In a world of boring ads, getting creative with ad copy can really make your ad stand out from the crowd. We asked our PPC team to give us their best tips for creating successful, innovative text ads.
Stay relevant
Ad relevance is important not only for encouraging users to click on your ads, but also for getting your ads to show in the first place. If you want to maintain a high quality score at a lower CPC, keeping your ad copy relevant to the keywords you want to show for is crucial!
- Show off your business’ USPs in the headline text & keep your copy ultra keyword-focused to maximise ad relevance and quality score.
- Don’t underestimate the power of language psychology – be creative with language & your ad copy will be more persuasive.
- Reflect your landing page copy in your ad – there’s nothing worse than a promising ad which leads to a terrible landing page.
Stand out from the crowd
The slightest difference in ad copy can give you that edge, and convince users to click on your ad rather than your competitors’ or an organic search result, especially if you are showing alongside multiple competitor ads. Make sure to emphasise what makes your company special!
- Use impressive numbers and stats to your benefit – for example, “100% UK-Made” or “We Respond In 20 Minutes”. These can be the features that push users towards your ad over another.
- Include a seller rating extension. 84% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, so eCommerce businesses should reap the benefits!
- Avoid ad blindness in SERPs – if you’re keyword matching your ad copy then it’s easy to end up with a Headline 1 that looks like everyone else’s!
- Using countdown clocks for limited time offers can encourage customers to buy your product within a certain time period.
Look professional
Your ad might be the very first touch point that user has with your brand – so it’s important that you look the part. You can’t go wrong following Google’s best practice guides, but it’s worth going the extra mile to give your brand a sense of authority in the SERPs.
- Include a relevant “path” on the end of a URL. This helps customers to know that the ad is taking them to a relevant page that meets their needs.
- Make the most of ad extensions! As well as contributing to quality score, ad extensions provide more information about your products & services to give you more SERP real estate.
- It’s a no brainer, but dOn’T tALk LikE tHIs. Using proper spelling and punctuation contributes to the first impression that users have of your company.
Know your audience
It’s impossible to write a successful ad without knowing who you are aiming it at. Careful consideration of your audience and their needs can translate into a higher click-through rate as well as increasing conversions.
Depending on your audience it’s worth considering using emojis in ad copy, especially on social media. It’s hard to argue with a 25.4% increase in Twitter engagement and a 17% increase in Instagram interactions!
- Use labels in combination with automated rules for scheduled ad copy that impresses your audience with its relevance and timeliness.
- Think about your user’s needs – they’re searching because they have a problem, so solve that problem in the ad copy. Don’t ask questions, answer them!
Customise, customise, customise!
We’ve already established that users are more likely to click on ads which are most relevant to their needs. Adwords has a variety of features that allow you to customise your ads based on both the search query and the data Google has about the user themselves.
- Use device-specific campaigns for device-specific ad copy to keep on top of your campaigns and get the most out of your ads.
- Work with IF functions – customise ads to create unique messages for specific retargeting audiences, devices & location keywords to create more personalised, effective ads.
- Get creative with DSAs – although the URL & headlines are dynamically generated, description lines can be tested against a variety of new search terms and converting ad copy can inspire further split tests in your other search campaigns.
Of course not all of these tips will benefit every campaign, but every campaign needs regular innovation. Evaluate your business goals and see which techniques could work for you!
If you’d like to discuss how the PPC team could help your business, please get in touch to find out more!
