If you already know how the Google AdWords system works and have some knowledge about the general practice of creating and placing ads for your business if you’re familiar with the various functions and key features that can help your ads stand out from the crowd, and if you also have a genuine interest in learning more about what works best for your target audience (and why), then creating a successful Google AdWords campaign really isn’t that difficult.
In fact, most of the hard part is already done.
That leaves only one thing remaining: to write good ads copy. It’s as simple as this; the better your copy, the better your conversion. In this article, we’ll get into exactly how you can make an amazing ad copy.
Have a success metric
Like when you’re writing content for your website, it’s always good to have a goal in mind and make sure that goal is communicated. I recommend doing this with every ad copy you write.
And on the same note, keeping track of how many people click on your ads is a good indicator of their effectiveness. Your success metric can be whatever you want, but it should be measurable.
When we write ads for our clients, our goal is to make sure the ad attracts a big enough number of clicks to get them what they want. Also as fast and well as possible – which is conversions.
We track the number of clicks on each ad, and if the amount of clicks is lower than we want (for that particular ad in its current form) then we start refining it until we get more clicks.
(Note: For the purposes of this article, let’s assume you have a general idea about what kind of results you want to achieve from your ads. We’ll discuss this goal in greater detail later).
When it comes to writing Google ad copy, almost everything is measurable. We can count the number of clicks on each of your ads, and we can also measure how many visitors have converted (for certain keywords) after clicking on an ad (how many leads we can generate per ad).
In other words: If you know what your google ads copy will be used for and what you want them to achieve, then writing a Google ad copy is really just about turning that goal into something measurable.
When it comes to AdWords, the most important thing in your ad copy should be the message or promise you’re making.
And make sure people know they can “get” whatever it is you’re promising them by clicking on your ad.
Examples of Success Metrics
Google AdWords ads for an eCommerce store (like Flip Flop Shops): “Get 15% off when you buy two items”. This goal is easy to measure: simply count how many people buy two items from you after having clicked on an ad.
Using Google AdWords ads for a B2B service could be to get more leads: “Get 3 free trials of our software when you fill out the form” (or something similar). This one can also translate into conversions in days, weeks, or months: count how many people fill out a form after clicking on an ad.
Use B2C ads to attract more customers: “Get 10% off when you spend $100 at our store” (or something similar). This one is more difficult to measure; most people won’t know if they’re going to spend $100 or not until they get there. So you may have to give them a day or two to complete the purchase after clicking on an ad (but more about this later).
But, if your business is B2C then you can still implement this kind of measurement. Instead of tracking how much a person spends at your store after clicking on an ad, you can track how many people have completed the purchase after a couple of days. That means they’re convinced enough by your ad to make the purchase in the first place.
Write them in the first person
Google AdWords ad copy should be in the first person (with a few exceptions, which I’ll mention below). Your ads should address people as if they’re already customers of yours.
This is because when you write an ad that makes people feel like they’re already customers, they will be much more receptive to your messaging
It’s human psychology: people are more open to a message when it sounds like someone is talking directly to them.
In other words, they feel like you’re already talking to them and that makes the ad credible.
Google Ads Copy should emphasize benefits, not features.
Benefits tend to sound more persuasive than features. Ask yourself if your ad really talks about what the customer will get from clicking on it (not just why they should click on it). If not, then you’d want to rewrite that section of your ad copy.
“Get Free Shipping on all orders over $50!”
That message doesn’t seem like it offers a benefit. It sounds more like a fact. Compare that to the following, which emphasizes a benefit:
“Free shipping on all orders over $50!”
This one sounds more promising. It sounds like you’re already offering free shipping (which the previous example doesn’t mention) and that it’s up to the customer to decide whether they want to buy over $50 or not within your site.
Although you want your ads to sound as if they’re already about someone who’s a customer, in some cases it can sound too salesy. So you might not want to use the first person (we) when you’re promoting something that’s not a core part of your business (like seasonal discounts).
Promise Something People Can “Get” By Clicking On Your Ad
First, ask yourself this question: what do people get when they click on your ad? What’s their reward for clicking on it? Why would anyone want to click on your ad? What could you promise them that would be appealing? Here are a few examples:
- A discount (discounts are great for both B2B and B2C businesses).
