Pay-per-click advertising is an increasingly attractive option for those wanting to advertise their business online. Google AdWords is my company’s go-to PPC tool for our clients’ and our own advertising (if you need more of a background of Google AdWords, take a look at one of my previous iNoobs posts).
Guide to Writing Great AdWords Copy
PPC advertising is the most effective way to get in front of organic search results on Google – if you’re willing to pay for it. The great thing about AdWords is that it’s often the cheapest and most direct way to reach potential customers online. Although there are many articles and even entire guides to AdWords, this article will show how to effectively write AdWords ads.
The Searcher’s Attention Span
You’ve got approximately 25 headline characters, 70 text characters, and a display URL to work with. GO!
To help you along your AdWords voyage, I’ve put together a guide to help you write the most efficient and effective AdWords copy. You’ve only got 4 lines – you’ve got to make the best of them to get a user’s attention. Why should they pay attention to you?
- Be as specific as possible. Make sure your ads are matching the keywords that are triggering those ads. Some people get lazy and have one generic form of copy and use them for EVERY keyword. Don’t do that. If there are no words relevant to a searcher’s keywords, they are likely to not even notice your ad.
- Include a call-to-action. Always ask something of a searcher. If you simply display information, they will just read and move on. Include phrases such as “Browse our selection now!” or “Book your reservation today.” Choose your call-to-action wisely – you do only have 35 characters for each line of text after all.
- Don’t disregard the Display URL. The Display URL is part of your copy – treat it as such, but don’t forget about Google’s rules. Your Display URL MUST share the same domain name as your Destination URL. To illustrate, I searched “flights to NYC” in Google. Notice how the Display URL is relevant to my search – that’s no accident.
- Watch for mistakes. If you know anything about people on the Internet, it’s that they care about grammar. This should be a no-brainer, but don’t forget to proofread and edit your AdWords copy. Making simple grammar and spelling mistakes could negatively impact your message and company.
- Make your point – and fast. This kind of goes hand-in-hand with being specific, but it’s that important. You’ve only got a short amount of text to grab a user’s attention. Make your point quickly!
Those are some basic foundations to get started with AdWords copywriting, and it will definitely get easier as you experiment more (and having such a short space to write does get easier!).
An AdWords Copy Example
To illustrate my points (and so you don’t think I don’t actually take my own advice), I’m going to give a quick example of some AdWords work for an Atilus client. General Data deals with printer repairs and servicing (among other tech identification services). General Data offers printer parts for the Zebra brand, and we created an ad for this service.
Keyword: Zebra Printer Parts
- This ad is specific. What is a user looking for? Zebra printer parts. The headline asks a direct question that should appeal to the user looking for those parts.
- There is a call-to-action. It helps to include a word that demands urgency such as “today!” or “now!” But remember: Google only allows one exclamation point.
- The Display URL matches the keyword. The words “printer parts” are mentioned 3 times – including the Display URL. Never forget the Display URL!
- There are no errors.
- The point has been made. The goal of this ad is to let a user know that General Data has Zebra printer parts – “We Offer Genuine Zebra Printer Parts and Repair.” All the user has to do now is call.
Do you use Google AdWords for online advertising? Have any tips of your own to share? Leave them in the box below!
image credit: jordachelr / 123RF Stock Photo