It can be easy to forget just how vital writing ad copy is in today’s fast-paced digital world. New features and technological innovations will come and go, but the one thing remains constant no matter what’s happening in marketing or technology… Ad Copy!

You can use all the features that AdWords offers, but if your ad copy doesn’t resonate with your target audiences, you won’t see the best return for your media spend. 

Luckily, Andy knows how to write unique ads that produce sustainable results, and he’s going to share some of his top tips.

Mirror the objectives of the users

You can make your ads more effective by writing ad copy that mirrors the user’s goals and objectives by simply adjusting your wording to sound like you are talking directly to them rather than just throwing in keywords.

For example, if you’re targeting those that have suffered a ranking loss, rather than saying “we offer amazing SEO, click here”, you might write an ad saying, “Have you suffered a loss in Google Adwords performance? Don’t worry we’re here to help!”.

Include numbers in your headlines

As we all know, advertisers will do everything they can to get us as their customers. One of the easiest ways to do this is by including numbers or statistics in the ads. This informs those viewing the ads how it can help and how much it would cost for their products. 

In general, it’s a great way, if not one of the best ways, to reach new customers because you’ll be able to cut through lots of information quickly, mainly if the marketplace is highly competitive.

Appeal to users’ sense of privilege

You may feel like you’re preying on your prospect’s selfishness, but it can be a valuable opportunity for advertisers. In today’s increasingly entitled society, people have been prioritising themselves over others, which advertisers should take advantage of to sell their products.

Use emotional triggers

Emotional triggers are a powerful tool for marketers when writing PPC ad copy. People click on things that elicit strong emotional responses, so it’s essential to engage with your audience in an emotionally compelling way while also providing them with information they are looking for.

The emotional responses you can provoke will depend on what you’re offering and the desired effect. To get the desired outcome from your audience, you must create a balanced emotional response. 

Those searching online for a product or service will have one or more of the following:

• A budget 
• A specific need or problem that they are looking to solve
• Want to buy a particular type of product or service
• Looking for a company based in a particular location
• Want to buy from a specific company
• Looking for credibility / had issues from another company
• Have questions about how what you offer fits into their business workflow
• Looking for status by having a specific type of product

Once you understand what your customers are looking for, you can adjust the ad copy to reflect this. This means that the ad copy will be orientated around what you can offer, highlight the benefits, and less about what you’re selling.

Ensure you use keyword-rich display URLs

Display URLs are the URL that appears in your ad. They should be relevant to what you’re promoting so they can increase clickthrough rates (CTR) and conversions. But display URLs are often overlooked, but they can have a significant impact on the success of your ads. 

Display URLs aren’t the same as destination URLs; each has its benefits depending on whether CTRs or revenue is more critical to an advertiser at a given time.

The display URL is the part of your ad that appears in search results. It can be more exciting and relevant to users, but it’s also important because it contains keywords you’re bidding on, so ads will still show up even if destination URLs don’t include them.

When creating your ads, spend some time thinking about the display URL you want to use. Doing so can help reinforce the messaging in your ad and encourage more clicks.

Prioritise Your Best Copy

Google added an extra 30-character headline and an extra 90-character description line in response to the growth in consumer device size and the demand for immediate solutions.

As a result of this, Google reported that these character increases in the text ads drove 15% more clicks for advertisers. 

However, as powerful as it is to add more than 100 additional characters to your text ads, that doesn’t translate universally across devices. 

The screen size can’t accommodate both a third headline and a second description line on smaller devices, like smartphones and mini tablets.

With this in mind, when writing your text ads, we recommend that you front load your best copy into the first two headlines and the first description line. That way, you can be sure you’re always serving compelling messages to users irrespective of their device preferences.

Preemptively Respond to Common Objections

Even if you’re operating in a crowded and competitive marketplace, the choice between you and a competing business will come down to one of two objections; how much it’ll cost and does this product/service fit my exact needs. 

Fortunately, you can preempt both of these common obstacles with a bit of forethought and some clever copy.

Take a look at this example ad for the search query “affordable home insurance”:

There are dozens of substantial companies offering home insurance, and so differentiating yourself in this particular market could be pretty tricky. However, EverQuote has done a pretty good job of making this ad compelling. Note that the very first copy in the headline—a price—is “$97,” which helps overcome prospects’ fear of being gouged for insurance.

This ad does nothing to alleviate my apprehensions about searching for a home insurance quote. Sure, it mentions that a quote will be free, but I’d expect that from any home insurance provider. Furthermore, it doesn’t tell me how much I’ll be spending.

Focus on the Benefits

Remember that we live in an increasingly selfish society, and this should never be far from your mind when writing ad copy, especially when it comes to the body copy itself. 

Nobody cares about why your company is supposedly fantastic. They only care about how you can make their lives easier.

Let’s take a look at some examples of this principle in action. It’s worth noting at this point that one reason I’ve included so many examples from the insurance industry is because of its intense competitiveness and high CPCs, as well as the wide variance between ad copy from one company to another.

The first ad focuses almost exclusively on how their services benefit me as a potential customer. It tells me that their plans work with any licensed veterinarian and include coverage for my pets’ hereditary health problems. It assures me that my pet will be covered for life and that their age doesn’t matter.

The second ad is significantly worse. The headlines are generally ok; including a call to action with a slight sense of urgency is an acceptable practice. It’s in the description that things go south for MOAA. The only benefit outlined is that MOAA members choose the coverage they want for their pets.

Um, yeah—that’s the whole point. It’s a given that MOAA members have that liberty. This ad is a complete waste of description space.

Having said this, there are thousands of ads out there that don’t follow PPC best practices and still convert very well. However, we wouldn’t recommend advertisers emulating these ads unless they’ve performed well under rigorous A/B test conditions. 

As with much of the conventional wisdom out there, actual data from accurate tests is preferable to any “best practice,” even if it seems counterintuitive. So do what works for your business, not someone else’s, and always make decisions based on complex data.

Summary

Writing great PPC ads takes time and practice, and there is a finesse to writing excellent ad copy, measuring, and taking action on the performance data. 

However, by following the tips above and avoiding the mistakes of others, you can improve the quality of your ads, your click-through rates, and your Quality Scores faster and see a greater return from your ad spend.

Are you ready to smash it online?

If your ads aren’t converting or if you’re not seeing the results you expect from your Google Adwords marketing, we are a paid search agency that can support your business.

With a reputation as a digital marketing agency in West Sussex that consistently delivers sustainable and reliable returns from paid media, we know that we can help your business grow online.