Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is a powerful digital marketing strategy for driving leads and customers to your business fast, but a big chunk of its success depends on the quality of your ads. To attract as many clicks as possible, you need great ad copy. Follow these copywriting tips to get more clicks and conversions!
Know Your Target Audience
First, it's vital to understand your audience by stepping into their shoes. Think about the problem they’re facing and the solution they’re searching for.
Writing PPC ads from only your brand's viewpoint won’t win you many customers. Instead, find out what matters most to them and approach ad copy from that perspective.
Speak Directly to Your Audience
Use “you” and “your” in the ad copy to make your audience feel like you're speaking directly to them. Doing this can also make your company appear personable, friendly, and helpful, which can attract more business.
Use Compelling Headlines
The headline of your PPC ad is the first thing that potential customers will see, so it needs to grab their attention and entice them to click. Use strong, compelling language and highlight the unique selling points of your product or service.
Tap Into Emotions
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” — Maya Angelou
Positive and negative emotions are powerful so don’t be afraid to use them in your ad copy. It’s natural for people to want to avoid stress, anxiety, or FOMO (fear of missing out) as well as seek joy, hope, or relief. Whichever emotional trigger you use in the ad, make sure to communicate that your product or service is the solution.
Add Numbers to Draw Attention
Add one or two numbers in your ad copy because statistics and figures draw attention and can increase CTR by making the ad look more authoritative.
You can incorporate numbers in the ad copy by showing the product’s price or advertising a sale. Another option is to use a statistic about your business such as the number of products that have been sold or customers you’ve helped.
Leverage Ad Extensions
Don’t let ad space go to waste — use it all to maximize your ad’s message. In addition to the headline and body copy, remember to leverage ad extensions.
These are additional pieces of information that can be added to your PPC ads, such as a phone number, location, or additional links.
Ad extensions can increase your ad's visibility and relevancy, making it more likely to attract clicks. Experiment with different extensions to see which ones work best for your campaign.
Highlight Unique Selling Points
What makes your product or service different? For example, if your product is made in the United States instead of overseas like many of your competitors, the fact that your product is “Made in America” will set your brand apart.
Sustainable practices and eco-friendly materials are also important to consumers so if your business has those values, mention them in your PPC ad. Brainstorm what makes your business unique and touch on those points in your ad copy.
Use Dynamic Keyword Insertion
Dynamic keyword insertion is a feature in PPC advertising platforms that automatically inserts the keyword that triggered your ad into the ad copy itself. This can make your ad more relevant to the user's search query and increase click-through rates.
Connect with Local Customers
In general, consumers trust
local businesses more than they do faceless corporations. Even if you have multiple locations, you can still work the local business angle by creating separate PPC campaigns.
Run the campaigns for different geographical areas and use geo-targeted keywords for each campaign. Another way to make your business look local is to use a local phone number instead of an 800 number.
Write Strong Calls to Action
A ‘call to action’ (CTA) is anything that directs the audience to take a specific action. Instead of using an overplayed CTA like “Buy Now,” use stronger verbs like “Get” or “Save” to compel your audience to take immediate action.
Test Different Variations
One way to ensure you have great PPC ad copy is through A/B testing (also known as ‘split testing’). By collecting and analyzing data, you’ll be able to see which ads perform better than others so you can optimize your campaign’s performance.
Here are some ad elements to consider for A/B testing:
- Calls to action
- Numbers and statistics
- Display URLs
- Benefit highlights
- Ad extensions
Relying on intuition or guesswork is a surefire way to have mediocre ads at best and poor ads at worst. Split test your ads to ensure they resonate with your audience and increase your return on investment.
Monitor and Optimize
Once your PPC ads are live, monitor their performance and make adjustments as needed. Keep an eye on key metrics such as click-through rate, conversion rate, and cost per click, and make optimizations to improve your ad copy and generate a stronger response.
Boost Clicks and Conversions on Your PPC Ads
Writing great PPC ad copy is crucial for maximizing advertising efforts. By carefully crafting compelling and enticing ad copy, businesses can capture the attention of their target audience and entice them to click on their ads.
Not only does this increase website traffic but it also improves the chances of converting those clicks into valuable leads and customers.
Editor's Note: This post was originally published in May 2020 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.