Bol.com

How do you improve your findability on bol with Sponsored Products?

Lars Hurkmans·Co-founder·21 November 2023·Reading time 18 minutes

Sponsored Products increases your findability on bol by showing your ad on keywords, categories and similar products. The sales it generates can train the algorithm and thereby strengthen your organic position. In this case study we set up a campaign for the ultrasonic repeller and share the results.

Where do we stand after optimising the product title?

In the previous step of this series we optimised the product title of the ultrasonic repeller, our example product, to increase findability and appeal on bol. That optimised title forms the foundation for the next step: deploying Sponsored Products. How we built the title is covered in our article on the keyword strategy. In this article we apply the insights and data from that research to set up an advertising campaign.

How did we optimise the product title?

By smartly applying insights into bol's keyword algorithm, we put together a title that maximises our findability for various search queries. The result was the title: "Ultrasonic Cat Repeller - Pet-Friendly Mouse Repeller - Marten Repeller - Cat Scarer for Outdoors - Solar Powered". This title was strategically designed to offer maximum visibility on various keyword combinations, while at the same time painting a clear picture of the product type.

Our approach for the ultrasonic repeller's title was based on an extensive analysis of relevant keywords and understanding bol's keyword algorithm. We collected the relevant keywords using the Keyword Guide. Our research included the following steps:

1. Identifying core keywords: By deploying the Keyword Guide, we were able to compile a list of core keywords directly relevant to our ultrasonic repeller. These keywords formed the foundation of our optimised product title and were important for improving our findability on bol.
2. Analysing keyword relationships: The tool gave insight into how these keywords are connected to each other, including information about short-tail and long-tail keywords. This helped us create a balanced title that attracts both broad and specific search traffic.
3. Competitor analysis: Besides finding relevant keywords, the Keyword Guide gave us valuable information about the competitive landscape for each keyword. This helped us determine the market potential and the likelihood of success for our selected keywords.

Based on the relevant keywords we'd collected with the Keyword Guide, the goal was to create as complete a title as possible with as few characters as possible, one that would enable visibility on multiple combinations of search queries.

1. Strategic choice of base words: The chosen base terms, such as "Cat repeller" and "Mouse repeller", were ordered to have maximum impact.
2. Smart placement of specification words: Words like "Ultrasonic" and "Solar Powered" were added to further enrich the title and ensure our product gets found on various relevant search term combinations.
3. Use of separators: By using "-" instead of "|", we ensured our product would be found on more combinations of keywords.

Which additional keywords do we deploy for Sponsored Products?

Besides the keywords in the title, during our keyword analysis we collected a list of additional keywords that aren't included in our product title, but that do have high relevance for Sponsored Products. As a reminder, here again is part of the list of relevant keywords we collected:

These keywords, although they might not all contribute directly to the product's organic findability, are extremely valuable for our paid advertising strategy. They let us expand our reach to a broader audience and increase the visibility of our ultrasonic repeller on multiple fronts.

How and why do you deploy Sponsored Products?

Sponsored Products can significantly improve the visibility and sales of our ultrasonic repeller. For a thorough understanding of the system we refer you to our extensive article on bol's advertising system; here we repeat a few basic aspects important for our ultrasonic repeller.

How do you deploy Sponsored Products to improve your findability?

Bol offers three main ways to increase your product's visibility through Sponsored Products: keyword-targeted, category-targeted and product-targeted placement. To effectively promote our ultrasonic repeller, it's important to understand how we deploy each of them:

1. Keyword-targeted placement: This is one of the most direct and effective ways to increase visibility. Our ads are shown when customers use specific keywords we've chosen. For example, if a customer searches for "ultrasonic repeller" or related terms, our ad can appear prominently in the search results. This approach ensures our product is visible to customers who are already actively looking for similar products.
2. Category-targeted placement: This option lets us be visible on specific category pages within bol. If our product, for example, falls under the category "pest control", our ad can be shown to customers browsing this category. This method is useful for reaching a broader audience that might not know exactly what it's looking for yet, but does have an interest in the product category.
3. Product-targeted placement: Here our ads are shown on the product pages of similar items. This means that when customers view a product similar to our ultrasonic repeller, they can see our ad under the "you might also like" section. This strategy is effective for attracting customers who are comparing product options and are close to a purchase decision.

