Creating good ads copy is not complicated in itself. However, to do it properly, you have to be discerningly combining both an artistic and scientific approach. Google Ads only allows a small number of characters in the ad text. That is why you need it is necessary to ensure the effectiveness of each word!
Why Ads Copy Are Important ?
When writing your search ad, it’s important to think about your visitor’s experience from his search query, to the content of the ad, to the landing page.
If the user encounters a problem on the journey or he had the impression of going on the wrong path, he will click the back button!
Worse yet, he can return to Google and find another company ready to answer his needs. Also, note that no ad can convert a prospect without a good landing page behind.
Finally, be aware that there is no universal approach to writing ads copy. Following some good practices will improve your performance.
With that in mind, below are the 17 best practices for writing the perfect Search Ad Copy.
1 – Capitalize On Keywords
One of the best practices for writing ads is to include keywords in the ad text. Indeed, by repeating the keyword or similar expressions, you reassure the user that he is in the right place.
The use of keywords should be done both in the ad copy and the landing page.
a) Keywords in the ad copy
Having keywords in the ad text is fairly straightforward. However, make sure that those keywords are used correctly. Thus, your objective shouldn’t be to have maximum keywords in the ad copy. Because an ad saturated with keywords will probably not communicate any message and – on the contrary – may have as much effect as an ad without keywords.
The position of keywords in the ad is important. Highlighting the keyword in the “Title 1” field quickly captures users’ attention (who scan search results and do not read them).
So remember to include your keyword in “Title 1”.
In addition to “Title 1”, I recommend you to test integrating your keyword/variants in “Title 2” and “Description” fields to see how it performs?
b) Keywords in landing pages
The integration of user queries in the landing page titles and top texts quickly tell the visitor: “You have come to the right place. We have what you are looking for. ”!
It is not possible to create a dedicated landing page for each search query. What to do then?
The solution to this puzzle would be to optimize each of your landing pages, not on a single keyword, but rather on a set of key expressions close to your main keywords.
Take the example of a company that markets a project management tool.
Instead of creating a landing page only optimized on the main keyword (project management tool), it would be best to integrate variants into the top text of the page. Examples of variants: task management, task planner, online planning tool, etc.
Example of a landing page whose first visible areas are optimized on several keywords:
2 – Make Your Ads As Specific As The User’s Search
The idea is to serve a specific/tailored ad that matches a specific request from the user. That said, when the user performs a generic search, you can offer a relatively generic ad as well.
Take the example of shoes. Here are some ways to adjust your Google Ads copy based on different search levels:
| User query | Ad copy |
|---|---|
| “shoes” | Online Shoes Shopping – Brand X | From 9$ Find a large selection of Shoes. Cheap Fashion Footwear. Free delivery. |
| “women shoes” | Women Shoes Shopping – Brand X | From 9$ Find a large selection of Shoes. Cheap Fashion Footwear. Free delivery. |
| “Nike women shoes” | Nike Women Shoes – Brand X | From 9$ Find a large selection of Shoes. Cheap Fashion Footwear. Free delivery. |
Even if we have only adjusted title 1 of the ad in the above example, it helps to create a closer link with the user’s request and let him know that he is in the right place.
Likewise, personalizing the landing page is potentially even more important than the ad copy itself. Using the example of the shoes above, here are the potential pages to which you should redirect your users:
- “Shoes”: www.shoeswebsite.xyz
- “women shoes”: www.shoeswebsite.xyz/women
- “Nike women shoes”: www.shoeswebsite.xyz/women/nike
Keep In Mind
Whenever people search on Google, they are telling you what they want. So listen to them and offer them results with as much specificity as possible.
3 – Always Include A Call To Action In Your Ads Copy
When setting up Google Ads campaigns, we are all looking to get the user to perform a specific action: buy, fill out a form, call … Whatever the action, it is important to formulate in your ad copy what you want your audience to do.
Avoid old clichés in your CTA and propose something more impactful to your audience. Always try to activate your CTA with a strong verb, such as “Discover”, “Save”, “Benefit” or “Join”.
Using a CTA in the ad helps to frame the visitor experience and in the same way pre-qualify the audience. In fact, by making people understand what you want them to do, you automatically eliminate people who are not interested.
The hidden advantage of using CTA in your ads copy is that you can save cost per click!
If the visitor decides to click on your ad, your landing page should reflect the same action promised in the ad’s CTA.
So, if you propose to the user to “buy online” a pair of shoes, you must allow him to make his purchase on the landing page. So, you shouldn’t propose to learn more about shoes or make a reservation for shoes on the landing page!
4 – Talk To Your Audience Directly
To achieve this, use terms like “you” and “your” in your ad text.
Speaking directly to your audience makes them feel important and that your business is “friendly”. Indeed, by using such types of queries you create a friendly and useful relationship with your customers from the start.
5 – Test Psychological Approaches To Find The Right Formulation
The tone of the ad text (messaging) is an essential selling factor, provided it is not boring.
It is important to test different psychological approaches when writing ads copy to find out which one works best with your target audience.
Here is an overview of different psychological approaches you can take when creating your Google Ads copy. (In front are examples for a shoe website).+
Psychological approaches to test in Ads copy:
- Characteristics : present the physical / non-tangible aspects of your product / service. Exp: non-slip sole
- Advantages : highlight the benefits that the visitor will get by purchasing your product / service. Exp: Comfort and style guaranteed
- Problem : Remind the user of the problem he is trying to solve. Exp: Tired of looking for heels that don’t hurt your feet?
- Solution : focus on the solution to the problem encountered by the visitor. Exp: Buy shoes at a good quality / price ratio
- Scarcity of the offer : provoke a sense of urgency to take action (FOMO feeling). Exp: Limited offer
- Testimonials : use real comments / testimonials to take advantage of the social proof. Exp: This pair of shoes made me want to wear my skirt again.
