Relevance (Ad/Keyword and User Intent)
Through a well-structured paid search account (Account > Campaign > AdGroup > Keyword) writing relevant ad copy should be one of the easiest things to accomplish. Keep in mind the set of keywords that you are bidding on and try to include the high volume ones in your ad copy as well as the different ways people search.
As an example, if not using DKI and running a campaign for Urgent Care centers; you may want to segment Urgent Care Center and Walk-In Center into separate AdGroups. Fundamentally these terms are the same thing, however being able to speak to the individual will increase your chance of receiving the click and defeating the competition.
Fulfilling customer needs and competitive edge
At any given moment, you are fighting for one click with 15+ other organizations (Paid, Location, Organic), speaking to your competitive edge and solving the customer’s problem is crucial to winning each individual click. Concisely (for speed and character limitations) convey your story to make sure the customer knows that they will find their answer immediately after clicking your ad.
Call to action
Let people know that by clicking your ad they are taking the next step to completing an action. This can include a special offer or sale that is being run or simply the broad action that you need them to take (i.e. “sign up” or “download now” or “apply online today”) so that there is a limited chance for miscommunication and advertiser intent. Be straight forward with your potential customers and conversion rates will increase.
Keep it simple. Speak to your customer’s goals. Create a sense of urgency.
Proper use of ad extensions
This is a commonly overlooked but extremely easy way to gain more SERP visibility and increase your ads CTR. When it comes to ad extensions, use them to convey more information about your organization, product or service, contact information, diversity and competitive edge. With limited character limits, ad extensions are a great way to tell more of your story.
Dynamic keyword insertion
Use Dynamic Keyword Insertion (or DKI) to improve the relevancy of your ad copy by inserting the search query into a specified area within your ad (i.e. Headline, Description or Display URL). If used correctly, this advanced technique can drastically improve CTR.
Test ad copy components
Be sure to test your ad copy and always be running variations against each other. Be sure to maintain standard A/B testing best practices and only test one element of the ad at a time (i.e. the CTA in description line 2). Testing will make sure that your ads are always fresh and being optimized to improve the user experience, CTR and ultimately conversions.
- Use keywords to determine user intent
Mirror the customers end goal vs. reiterating why they searched in the first place. There are times for example, where leading ad copy off with a question might make sense; however, for the most part you are wasting precious characters on reiterating the user intent vs. solving their issue.
- Example:
- SQ – KIA dealership near me
- Wasted Headline – Looking for a KIA dealer?
- Ok Headline – Local KIA Dealer
- Better Headline – KIA Dealer Manchester CT
- Keep ads fresh and use time sensitive copy when relevant
Show the user that they are not looking at a spam or outdated ad by including some sort of time or recent event in your ad copy. For example, if your organization is running a 20% off sale for the month of May, do not just write “20% off Sale”, but instead write “20% off Sale during May” or “May 20% off Sale”.
- Be specific and use exacts when appropriate
Similar to using time-related ad copy, the use of specifics will increase the validity of your ad, potentially the sense of urgency and work towards tip #8. If you are writing an ad for a special offer that may be limited to just 100 signups, use it. “First 100 Signups” or dynamically insert based on your database “Just 84 signups left” or “16 people signed up today”. This shows the searcher that your ad is real time and reminds them that they need to act fast in order to get the deal that they are looking for.
- Speak to the individual vs. the group … get personal
The title of this tip explains it all. Everyone appreciates the effort of talking to them directly vs. talking at the group. Use words like “you” and “your” in order to appeal directly to someone (i.e. “Your Step is the Simplest” vs. “The First Step is the Simplest.”
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