By using a combination of these three placement methods, we can maximise our advertising efforts and make the ultrasonic repeller visible to a diverse and relevant audience on bol. Each of these methods has its own unique advantages and can contribute to different aspects of our sales and marketing strategy. In our campaign we'll align these methods with our specific goals and the characteristics of our target audience.

What are the reasons to use Sponsored Products?

In general you can deploy Sponsored Products for four different reasons. Three of these apply to us:

1. Increasing visibility: Especially for new products like our ultrasonic repeller, which aren't yet prominently present in the organic search results, Sponsored Products can quickly increase visibility. This is crucial to bring our product to the attention of potential buyers.
2. Boosting sales: By presenting the ultrasonic repeller prominently in search results and category pages, we can significantly increase the chance of clicks and sales.
3. Building organic ranking: An indirect, but very valuable, advantage of Sponsored Products is strengthening the organic ranking. By generating sales through ads, we can "train" bol's algorithm to place our product higher in the organic search results. This is a long-term strategy that can reduce the dependence on paid advertising over time.

How do you pay for Sponsored Products?

The cost structure for Sponsored Products on bol works on a Cost-Per-Click (CPC) basis, which means we only pay when a customer actually clicks on our ad. This system is efficient because we incur costs in proportion to potential customer interaction, unlike traditional advertising models where we pay for views or impressions.

With the CPC model, the final cost per click is determined by the second-highest bid plus one cent. This is known as the 'second-price auction' model. Say we placed the highest bid for a certain keyword and the runner-up placed a lower bid; then we only pay one cent more than what the runner-up bid, not our maximum bid. This ensures we never pay more than needed to hold the top position.

What is ACoS and why does it matter?

ACoS (Advertising Cost of Sale) shows how much of every euro sold we spend on advertising: if we spend €35 on advertising for every €100 in sales, our ACoS is 35%. When using Sponsored Products it's important to understand this measure and know what impact it has on the profitability of our products.

To determine what a good ACoS is, we need to know our product's profit margin. For the ultrasonic repeller we have a profit margin of about 35%, which means we keep a profit as long as the ACoS stays below 35%. However, because one of our goals is to build organic findability through Sponsored Products, we're in the early phase of our campaign willing to accept a higher ACoS, even if this means we temporarily exceed the profit margin. This loss is seen as an investment in market penetration and building organic ranking. As our campaign progresses and the organic ranking improves, we aim to lower the ACoS to stay within our profit margins.

Which bidding strategy do you choose within Sponsored Products?

Our approach to bidding within Sponsored Products runs in two phases: first automatic bidding to gather data, then manual bidding to optimise.

1. Startup phase - automatic bidding: Initially we'll use automatic bidding on the keywords we've collected. This lets us gain valuable insights into the cost structure and effectiveness of different keywords without constant manual adjustments.
2. Optimisation phase - manual bidding: After gathering data and insights from the automatic bidding phase, we switch to manual bidding. This will give us more control over the keywords we want to focus on, based on their performance and relevance for our ultrasonic repeller.

We'll run the automatic campaign for a month to gather enough data. On top of that we can build a good organic position during this month.

How do you prepare your listing for Sponsored Products?

A well-prepared, optimised product listing forms the foundation for a successful advertising campaign on bol. Before we deploy Sponsored Products for our ultrasonic repeller, we therefore briefly repeat the key elements of an effective listing.

What are the key elements of an optimised listing?

An optimised listing rests on three elements: complete product specifications, high-quality images and an informative product description with relevant keywords.

1. Complete and accurate product specifications: Make sure all details of the product, from dimensions to functions, are accurately described. This not only helps inform the customer but also improves the relevance of your product for specific search queries.
2. High-quality product images: Clear and professional images are crucial. They give the customer a clear picture of what to expect and increase the chance of conversion. Here the main image helps with a higher click-through rate (CTR) and the other images help with a higher conversion rate.
3. Clear and informative product description: A well-structured description that includes relevant keywords can help with both organic findability and relevance within Sponsored Products. Integrating the keywords we've collected for Sponsored Products can be particularly useful here.

