, they’ll leave.
A simple test: visit your site on your phone and try to buy something yourself. If it’s frustrating, fix it before Black Friday.
Start Early & Test Everything
One of the biggest mistakes brands make is waiting until the last minute to launch their Black Friday ads. By the time they figure out what works, the shopping frenzy is over.
Start running test campaigns at least two weeks before Black Friday. This lets you test different keywords, ad copy, and bidding strategies so you’re not gambling on the day itself.
