By Gregory Smyth
Why Ad Copy Matters in Paid Search Marketing
Most of the mechanics of paid search engine marketing are beneath the consumers’ radars. Your prospects do not care that you paid for Google ads, which keywords you chose (aside from those they typed), which analytics program you are using to tabulate results, nor your objectives for your campaign. And honestly speaking, they do not care. The only thing the customers care about is that you will solve their problems or help them reach their goals.
Your only means of conveying that help is your ad copy, but that’s still one of the most overlooked parts of a campaign. Great ad copy speaks directly to your customer’s needs, improves your Google Ads Optimization Score, and could greatly enhance your ROI. Great copy’s the only part of your campaign that your leads actually do see, so you need it if your campaign’s going to do its job.
Learning the Basics of Ad Copywriting
Learning copywriting as a craft is a great place to start creating ads that convert. What feels like a short paragraph of copy actually has more oomph than do many of the longer-form contents. Only a handful of words within an ad require careful word choice, testing, and uniformity with both best practices of performance marketing and SEO mandates. Rock-solid foundations of persuasive writing will set you apart before you ever commence with the writing.
Using Keywords Effectively in Ad Copy
In order to write high-performing ad copy, include the search words or terms themselves within your ads. When users see their actual search terms displayed within your headline or description, they click more. Google also highlights those matching words in bold within ad results, separating your copy from the pack. Make certain your highest-priority terms appear in the headline, then repeat them organically throughout body copy wherever possible. This not only gets you more clicks but also propels your ad towards a higher Optimization Score by boosting ad relevance.
Writing Ads That Convert
Researchers have shown that most users make up their mind about whether they will click on an ad in a few nanoseconds. That’s why highlighted terms on your Google Ads play such an outsized role. When it comes to your actual readers of copy, there are additional factors at play: your ad has to be relevant to the search term, consistent with the landing page that your ad directs users to, and avoid seeming too pushy. Make your competitive strengths prominent and vigorously communicate your product’s or service’s value proposition.
If you’re advertising with a digital agency or you’re doing your campaigns in-house, you already know which of your landing pages converts best. Instead of attempting to force your ad copy onto your landing page, create your landing page copy to echo your ads’ keywords. Since most users decide within seconds of landing whether a page meets their needs, repeated and relevant keywords will convince them they’re on the right page. These best practices not only optimize conversion rates but also optimize Google’s Optimization Score, which will reduce costs per click and refine your overall campaign optimization.