For example, if we've identified terms like "pet-friendly" or "solar-powered" as valuable keywords for our campaigns, we can include these in our description. This not only improves the relevance for the search terms but can also contribute to a lower Cost Per Click (CPC) in our Sponsored Products campaigns.

Why does listing optimisation matter for Sponsored Products?

Carefully tuning our listing is more than just a matter of presentation; it plays a crucial role in Sponsored Products' algorithm. An optimised listing can increase our product's relevance for the search terms we bid on, leading to better ad performance and potentially lower advertising costs.

For more detailed information about optimising product listings on bol, we refer you to our article on listing optimisation.

How do you use your collected keywords in the listing?

As discussed earlier, we've collected a number of valuable keywords with the Keyword Guide, which are not only relevant for our product title, but also invaluable for Sponsored Products. These keywords, some of which are shown in the attached table, we'll smartly work into our product descriptions. This will not only increase the appeal of our listing, but also improve the match with the search queries of potential customers.

With these preparations we're well equipped to confidently start our Sponsored Products campaigns, knowing that our listing is not only optimally presented, but also closely matches the needs and search behaviour of our target audience.

How do you set up a Sponsored Products campaign?

When setting up the campaign, we make deliberate choices about the duration, the budget, the bidding strategy, the platforms and the keywords. Below we describe step by step which choices we make to make the most of the impact and the insights.

How long should the campaign run?

We set the campaign for our ultrasonic repeller at a period of four weeks, starting on 23 October and ending on 20 November. This period was carefully chosen for several reasons. Firstly, the organic position is determined based on a weighted average over multiple weeks, where performance up to four weeks back still has an influence on findability. For this reason, a timespan of at least four weeks is needed to build a solid organic position. You can read more about how the bol algorithm works in this article.

During this time, bol's algorithm, especially since we're choosing an automatic bidding strategy, will get the chance to optimise our product within the advertising space. This process requires a learning period, during which the algorithm measures and adjusts the effectiveness of different keywords, category pages and product pages. It's a period during which we expect to gather important insights that will help us refine future campaigns.

By finishing our campaign just before the peak days of online sales, the week of Black Friday, we're putting ourselves in an advantageous position. We expect sales volumes to rise significantly from Black Friday, continuing through the holidays. That's why it's important to start this period from a strong organic position.

With this carefully planned campaign period, we ensure our ultrasonic repeller has the best chance to succeed on bol, both in the short and long term.

What advertising budget do you set?

For the campaign we set a daily advertising budget of €100, which comes to a total budget of €2,800 over four weeks. This substantial budget gives us the room to maintain our presence on bol throughout the entire day.

The daily budget of €100 was carefully chosen to prevent an interruption in our advertising activities. It prevents our campaign from stopping prematurely once the budget is used up, which is especially important during peak hours of the day.

Our total budget for the four-week campaign duration comes to €2,800. This total reflects our commitment to successfully launching and continuing the campaign throughout the entire period, giving ourselves enough room to make adjustments if needed.

By committing to a consistent daily budget, we ensure our ads are active when customers are most likely to shop online, regardless of the time. We chose a relatively high budget to give ourselves the flexibility to compete on the most relevant keywords and keep our ads in the top results.

Although the Mabaya dashboard doesn't support hourly bids, our generous daily budget lets us avoid having to deal with frequent budget management and focus more on optimising the campaign itself.

With this approach we ensure a strong presence on bol, with the ability to scale and optimise our campaign as we gather more data. Our daily budget is the key to maximising the impact of our ads and securing the growth of our ultrasonic repeller in the market.

Why do we choose automatic bidding?

For our Sponsored Products campaign, we deliberately choose an automatic bidding strategy. This approach lets us focus on the bigger picture, while bol's advanced algorithms take care of optimising our bids.

Rationale for automatic bidding The decision not to manually track every bid is twofold. First it lets us save valuable resources that would otherwise go into constantly monitoring and adjusting the campaign. Second, without direct access to bol's API, we wouldn't be able to exercise the fine-grained control manual bidding requires.

With the automatic bidding strategy we can gather data on the performance of different keywords and placements without too much complexity. This data is invaluable for informing future campaigns, where we may switch to manual bidding or the use of API integration to further refine our approach.

