Writing World-Class Google Ad Copy Isn't Magic – Here's How.

1. Be specific and concise

Google Ads doesn’t give you much space to write compelling copy – usually you’ve got about 30 characters in your heading and 90 characters in your description. But a small word count doesn’t mean that your copy has small importance. In fact, it’s the opposite. Every single character you use counts. You’ve got no room for flourishes and inessential words. 

Instead, keep your copy concise and specific. Concise means cutting out all the extra bits and boiling your content down to the juicy good stuff that matters most. Specific means being clear about your products, services, offers and benefits. Use words that are sharp and precise, not vague and dull. Numbers and stats are a good option if they’re relevant to your ad.

2. Mention your keyword

People are more likely to click on your ad when they know it’s relevant to their search. Using the right keywords or search terms in your ad copy shows people that if they click on your ad, they’re going to find what they’re looking for. 

Referring to the search term will also boost your quality score, which can have benefits for your ad ranking and cost per click. We recommend putting your target keywords in both the headlines and descriptions – but keep it natural. You still need to sound trustworthy and engaging.

3. Focus on solutions

Show your audience how you’re going to solve their problems and you’re more likely to win their attention. Instead of listing all the features of your service, focus on immediately showing how your service will get the customer exactly what they’re looking for.

Start with your heading – this is the place to mirror the user’s end goal by offering a solution for what they're searching for. For example, if someone is searching “cash for cars”, they’re probably looking to get rid of an old car – and earn some cash while they’re at it. Your heading could read something like: “Get Cash For Your Car Fast”, “We Pay Top Money For Your Car” or “Cash For Cars in 1 Hour – Free PickUp”.

4. Highlight your unique benefits

With hundreds of other search results jostling for a Google user’s attention, how are you going to stand out? You’ve got to highlight your unique selling points – or the unique benefits you offer your audience. These are the things that set you apart from competitors and pique the interest of Google users.

Here are some examples:

• Highlight any specials, deals or offers you have, such as “15% Off Your First Purchase” or “Free for 14 Days”
• Point out the benefits of your service, for example “24/7 Customer Support” or “Obligation-Free Quote”
• Touch on your unique selling points, such as “Quick Installation” or “Fast & Easy”
• Mention key awards or achievements, such as “50+ 5 Star Reviews” or “Award-Winning Service”

5. Maximise all extensions

Google offers a number of ad extensions which add key business information to your ad such as a business address, phone number, star rating or links to other pages of your website. Ad extensions are free, and they can increase your click through rate and help you gain a competitive edge over other businesses. 

You should maximise all the applicable ad extensions every time you make an ad – especially for Responsive Search Ads. Why? 

1. Firstly, it frees up your headlines and descriptions so you’ve got more space to focus on your unique selling points and benefits. You don’t need to list your phone number or address in the ad description if it’s already included in an extension.
2. Secondly, extensions take up more space, giving your ad more real estate on the page. Google will use up to four extensions on any given ad auction – and the more room your ad takes up, the more impact potential it has.
3. Finally, ad extensions make your ads more compelling to Google users because you’re giving them so much more information up front. It’s a good way of attracting higher quality leads.

6. Address your target audience

It’s crucial that you optimise your ads for your target audience. That means using language, information and key facts that appeal to their needs and interests. In most cases, it’s best to address your audience directly by using “you” and “your” in your ad copy – this is so much more engaging and personal than third person language “him/her/they”.

7. Include a call to action

A call to action (CTA) is your way of telling the Google user what steps they should take next. Ads with clear, actionable CTAs perform better than ads that don’t have a CTA at all. Whether you want your audience to sign up for a free trial, get an obligation-free quote or free consult – make sure you clearly show the next step they should take. CTA’s are a crucial part of knowing how to write Google ad copy.

8. Create a sense of urgency

People are more likely to take action immediately when there’s a sense of urgency involved. For example, they’re more likely to sign up to a free trial when it’s only available this week – and they’re more likely to purchase an item if it’s only on sale today. Consider creating a sense of urgency in your ads by using words like “Now” and “Today”. Countdown timers can also be a great way to increase urgency in your ads.

9. Match your ad to your landing page

Your ad doesn’t exist on its own – it’s simply the starting point of a journey a potential customer has with your business. Your ad copy may entice someone to click on your ad, but if your landing page is of poor quality or irrelevant you’ve already lost your lead. Remember that Google uses relevance as a measure of your ad’s success. Ensure that your ad copy is in line with the messaging on your landing page and vice versa – that way you can take potential customers on a smooth journey from start to finish.

Need to optimise your landing page content? Check out these content tips.

10. Add testimonials and reviews

Social proof works wonders when you’re trying to win potential customers. Consider including testimonials, product reviews and star ratings in your Google ads to show potential customers that you’re trustworthy and a great investment.

11. Conduct competitor analysis

Your ad copy may be written really well, but if it doesn’t stand out from the crowd of other ads that show up, you might have a hard time winning clicks. That’s where competitor research comes in. Take a look at what other businesses are doing when it comes to their ad copy, noting down the pain points, unique selling points and other techniques they’re using. Your goal is to try and one-up them. Ask yourself: how can I take it one step further to show customers we’re the best in the business?

12. Get location specific

If you’re a business with a physical store, studio or shopfront, get location specific with your ads – it’ll do wonders pulling in a local audience. Add locations like “Adwords Management Perth”, “Footscray Family Dentist” or “Byron Bay Yoga Studio” to your headlines and you’ll see a rise in the quality of your leads.

13. Check for errors

A simple tip for any copy your business puts out is to always check for factual errors as well as spelling and grammar mistakes. Blunders like spelling a word wrong, using the wrong tense or misquoting a statistic can all compromise the trustworthiness and authority of your business. Also, make sure you’re following Google’s capitalisation and punctuation rules.

14. Test what works

Experimenting and testing your ad copy for the sweet spot is an essential part of running Google search ad campaigns. Without testing, how do you know what performs the best? 

A/B split testing is a great tool that any advertiser can use to monitor and optimise their ads. It involves running two ads that are essentially the same – except for one key difference. For example, you could change the order of your copy, the specific wording you use or the particular benefits you list. By collecting the results of the two ads over a few weeks, you can see if one outperforms the other. Then you can use this information to optimise your ads and keep doing more of what works. 

Also read: How to calculate ROI on a marketing campaign.