13 proven tips: this is how PPC ad copy is written

PPC advertising is an excellent way of bringing prospective customers to your site. But how do you make sure as many users as possible click the ad and are relevant at the same time? 

Everyone wants to raise the click-through rate and, not least, lower advertising costs. Ad copy is a prospective customer's first contact with your brand or products, so do not spoil it at the introduction. Below we will introduce the basic practices worth leaning on, whether you write the ad copy yourself or with artificial intelligence's help. 

And the best is at the end - a practical aid that will simplify the often unloved writing of copy for responsive search ads. 

The keyword in the headline, but in the description too

This point is essential for raising ads' relevance and quality score. We recommend adding the keyword to 3 headlines and 2 descriptions. 

Watch out for the opposite extreme - repeatedly using the same keyword in most of the ad copy. Such an ad can feel like spam. We do not write ad copy only to satisfy the system — we want to speak to our prospective customers as naturally as possible.  

In accounts with plenty of keywords we suggest using dynamic keyword insertion in the copy. To open the option, type a curly bracket at ad editing level:

Creativity at any cost? 

Overly sophisticated copy at any cost can sometimes be counterproductive. Focus on what the user needs. If someone is looking for "pink linen dress", show them a "pink linen dress".  

Do not address your target group, speak as they do

A communication style and terminology that resonates with the target audience is an excellent way of coming across as credible. If you sell car components, avoid infantile communication and feel free to use the technical jargon your target group will certainly appreciate.

Filter out irrelevant traffic through "self-assessment"

Costs per click keep rising and every click counts. That is why it matters to bring genuinely relevant traffic to the site, and besides properly chosen keywords, suitably chosen ad copy can help considerably with that. 

Giving important information and attributes of a product or service is a good way of making sure prospective customers "qualify" themselves and find out whether the product or service is meant for and suits them.

If you promote a service meant only for companies, do not forget to mention it in the copy, for instance in the following way:

"A coffee supplier for your company"

"Quality coffee for companies"

"Order coffee for your company"

Use CTAs (calls to action)

The good old rule that really does hold. Use activating communication and simply tell users what you want from them: 

"Register today"

"Order from the new collection"

"Buy with a 15% discount"

Communicate USPs (unique selling propositions)

The rise of artificial intelligence and automatic copy generation is very convenient, but watch out for overly generic content. Consider what sets you apart from the competition and what might motivate prospective customers to click your ad:

"Free delivery"

"Chat available 24/7"

"Great Taste Awards winner"

Give specific numbers

Numbers, and specific ones at that, give copy credibility. Instead of "More than 200 courses on offer" rather use "225 courses on offer". If you want to promote ongoing discounts in an e-shop, instead of "discounts on summer footwear" a better choice will certainly be "25% off summer footwear". 

What about variable discounts? We recommend not using a range: "Footwear with discounts of 25 - 75%", but a single value too: "Footwear with discounts of up to 75%". With a range people tend to assume most discounts are only at the 25% level.

Focus on solving problems and on the result

Help users identify with you and break the monotony of search results. If you offer creams for mature skin, besides copy such as "The best anti-ageing creams" you can bring in, for instance: "Fresh skin in just 30 days". 

Use as many extensions as possible

Extend your ad space, push the competition lower and show further relevant information. When you promote a discount, besides the promotion extension use sitelink extensions too - you never know whether and which extension will show. Do not forget image extensions. 

Try FOMO (fear of missing out)

This is a marketing tactic emphasising exclusivity, a time-limited offer or limited quantity, which creates in consumers a fear of missing out on something exceptional and unique. 

FOMO prompts fast decisions. This tactic is often used with time-limited promotions. For the FOMO effect it is excellent to add a countdown to the copy (see Countdown below), which takes your ad copy to a higher level.

Do not underestimate the weight of social proof

Social proof is used to raise a brand's or product's credibility by showing how other people use, endorse and recommend it. This includes customer reviews, recommendations from influencers, follower counts on social media and so on.

Play with various copy lengths

Test various lengths so that your ads can show on various screen sizes without words being cut off at the end. It is not essential to use up the whole character allowance in every case.

Use optimised ad rotation

If you have several ads in an ad group, let Google decide which ads get their turn so as to raise CTR.

And finally - the promised aid for simple, effective writing of responsive search ads:

We hope our copywriting tips are useful to you. Do not forget every proper PPC person's credo, though: NEVER STOP TESTING. Because without testing you simply never find out what really works. ?