Setting the target ACoS An important aspect of automatic bidding is setting a target ACoS. We've chosen a target ACoS of 35%, which closely matches our profit margin. Although this means we're initially willing to break even, this is a strategic choice that reflects our commitment to effectively launching the ultrasonic repeller and building a solid organic position.

We're aware that the actual ACoS may be higher than our target at first, especially while the algorithm stabilises and optimises. By choosing a target ACoS equal to our profit margin, we give ourselves the room to accept some loss as an investment in future growth.

It's also important to recognise that ACoS can vary between different keywords. This natural difference in performance is expected and will help us identify which keywords are most effective for our product.

On which platforms and markets do you advertise?

When setting up our Sponsored Products campaign for the ultrasonic repeller, we choose a broad approach by advertising on all available platforms (desktop, tablet, mobile and the bol app) and in both markets, the Netherlands and Belgium. This strategy lets us reach a diverse audience and gather valuable insights about the performance of our ads on different devices and in different market segments. By activating all placement types, we maximise visibility and increase our chances of gathering valuable data that will help us refine our future advertising strategies.

With the data collected from this campaign, we should be able to develop more targeted, device-specific campaigns. This could, for example, involve adjusting our strategies to the unique user experience and navigation behaviour on mobile devices versus desktops.

How do you select the relevant keywords?

We select keywords with a combination of bol's automatic keyword selection and manual filtering. This lets us make the most of both worlds: the efficiency of automatic selection and the precision of manual adjustments.

Bol's automatic keyword selection is a handy tool that helps us identify relevant keywords based on our product data and similar products. However, this method isn't flawless and can sometimes yield keywords that don't fully align with our campaign goals. We see, for example, that the algorithm sometimes suggests EAN codes or overly generic brand names, which are relevant but not specific enough for our ultrasonic repeller. These non-optimised keywords can lead to unnecessary costs without a significant increase in sales.

That's why we combine automatic selection with manual review, comparing the automatically selected keywords with our own list of relevant terms. This list was carefully compiled based on our earlier analyses and insights gained using the Keyword Guide. By comparing these two lists, we filter out the most effective keywords that will drive our ads. This way we ensure our campaign focuses on keywords that aren't just relevant, but also offer the greatest chance of conversion and sales.

This combined approach ensures our campaign is targeted, cost-effective and aligned with the specific characteristics and needs of our ultrasonic repeller. With this strategy we're well positioned to maximise the visibility and sales of our product on bol.

What were the results of the campaign?

The campaign yielded 220 sales from 2,951 clicks, with an ACoS of 35.96%. This detailed data gives us insight into the effectiveness of our approach. Below we discuss the overall performance of the campaign and analyse the results by page type.

What was the overall performance?

The campaign generated a total of 2,951 clicks, resulting in 220 sales. That comes to a conversion rate of 7.45%, a strong performance that's higher than the category average of about 5%. The total revenue from these sales came to €7,469, with campaign costs of €2,685.83. This results in an ACoS of 35.96%, slightly higher than our targeted profit margin.

Although the ACoS was above our profit margin and therefore indicates we incurred a net loss during the campaign period, this was a deliberate choice tied to our product launch strategy. With a daily spending pattern averaging €95.92, our goal was to boost sales and quickly make the product visible to consumers. Our lower selling price, intended to entice buyers during the launch phase, was competitively priced compared to our main competitors and contributed to achieving a higher conversion rate.

The lower-price strategy and accepting a higher ACoS should be seen as an investment in the product's future position in the market. This tactic is intended to get our product on customers' radar and improve the organic ranking through increased sales volumes and customer reviews. As we continue to build on this initial visibility and customer trust, the plan is to gradually adjust the price to our standard rate, which is expected to lead to an ACoS that does fall within our profit margins. As a result of the sales, our product gained 4 reviews, raising the average score from 4 to 4.7.

How did the category pages perform?

Within the category pages we saw a total of 46 sales from 585 clicks, resulting in a conversion rate of 7.86%. This is a relatively strong result, since it's above the campaign average of 7.45%. The total costs for the category pages came to €406.90, while revenue was €1,561.70. The ACoS for these pages was 26.05%, significantly lower than our profit margin of 35%, making this section a particularly profitable focus for our campaign.

