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How to write effective PPC ad copy

PPC can be a highly profitable channel, and much of your ROI will depend on the quality and relevance of your ad copy.

Writing effective ad copy is often trickier than it seems . You need to really understand your target audience for it to resonate with them and encourage them to click.

There are a number of best practices you can follow to improve the quality of your copy. We’re going to take you through our top tips to help your PPC ads achieve the results that you’re looking for.

Know your target market  

Use your ad copy to provide potential customers with a quick solution to their query. If you can do that, then your ad will stand out on SERP’s. We suggest putting yourself in your ideal customer’s shoes by considering their search habits and what would entice them to click.

Create a buyer persona – in other words, visualise one ideal customer in terms of their interests, hobbies, demographics and search habits. Then, you’ll be able address this type of customer directly.

If somebody feels like they are being spoken to, then chances are they will be more drawn to your ad. Using words like “you” and “your” rather than just “us” and “ours” will help you come across as helpful and personable.

Use emotional triggers

Triggering an emotional response within your ads is a smart way to make it memorable. A prime example would be cosmetics suppliers who often pick out common problems and offer an easy fix within their products. You can also use positive emotions like hopefulness and relief – if these can resonate with your brand, then you’re likely to drive results.

Use numbers

Your click-through-rates are likely to increase if you can grab your audience’s attention with a number – it’s a quick way of providing useful information and can be more eye-catching than just words.

We suggest including a price, sale or a unique statistic like how many customers you’ve helped so far. It’s best to put this number in your headline to ensure it stands out.

Tip: Exact numbers tend to come across as more honest and reliable than rounded numbers. 

Have a unique selling point

If you want to stand out amongst competitors, then you’ll need a unique selling point (USP).

Your USP should be concise and straight to the point while encouraging users to find out more about what you do as a business.

If you’re unsure what your USP is, we’ve listed a few ideas to get you thinking:

  • Have you won any awards?
  • Are you running any special offers or promotions?
  • Do you have a unique brand image?
  • What does your business do differently to others in the industry?

Use a strong call-to-action

A call-to-action (CTA) is a key part of your ad copy because it can lead customers directly to your campaign goal. There are plenty of options to choose from, for example: 

  • Apply here
  • Subscribe
  • Watch more
  • Download now

Try to cater to your target audience whilst still being creative. Your CTA (as with most things in PPC) should be unique to your brand. Let’s say your goal is to drive more site traffic, you could use words that will encourage a user to click-through, such as “Save with us today” rather than “Buy now”. We’ve got more information on writing an effective CTA here.

Use your location

People often favour a local business, and of course, using your location in your ad copy will make you stand out to nearby customers.

If your company has multiple locations, you can create separate PPC campaigns for different geographical areas by using location-based terms for each campaign. If you don’t want to add a location, you could still use a local phone number in your ad copy which can have a similar effect.

Remove customer objections

Drawing attention to customer objections can be effective, because it shows that you are confident in what you can do for your customers.

If you can think of a potential complaint or concern about your product, service or selling points, and then address them in your ad – you’ll be pre-empting any customer hesitations.

An example of this could be referring to a guarantee you have on an expensive product or even stating that there are no hidden costs when using your service. These are things that people may be sceptical of when purchasing.

Removing objections like this before they arise is a way of eradicating potential reasons for a user not to click on your ad. This is also a great way to show a prospective customer that they can trust your business.

Use the space provided

We always try to make the most out of the character space offered by Google Ads. Instead of being short of characters – try to come up with more valuable information that you might have missed.

Remember to use ad extensions that can display further relevant information to make you stand out on SERP’s.

Frequently test your ads

Regular testing is an essential part of your PPC campaign management. The more data you’re able to collect on your ads, the easier you’ll find it to adjust your strategy in the right way. A/B testing comes in different forms and could be something as little as changing font colour or style. A few more examples include:

  • Move your call to action around or try a new CTA
  • Experiment with different display URLs
  • Include new numbers (price, statistic, local phone number)
  • Highlight a different benefit or special offer

A/B tests will help you to understand what works with your target customers – and how to adjust your PPC ads going forward.

Going forward

The messaging in your ad copy will depend on your audience, industry, and what you’re hoping to achieve from your PPC campaign.

Although there is no rule book when it comes to writing ad copy – following these best practices and understanding your audience will undoubtedly help to strengthen your ads.

If you have any more questions or want to write more profitable PPC copy, get in touch.