Powerful PPC ads are an essential building block of all successful Google ads campaigns. Writing PPC ads that can attract, engage and ultimately convert your audience is no easy feat, but hopefully these tips from our PPC and copywriting experts at VIZION Content will help you master the format.
Back to basics: What are PPC ads?
Before we start looking into writing PPC ads, let’s go back to basics – what are PPC ads? A PPC ad is a paid advertisement placement on search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo.
9 times out of 10, Google Ads are the first thing that users see at the top of the results page when they type a specific keyword into the search bar. The top results are from businesses paying for their site to be displayed before any other results. PPC allows businesses to cut through the noise and gain visibility online – anyone who wants to increase their brand awareness and generate sales can seriously benefit from running a well optimised Google Ads PPC campaign.
Our top PPC tips for copywriters: Mastering Google ads copy and landing pages
If you’re a copywriter just getting started with paid advertising and ad copy creation, you’ll need to be aware of some general best practice techniques. Knowing how to use Google Ads effectively starts with understanding your buyer’s journey, looking at insights from any previous campaigns and finding ways to capitalise on any opportunities for great results. Of course, with an expert digital marketing agency behind you, this detailed analysis and strategy work can all be taken care of.
Tip 1: Write PPC ad copy that is optimal for your chosen campaign type
Your copy should be optimal for your chosen campaign type – each campaign type comes with its own set of rules and best practices; pay particular attention to character count limitations, CTA placement and length, and do some examination of the content your competitors are putting out there already, so you know what you’re competing with before you write a single line.
There are multiple PPC ad campaign types to choose from, including:
Search
Display
Video
App
Shopping
Tip 2: Optimise the copy and layout of your PPC landing pages
For a great ad to do what it’s intended to do (convert your prospects), it needs to direct traffic to a well-optimised landing page that includes a clear call to action and useful information about your product or service. Without a quality landing page, a portion of your PPC advertising spend will go to waste, because you will not be able to maximise conversions.
The content you include on your PPC landing page page will depend on who your prospect is and where they are in the buyer’s journey.
Tip 3: Ensure keywords are used thoughtfully in your PPC ad copy
We highly recommend having a PPC expert conduct your keyword research, but if you’re going it alone, you must keep in mind your target audience and brand goals. If the keywords you are using for your ads are too broad (or too narrow), you’re unlikely to get anywhere. Remember, paid advertising on Google is highly competitive, and there will likely be other businesses with larger budgets bidding on your best keywords. To find a way in, you need to develop a full understanding of your audience and research similar key terms that will allow you to appear at the right place at the right time.
Tip 4: Make sure your Google ads copy highlights important USPs
This might seem like an obvious one, but you’d be surprised at the number of businesses using PPC ads who do not capitalise on their USPs in their ad copy. Google Ads need to be short and sweet, but they also need to include enough information to entice your potential customers. Knowing your USPs inside out will allow you to stand out from the crowd (and believe us, in the world of PPC it’s a pretty big crowd) and also make the most out of the small word count you’ll be allocated in your ads.
Whether your brand is affordable, luxury, offers free delivery, allows you to book a free consultation or has great money-saving offers, this information needs to be at the core of your ad. Make sure your copy is always reminding the reader why they should choose YOU.
Tip 5: Include statistics or key facts in your PPC landing pages and ads
A great technique in any advertising copy is to use numbers and statistics to persuade your audience that a) you know what’s what and b) you have the perfect solution to their problem. As well as a USP, you should try to squeeze in some kind of statistic (whether it’s money off, a percentage saving or 10/10 buyers recommend). Anything along those lines is sure to help you cut through the noise and generate quality conversions.
Tip 6: Write for your audience
This goes hand-in-hand with understanding the buyer’s journey – knowing what your target audience wants to hear is key if you’re looking to increase conversions. With an expert PPC ads agency on your side, you’ll be able to use high performing keywords directly related to the search patterns of your audience, meaning you can target them at the right place and at the right time.
Before you start writing PPC ads, ask yourself what your prospects will want to hear.
Tip 7: Use A B testing to optimise your PPC ad copy
By testing different versions of your Google Ads copy, you’ll be able to understand which features are working and which need improvements. It could be the structure of your headline, your CTA, the landing page you’re linking to… whatever it is, after a few rounds of tests you should be able to have it nailed.
Tip 8: Always add a CTA
This goes without saying – when writing PPC ads on Google or any other platform, you need to have a strong CTA. Without that, your ads barely stand a chance of driving conversions! Giving readers the incentive to click by using imperative verbs, for example “buy now” “call today” “sign up for free”, makes a huge difference – when people are browsing online they tend to respond well to easy, actionable instructions. For more information on how you can craft your killer call to action, take a look at this helpful post from HubSpot.
If you’re new to marketing or haven’t tried a PPC campaign before, it can be difficult to grasp some of the best practices. For optimum results, a specialist PPC agency is without doubt the way to go. At VIZION Content, we can take care of the long, complicated tasks such as keyword research and strategising, and can also help craft PPC ads on Google and across other channels to help increase your conversions and ROI!
VIZION Content's team of professional marketeers can help turn your goals and ideas into high-quality, valuable marketing content. Get in touch with us today.