- Something free, like a sample, or a trial
- An update about the latest news in your industry; is especially effective when your industry is quite “gossipy” or involves rumors, like fashion or film.
- You can tell people about a new product you have (or update your old one).
In other words, what would entice them to click on your ad? When deciding whether to use this strategy for your business, ask yourself the following questions:
- Is it valuable enough to be worth giving away for free in exchange for them clicking on an ad?
- Can you let people know about it by promoting it through your usual channels?
If the answer to both of those questions is no, then this might not be a good strategy for your business.
Don’t make promises that are too vague or general
It’s an easy trap to fall into. You want people to think that they’re going to get something, so you make it sound as enticing and tempting as possible.
But this is bad for a few reasons:
If it’s too vague, people won’t know what they’re getting.
They’ll think that you’re tricking them into entering your site or signing up for something and that the message is misleading.
If you’re promising something vague, people will be less likely to take action.
Why? Because it’s not specific enough. There’s no urgency to act: they don’t have an idea of what they’ll get if they click on your ad (or how much this “something” is worth).
You’re not the only one who can promise a reward for clicking on an ad. Your competitors might be doing the same! So you’ll have to find something more appealing and unique than what they’re offering.
What are your competitors doing?
Look at ads that are appearing for your targeted keywords before writing your own, and see what your competitors are doing.
Are they using this strategy? If so, then you’ll have to come up with a better offer to compete with them.
Grab Attention With A Compelling Headline And Lead-In Line
This is your chance to hook the readers’ interest, enticing them to keep on reading through your ad copy. Let’s take a look at some examples:
That’s why the best way to write ad copy is to find an emotional benefit your product or service offers.
Google AdWords ads are all about value. In fact, people don’t buy from you because they like your website or even love your product (of course all these
Who is your customer?
Google ad copywriting is all about understanding your customer and appealing to him or her on a deep level. To do that, you have to know exactly who your target customers are.
Here are some questions to get you started:
- What words do your customers use when they talk about the issue or problem that you solve for them?
- What language do your customers use? Do they tend to talk about themselves as “we” or “I”? Or do they generally refer to their group of friends, family, employees, etc?
- What’s the tone of voice most of your customers adopt when talking about this issue or problem? Is it professional or unprofessional, serious or casual?
- How old are your customers? You don’t have to target the age group that is typical to the issue you’re trying to solve, but you should know if there’s a typical and average age. Are most of them in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, or beyond?
Creating effective ad copy is about appealing to the needs and desires of your customers.
What does your customer want?
Remember that they’re not using this product for functional reasons.
They might be doing it to make them feel something special or unique (and thus, better than everyone else).
They might buy this type of thing as a gift for someone special in their lives, like a significant other, a child, or another family member.
Or they buy it to have as part of their everyday life but not exactly for the function that people think it should have.
So you have to know what makes your customers tick if you want them to click on your ads and buy from you.
Have a Unique Selling Point
So before writing any ad copy for a product or service, stop for a moment to think about why this particular product is worth it.
What features does it have that make it stand out from its competitors? Look for the most remarkable features that your customers will find interesting and appealing.
Is it designed especially to help their specific demographic group in some way? Does it offer something that no other product or service can offer, at least not for any cheaper price than yours?
What is a feature of your product or service that you can promote to your target audience, and that will make it more appealing than any of your competitors’ products or services?
Having a unique selling point really gives potential customers to press that “purchase” button.
Examples of unique selling points:
“The milk chocolate melts in your mouth, not in your hand.” – M&Ms.
“When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.” – FedEx Corporation.
“A diamond is forever.” – Debeers
Keywords, keywords, keywords
Keywords are a bit different with Google ads than something like a blog post or web copy, you have to echo the user’s search words.
I can hear you saying, “That’s why I’m writing ad copy! Because people are searching for specific keywords related to my product or service!”
That’s correct.
Use those very relevant keywords in your ads.
Not only do they tell people why this product is worth buying over its competitors (read more about it above), it increases your Quality Score.
Google’s Quality Score is an algorithm that determines how relevant your ad is to what people search for, and it’s based on click-through rate, cost per click, the keyword match types of your keywords in the two landing pages – specific and broad.
Increasing ads relevancy tends to increase your Quality Score.
