How To Write The Perfect Ad Copy

Writing ad copy for Google ads is tricky. As a PPC account manager there is an array of challenges we face when trying to formulate what makes the perfect ad. Especially when the more you think about it the more questions occur, from keeping the user engaged to nailing the right call to action the list goes on. This guide aims to highlight some areas which will help turbocharge your ad copy.

Include Target Keywords In The Copy 

The reasons for doing this are twofold, firstly this will help keep the user engaged with the ad, as it stands to reason that if somebody is searching for a particular search term they will be more likely to click on an ad with the term in the copy. 

Secondly, and possibly even more importantly Google strives to deliver the most relevant ads to its users based on their search intent, which means it will reward you with an improved ad rank for creating an ad which ties in with a users search intent, resulting in cheaper clicks for you.

Get Granular

This one can be time-consuming and is aimed more towards campaign structure, but it really helps to drive better click-through rates across your account.

By ensuring your keywords are grouped individually or in closely themed ad groups, you will be able to create ad copy that is highly specific to the user’s intent. 

For example, if you are running a search campaign for ‘running shoes’ and have all of your keywords mashed together in one ad group, encompassing various keywords you will not be able to create highly relevant ad copy. However, splitting your keywords into more granular ad groups you will be able to adjust your ad copy for somebody searching for “red running shoes” vs “lightweight running shoes”.

Get The Message Right

Nailing the message is vital for successful ad copy and can vary greatly depending on the product or service. This is where it’s crucial to understand the business you are looking to promote, by understanding the businesses USPs you will be able to structure ad copy that will tempt more people into clicking on the ad without misleading the user.

For example sticking with the shoe example, knowing exactly where the company positions themselves in the market can help you create more authentic and effective ad copy. If the business sees itself as producing high quality/high-value products, then a tone of voice which stresses how comfortable or durable they are will be much more effective than an ad copy which is claiming to be the cheapest in the market. 

As an added bonus any clicks generated from the ad will be sent through to the website with a better idea of what to expect from the business which will help with conversion rates across the account.

Calls To Action. Read Below Now!

People tend to remember the first and last things they read, this is known as the serial position effect. Consequently, the likelihood is that a user reading your ad copy will follow the same path. With this in mind making sure you clearly mention what you offer and consequently what action you want the user to take as a consequence can help manipulate their behaviour to drive more clicks. 

Ad Extensions 

Ad Extensions, as its name suggests are supplemental sections added to the standard section of ad copy. There are now a wide variety of different extensions that can be utilised. Each that help to make your ad copy stand out and provide useful information to users. Extensions ranging from Sitelinks through to lead generation forms are now available to use, each with varying advantages.  

As a rule of thumb, it makes sense to include as many extensions as possible within your ad copy. However, bear in mind that not all of them may make sense for the product/service you are advertising.

Once you have created a few extensions place Google will then attempt to show the best combination of extensions. This is based on previous performance and the Ad Rank of your ad. Resulting in an ad that takes up more space on the SERPs and is more enticing for the user.

Dynamic Ad Copy

Using dynamic ad copy is a great way to tailor your ad copy based on different variables. These include the user’s device and audience, to adding countdowns and ad customisers. Being able to do this helps create ad copy that is personalised to the user. 

In order to access these options in Google Ads, you simply need to enter a brace into the ad copy you are creating which will then trigger 3 options for you to pick from as below;

Each of these options will enable you to add different types of dynamic copy to your ad.

Keyword insertion – This is a simple tool that allows you to automatically add the user’s keyword into the ad copy. The benefits of this are that it allows ad copy to be highly relatable to the user’s search intent. It will also give the ability to insert default text for when the user’s keyword takes the ad copy over the character limit.

Countdown – Adding a countdown timer enables ad copy to show how many days/hours are left for various scenarios from sales to deadlines. Adding a countdown is a great way to drive urgency in these circumstances.

IF function – Inserting an IF function allows text to be changed when a certain condition is met. This ranges from whether a user is part of a remarketing list to the device a user is on.

Test, Test And Test Some More.

So, you have created the perfect ad using the above tips and CTR has shot through the roof, happy days. However, this should not be the end of your ad copy journey. 

Testing different variants of ad copies can help improve the success rate of your ads even further. By split testing different headlines and descriptions in isolation, it’s possible continuously fine-tune campaigns. 

With this in mind, it’s probably fair to say that the perfect ad copy doesn’t actually exist. As a result, the mentality we should adopt is one of incremental improvements. As PPC experts we have lots of tools at our disposal. This allows us to keep improving ad copy performance by creating engaging and responsive ad copy that is user focussed. 

At Impression, we aim to create ad copy that helps deliver great results for our clients. To find out what we could do for your business today, why not get in touch and contact us today.