- Reviews : third party reviews (not customers) on your product / service
- Best : highlight awards, classification, etc. to show that you are the best. Exp: Best Ballerina made in France 2019
- Qualification: Eliminate people who may not be suitable for your service / product before they click on your ad. Exp: Luxury shoes – to eliminate people looking for cheap shoes.
Once you’ve found the approach that works best, replicate it on your landing page. Then, choose images and calls to action that reflects this approach where possible.
6 – Use Magical Words
These are words that touch the emotions of the user and at the same time enhance your offer.
Examples:
- free
- exclusive
- limited
- exceptional
- best choice
- etc
7 – Add Numbers To Your Ads Copy
Figures and statistics attract user’s attention. Their positive impact on CTR has been proven by several studies. So try adding one or two numbers to your search ads copy.
One way to use the figures is to indicate the price of your product, announce the amount of a reduction, the number of products available in stock, your delivery times, etc.
You can also use statistics such as your customer satisfaction rate.
Finally, use exact numbers instead of round numbers. People tend to trust more exact numbers.
8 – Use Capital Letters
As you may have noticed, most advertisers use capital letters in their ads copy. Indeed, using capital letters makes it possible to distinguish important keywords of your ad text and thus attract more easily the user’s attention.
Therefore, favor the use of capital letters only at the beginning of important words.
9 – Eliminate Objections
Most people need a bit of conviction before they click on an ad or make a purchase.
Anticipate objections that users will make regarding your product/service and draw them up upstream in your ad text.
If you eliminate your audience’s excuses and fears before they think about them, then they will click on your ad. Then, they will immediately feel more comfortable with your business and more likely to accept your offer.
10 – Use All Available Space
Google Ads offers 3 times 30 characters in headline and 2 times 90 characters in the description field.
For Responsive Search Ads (RSA), you have up to 15 headlines with 30 characters maximum each. And 4 variations of descriptions – 90 characters maximum each
My advice: Use all possible fields and spaces to present your offer/service. Don’t settle for basic text fields, also use maximum available ad extensions (see below).
11 – Emphasise What Differentiates You From Others
Make your ads copy more captivating by standing out from your competitors.
To do this, ask yourself the questions below and try to highlight the answers in your ad text.
- What are you doing better or differently from anyone in your industry?
- How many years of experience do you have?
- Have you won awards?
- What makes your brand image unique?
- Do you have sales or special offers?
- ..
12 – Locate Your Ads Copy
People trust more and more local businesses than big names. The proximity of the company to the home or work of the user is a facilitating element of purchase.
Indeed, the customer knows that if he has to return the product or request information, he can do so easily. This is why adding a location to your ad is very important.
So, think about showing user location directly in one of your ad copy heading.
13 – Do Not Sell False Promises In Your Ads Copy
Make sure that your landing page reflects the content of your Search Ad.
If you promise a “30% discount” in your ad copy, you must offer the SAME advantage to the user on your landing page; and not “expired offer” or “5% discount”.
DO NOT use ad text as bait to generate clicks! If you don’t keep the same promise on your landing page then you are just losing money.
14 – Use Ad Extensions Without Moderation !
One mistake that some SEA consultants made is that they consider ad extensions as extras. When in reality, good use of ad extensions becomes a necessity.
More, ad extensions provide additional text information which increases the total space that your ad occupies on the search results page. Therefore, it is an opportunity to be seized.
Here’s the full list of ad extensions available in Google Ads:
15 – Explore Dynamic Ads Features
In addition to ad extensions, there are other features available in Google Ads that help make your ads more tailored.
Below are the three dynamic ad features available on Google Ads. You can trigger this drop-down list by entering an opening brace { in the “Create New Ad” screen.
a) Keyword Insertion
The keyword insertion feature is the most basic version of dynamic / custom ads. It is best used if your campaign structure is not heavily segmented.
b) IF Function
This personalization feature allows you to create “if, then” instructions in the ad text depending on the user’s “device” or the audience to which he belongs.
For example, you can use the IF functions to create a different call-to-action or create a new offer depending on the device or the target audience.
c) Countdown
Finally, countdown timers can be a great way to create urgency in the text ad without the need to update the ad manually every day. All you need to do is fill in the widget below and Google will take care of the rest!
Two points to watch out for:
- It is imperative that the time appearing in the text of the advertisement and the time displayed on the site correspond as much as possible.
- Pay attention to the time zones to avoid that the offer ends too early or is displayed too late in the ad copy.
16 – Always Remember That You Are Talking To People
I invite you to implement the above good practices as much as possible, but don’t forget the reason why you are doing all this: attracting potential customers!
For this reason, always remember that in each ad copy and on each landing page, you are speaking to them.
Tip: Before launching any new Google Ads or landing page, take the test and ask yourself these questions:
- Would I as a customer click on this ad?
- Does the ad / landing page look attractive to me?
- Is the ad content personalised / meaningful, or does it look like stuffed keywords?
- Does the landing page meet the promise defined in the ad text?
17 – Test Your Ads Copy Frequently
Testing your ad copy regularly is the most reliable way to improve the performance of your campaigns. So feel free to create multiple variations of your ad to test the ones that work best with your audience.
Here are some test ideas that you can try:
- Place the CTA in different places
- Compare different CTAs
- Experiment with different numbers and statistics in your ads
- Try different display URLs
- Highlight the different benefits of your product or service
Takeaways
Writing ads copy for Google Ads combines art and science. This requires that you look beyond the ad itself and consider the content of the landing page.
I hope those tips will help you create more effective Ads copy. Don’t hesitate to share your thoughts.
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