In the table below we find the results of the categories that generated sales for us.

The difference in performance between the categories is clear and indicates we can structure our campaign differently in the future. The category 'Marten repellers' shows that, although it might seem relevant, it's not the most profitable category for our product. An ACoS above 90% points to an inefficient use of our advertising budget, mainly caused by a low number of sales relative to the high number of clicks. The low conversion rate suggests that consumers who click on our ads within this category don't always find what they're looking for. This leads to the conclusion that further investment in sponsored product placements within 'Marten repellers' isn't advisable.

In contrast, the categories that are part of the same breadcrumb path, 'Insects & Pests', 'Soil, Fertilising & Control' and 'Ultrasonic Repellers', show promising results. With an ACoS well below our profit margin and attractive CPC values between 63 and 70 cents, these categories show they align well with customer needs. 'Ultrasonic Repellers' especially stands out with a conversion rate of 8.86%, pointing to a strong interest and purchase intent among customers who click on our product through these pages.

These findings support a strategic shift of our advertising efforts away from 'Marten repellers' towards the more profitable categories. By focusing on the categories where we can maintain a lower CPC and where customers are more inclined to convert, we can increase the effectiveness of our Sponsored Products campaign.

How did the product pages perform?

The product pages generated a total of 69 sales from 887 clicks, giving us a conversion rate of 7.78%. This is in line with the overall campaign performance and confirms the relevance of our products on these specific pages. With total costs of €856.83 and generated revenue of €2,342.55, we achieved an ACoS of 36.58%. Although this is slightly above our profit margin, it shows the potential of targeted placement on product pages.

In the table below we see the performance broken down by the different product pages, conditioned on a category.

The detailed results of our Sponsored Products campaign on the product pages give us valuable insights into where we can deploy our advertising budget most effectively. By analysing performance per product category, we can make more targeted decisions for future campaigns.

Special attention is deserved by the 'Marten repeller' category on the product pages, where the ACoS is below our profit margin, in contrast to the results on the category pages. This suggests a difference in how consumers engage with our products on these specific pages, reflected in a higher conversion rate. Nevertheless, the click volume for this category remains relatively low, requiring a more in-depth analysis in the future.

For the remaining categories that share the same navigation structure, such as 'Insects & Pests', 'Soil, Fertilising & Control' and 'Ultrasonic Repellers', we see the ACoS of two categories staying below our profit margin, while one category sits just above it. Notable is the category 'Ultrasonic Repellers', which not only achieves the most clicks and the highest conversion, but also accounts for more than half of the total revenue on the product pages. These figures confirm the close alignment of our product with customer demand within this category.

These insights underline the value of targeted sponsoring within specific categories for future campaigns. Although there's some reluctance to draw definitive conclusions for the 'Marten repeller' category because of the lower number of clicks, it seems the remaining categories offer fertile ground for our advertising efforts. An important consideration, however, is the 'Soil, Fertilising & Control' category, which we may need to reconsider or even exclude if the ACoS doesn't improve.

How did the keywords perform?

The keywords delivered the most significant results for our campaign. Of the 220 sales, 205 were related to advertising through keywords (47.7% of the total). These 205 sales came from 1,479 clicks, giving us an average conversion rate of 7.1%. This is slightly lower than the average and also the lowest of the three different placement types. On top of that, the sales generated a total revenue of €3,564.75 for us, which, given the total click costs of €1,422.10, means our ACoS here averaged 39.89%, considerably higher than our average profit margin. Taking everything together, it seems the performance of keywords carries both strong and weak points. That makes it all the more interesting to analyse the performance at keyword level.

We see the performance at keyword level in the table below. This shows a number of the keywords on which sales were achieved.

A careful look at the performance of the various keywords reveals significant differences. Some keywords generated enough data to draw reliable conclusions, while other keywords, such as 'mole repeller solar powered', 'cat scarer for outdoors' and 'pest repeller', need more clicks to form a clear picture of their effectiveness for our campaign.

Among the keywords with substantial click data, it stands out that the Advertising Cost of Sale (ACoS) differs considerably. 'Cat repeller', for example, with an ACoS of 31.23%, performs better than our profit margin, and has also generated significant revenue. This makes 'cat repeller' a strong candidate for continued sponsoring, especially if our organic visibility for this keyword isn't sufficient. On the other hand, 'mouse repeller' has an ACoS of 50.2%, making it a less profitable option for further sponsoring, despite comparable conversion rates to 'cat repeller'.

