With Google Adwords cost per click (CPC) increasing across the board, many advertisers are now placing their adverts in lower positions to reach their targeted ROI. This means that having the right ad text is key as advertisers cannot afford to either lose out on missed clicks which could have generated a sale or waste advertising spend on unsuitable visitors.
The basics to good ad text are simple but all too often many advertisers get this aspect of their PPC campaigns wrong and miss out on the all important click. You can ensure you target your ad text correctly by following a very simple proces.
Writing good ad text in 3 easy steps
- Keyword research
- Product Research.
- Who is your audience? Are you targeting the quick sale with a low-value product or is yours an expensive luxury product with a long buying cycle?
- What do competitors' ads look like? Are other advertisers pushing prices or are they all focusing on free delivery?
- Where does your product sit in the market? Is it a luxury product? Is it a similar offering to your competitors? Is it the cheapest? Understanding these factors are vital when deciding on whether you can use your product's price as its USP. For example, if your product is the most expensive when compared to competitors' products then price is not a USP. Although price is a motivating factor, if your price is not the lowest and your markdown does not provide the greatest financial value, then opting to promote your product's USP may provide a better CTR.
- Writing your ad text.
- Keywords: In point 1 we researched which keywords were driving traffic or sales. With that knowledge in mind, with few exceptions I would place that top keyword in the headline and first description line of the ad text.
- USP: In step 2 we sought to understand the market and where your product sits in that market. The main USP is often the price and if it is you should seek to place it in both the headline and in one of the description lines. If your product's price is not the most competitive, try to find another USP such as free delivery or product features. Remember to check if the product or service features you are emphasising are not in the ad text of your competitors; for example if every advertiser mentions free delivery in their ads, it may be of little benefit to include it in your ad text as well.
- CTA (Call to Action): An important part of any ad text is to give a reason to click the advert. Many advertising platforms ban the use of terms such as ‘click here’, but that does leave room for the use of other strong calls to action. If you have a few characters left at the end of your ad text include a CTA such as ‘Buy Today’ or ‘Buy Now’. If you have more room, phrases such as ‘Order Today and Get Free Delivery’ can often prove a strong call to action.
All good ad text should focus on the most important keywords in your AdGroup. These keywords will either be the main drivers of traffic or will be the keywords that generate the most conversions or revenue.
Understanding your market and competition is key to writing adverts that target your audience and stand out. When reviewing your market to write ad text you should consider the following factors:
For example if you sell ‘Office Chairs’ your target market may be price conscious small business owners. You will want price-focused, call-to-action-heavy ad text. If, however, you are targeting luxury products such as high end kitchens, a single sentence over both description lines (like in the example) may convey your advertising message more effectively.
Even if you offer the same services as other companies it may not be worth mentioning them if all your competitors are doing the same thing. Making your advert standout is key to generating a good click-through rate.
When looking at the search result for "office chairs" we can see that although many advertisers are offering discounts, none are pushing prices in their adverts.
In this example, mentioning the price of your lowed-priced chair item in your ad text may bring better click-through rates than your competitors' ads.
By this point you should have a good understanding of your product, market, competitors and what keywords are important in your campaign. With this information you are finally ready to write your ad text.
Every ad text has 3 main components:
All 3 ingredients have been used to create the ‘Office Chair’ example advert below:
Although there are many other factors to consider when writing good ad text, the above steps are the very basic ingredients for any ad text your write and are key to obtaining that all-important click.
