₹1 Lakh Store — 90-Day D2C Playbook for Indian Founders

10 — Marketing

Google Ads for D2C

While Meta drives discovery, Google captures intent. Indian consumers search before they buy — Google Ads lets you meet them at the moment of purchase decision.

3-5% CTR Target₹10-30 CPC2.5-3x ROASBrand + Shopping

3-5%

CTR Target

Search ads benchmark

₹10-30

Cost Per Click

D2C category range

2.5-3x

Target ROAS

Google Shopping benchmark

Brand + Shopping

Core Strategy

Capture both channels

Google Ad Types for D2C

Ad Type	Best For	Expected CPC	Priority
Search (Brand)	Own brand name, prevent competitor poaching	₹5-10	Must-Do
Search (Generic)	Category keywords like "organic face wash"	₹15-50	Test
Google Shopping	Product-specific searches, high purchase intent	₹10-25	Must-Do
Performance Max	Automated cross-channel, Google's AI bidding	₹15-40	After 50+ Orders
YouTube	Awareness and consideration, video-first	₹8-25 CPM	Later

Search vs Shopping

Google Search Ads

When: Day 1 — start with brand keywords immediately

Budget: ₹200-500/day to start

Keywords: Brand name + product category terms

Bidding: Manual CPC for brand, Target CPA for generic

Tip: Brand CPC is usually ₹2-5 — cheapest traffic you'll ever get

Google Shopping

When: Day 7-14 — after Merchant Center is approved

Budget: ₹500-1000/day to start

Feed: Optimize product titles, descriptions, images

Bidding: Target ROAS bidding after 30 conversions

Tip: Shopping converts 2-3x better than Search for D2C

Google Ads Setup Checklist

Set up Google Ads account with GST and billing

Use Indian billing for local targeting

Create brand keyword campaign (your brand name)

₹200-500/day, manual CPC bidding

Set up Google Merchant Center and product feed

Required for Shopping and Performance Max

Launch Google Shopping campaign after Merchant Center approval

₹500-1000/day, maximize clicks initially

Install Google Ads conversion tracking with enhanced conversions

Link to GA4 for cross-platform attribution