To optimize for keywords is to make them part of a complete sentence (or several sentences) that says something about what you do, who you serve, and how your product or service offers a solution to their problem.
That’s why keywords are such an important part of ad copywriting.
It all comes down to attracting the right people through your ads and capturing them with persuasive language, so they’re interested in learning more about you and what you have to offer.
Be clear, concise, and specific
You need to remember that the type of people that will click on your ads are looking for something very specific.
They’re looking for a specific product or service that is being sold by a very specific business.
That’s why we remember the search query, your ad copy has to mirror the search query of the consumers looking for your business.
For example, if you’re looking for a restaurant that serves seafood in my state, you’ll search “restaurants with seafood in new york.” If I see an ad copy like “Best Seafood,” my eyes will skip right over it.
Google will assume that you only have one restaurant with the same name, or it was a mistake.
But if you see an ad copy like “Restaurants in NYC serve seafood, find the best this will draw our eyes to it because you’re looking for restaurants in New York City that serve seafood.
It raises relevancy because it tells me what you want to know. That’s the type of thing you need to do when you write ad copy.
This will increase the relevancy of your ads, increase CTR and conversions, which will increase your Ad Score.
Have a relevant call to action
This is as important as the beginning of your ad copy. You need to tell people what you want them to do when they read your ads, click on them, like, share or respond to in some way.
A good example of a call to action would be “Download the free guide.” It tells people why they should click on your ad and what you want them to do.
You need to be specific, clear, and concise about that so people know exactly why they should take action. The more specific the call to action is, the better it will attract the right people.
What do you want the reader to do when they see your ads?
Should they call someone?
Reply to an email address?
Should they click on a link?
Or should they call the business?
Use psychological triggers to motivate action (but don’t overdo it)
The main point here is that you need to understand what motivates people and use those psychological triggers in your ad copy.
One of the most common triggers used in advertisement and marketing is fear of missing out (FOMO).
This technique makes a person feel as if they are missing something, or that something important could happen and they will miss it.
It’s very common, but it is not the only psychological trigger that you can use in your ad copy because there are several other triggers that you can also experiment with to see which works best for you and your business.
Leverage testimonials
Testimonials are one of the oldest, most tried, and most effective marketing tactics of all time.
It’s the highest form of social proof. The more trust that you build with a potential customer, the more likely they are to become your paying customer.
That’s why testimonials are so powerful in ad copywriting because they show people that others have made a decision to go with you, and it gives them actionable proof that your business is the right choice for them.
Testimonials should be short and to the point. You can use an image of a person showing their face and a testimonial of the product they’ll be purchasing from you.
You can also use a video testimonial from Youtube and/or Facebook because this is the most compelling way for people to see how others were able to benefit from your product or service.
Having a testimonial also lets people know that, if they don’t purchase your product or service, they’ll miss out on the benefits that people included in your testimonial section have already experienced.
Testimonials will help with improving your CTR, brand awareness, and conversions. You need to take advantage of this advertising tactic whenever possible because it is one of the best ways to improve your sales.
Appeal to emotions (but don’t be too emotional).
Everyone likes to feel something strong when they read an ad, and it makes them want to take action.
This is why you can use things like humor, fear, or sympathy when writing your ad copy (as long as you don’t come off too cheesy). You’ve likely heard the phrase “laughter is the best medicine,” which means that dark humor works well because it cuts through all of the seriousness and brings light to a situation.
Using humor in your ad copy is also effective because it can make you seem more human; which gives people the impression that they could relate to you if they worked with you or bought from your business.
But don’t overdo it because no one likes a cheesy Ad Copywriter, and here’s an example of what I mean: “Hands up everybody who has a terminal disease? No?! Why not? You should! Because you’ll want to buy this product when it gets here!”
That’s too much. It doesn’t give any serious information about the product or service, and it also makes fun of people who have terminal illnesses.
Test out the humor in your ad copy and see if it works for you. You can try different types of humor to see which type gets better results: dark, situational, or self-deprecating. Then implement that humor on the same type of ads over and over to be able to compare CTR’s and conversions.
Conclusion
Now that you’ve read this article, I hope to see one of your Ad Copies on the first page of Google. If there’s anything else that you’d like to learn about writing ads or converting traffic into a higher amount of sales and leads then let me know in the comments section below.
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