It gets even more interesting when we look at keywords our product isn't found under organically. Keywords such as 'mole repeller', 'marten repeller for car' and 'pigeon repeller' collected fewer clicks, which can point to lower search volumes. These lower click volumes can lead to more variability in the ACoS data, making it harder to draw definitive conclusions about these keywords. However, for keywords such as 'mole repeller', where the ACoS comes out above 50%, it seems unlikely we'll include them in future campaigns.

Based on the current data, we can tentatively establish the following guidelines for our future campaigns:

1. Continuing with certain keywords: Keywords such as 'cat repeller', 'marten repeller' and 'cat scarer' show strong potential for continued sponsoring. These terms have shown a healthy balance between cost and conversion, pointing to their effectiveness. These keywords are especially relevant if our organic search results don't improve significantly.
2. Reconsidering less profitable keywords: On the other hand, keywords like 'mouse repeller', 'mole repeller' and 'bird repeller' seem less profitable because of their high ACoS relative to their conversion rates. 'Mouse repeller' especially stands out with an ACoS that crosses the profitability threshold, suggesting this keyword should perhaps be excluded from future campaigns.
3. Need for more data on certain keywords: For keywords such as 'mole repeller solar powered' and 'pest repeller', it's necessary to gather more data before we can draw definitive conclusions. Although the initial results don't seem very promising, a more detailed insight into clicks and conversion is important for a well-considered decision.
4. Attention to variation in keywords: An interesting observation is the difference in performance between short-tail and long-tail variations of some keywords. For example, 'mole repeller' has a significantly higher ACoS than 'mole repeller solar powered'. This underlines the need for a careful and thoughtful approach when analysing the available data, especially since some keywords haven't yet gathered enough data. A guideline is that we need to have collected at least 50 clicks for a relevant keyword before we can say anything with certainty about it.

What are the key lessons and next steps?

As we close out our Sponsored Products campaign for the ultrasonic repeller on bol, it's time to summarise the key lessons and look ahead to the next steps. Our campaign has yielded valuable insights that will help us further refine our online sales strategies.

What are the key insights from the campaign?

Our Sponsored Products campaign for the ultrasonic repeller on bol has given us specific and valuable insights. Below I summarise the most relevant conclusions we've drawn from this experience:

• Effectiveness of category and product pages: Our analysis shows that some category pages, such as 'Insects & Pests' and 'Ultrasonic Repellers', performed well in terms of ACoS, while others, such as 'Marten repellers', were less profitable. On the product pages we saw that certain categories such as 'Ultrasonic Repellers' achieved a high degree of success, pointing to a strong alignment with customer demand. This teaches us that we can keep using the categories in the ultrasonic repellers breadcrumb path, while the category 'marten repellers' doesn't need to be included.
• Keyword-targeted results: practical action points: Our campaign confirmed the importance of a targeted keyword strategy. The strong performance of keywords like 'cat repeller' suggests these terms are worth continuing to sponsor. However, keywords with a high ACoS, such as 'mouse repeller', we'll likely exclude from future campaigns because of their lower profitability. For some keywords, such as 'mole repeller solar powered', it's clear we need to gather more data before we can make definitive decisions.
• Balance between ACoS and profit margin: a critical evaluation: The campaign has shown us that our ACoS was often just above our profit margin. This was a consequence of our lower-price strategy during the product launch, intended to achieve market penetration. Although this brought temporary losses, it was a deliberate choice to build visibility and customer trust. The coming period will be essential to determine whether this strategy is sustainable and profitable in the long run.

What's the next step for organic findability?

Now that the campaign has finished, our next step is evaluating its impact on the organic findability of our product on bol. We're curious how the increased visibility and sales volumes from Sponsored Products have affected the organic ranking of our ultrasonic repeller. This evaluation will be important to determine how we can improve our strategies for both paid and organic search results in the future.

In our next article we'll go deeper into this evaluation and share the results. We hope our experiences and insights can help others navigate the complex world of online selling on platforms like bol.