How to Write Compelling Copy for Google Ads
On average, there are more than 2.3 million searches per minute across the globe. And every time a user uses Google, search ads pop up. A search yields ads that are mapped and targeted based on the keywords within the search query. These ads cater to users who are farther into the buyer’s journey, most likely people who have an intense desire to buy goods or avail of services.
For example, if a user searches for a “nearby dental clinic”, and you run a dental clinic within the area, you must write an ad copy that addresses the intent behind the intent of the search query. In this instance, the user must be suffering from a nagging toothache and must make an urgent visit to the dentist. If you’re running Google ads for your clinic, the ad copy must offer a solution to his problem. If the user sees this, he will click through your ad.
High click-through rates are usually the result of a well-crafted ad copy. But how do you know if your ad copy is compelling enough, considering you are limited to working with a finite number of characters to write?
At SEO Premier, we rounded up some best practices that will serve as your North Star in writing Google ads copy that works!
INJECT THE KEYWORDS STRATEGICALLY
Your ads will not pop up if you don’t use the right keywords. But before you indiscriminately shoehorn keywords here and there in your ads, it pays to know which keywords to use and where to embed in the copy.
We highly recommend aggregating ad groups where you can use variations of keyword/keyword phrases so that the copy reads naturally without losing its relevance. For keyword placement, you can add your keywords in the URL, H1, description, and most importantly, the call-to-action text. In principle, it is best to repeat your keywords 2 to 3 times within the body copy.
At the start of the campaign, you can also run A/B tests by using different keyword placements. The tests will help you fine tune the formula that works best to your target users.
KEEP IT SHORT AND SIMPLE
As in many writing disciplines, writing in a simple and concise manner is one of the best pieces of advice to take to heart. In an interview with William Strunk and E.B White, authors of the famous book Elements of Style, the writers said that if people were to take away only one advice in that little book, it would be one that says, “Omit needless words!.”
When a user clicks on your ad, that means he or is looking for something very specific. If the click-through action is attributed to your copy, that means your copy was able to resonate to the searcher with regard to his or her need or original intent.
You can spice up your body copy by adding some persuasive elements to it like statistics, specific numbers, number of people you’ve helped, how much money saved, a time-exploding discount, etc. Anything to make the user act now!
Looking past the Google ad copy, you must make sure that your landing page matches the “promise” seen on the ad copy. If this is done right, the user will feel confident that she is redirected to the right website.
DON’T FORGET THE CALL TO ACTION
Once the body copy grabs the searcher by the neck, you need to be clear what you want the searcher to do. The CTA text tells exactly what the desired action is.
In an analysis of over 600 popular CTAs, Wordstream collected the top performing copy that you can incorporate into your next Google ad campaigns:
● Get
● Buy
● Shop
● Try
● Learn
● Build
● Sign up
● Discover
● Click
As a general rule, you’d want to use power words. These are words that are highly emotive, express urgency, and incite specific action. It is also highly suggested to use first person pronouns like “Get MY Quote” or “Add to MY Cart” as they convert better than when you use second person language like “YOU” or “YOUR”.
For call to action, you can simplify the structure to [(Verb) + (Object) +(or) (Modifier)] as in “Request a Quote”, “Download Now”, “Call Us Today”, “Add to my Cart”, etc.
Running Google ads is an extremely effective way to drive hyper-targeted traffic to your website and increase your conversion rate. A well-thought out copy then becomes your proverbial “foot in the door”: write it well so the person on the other side might happily swing the door open for you!
Need help in writing compelling ad copy for your Google ads? Let our copywriters at SEO Premier craft you the best pieces of copy that will drive your paid ad campaigns to success!
