This document provides training on writing effective ad copy for pay-per-click (PPC) advertising campaigns. It covers topics such as unique challenges of ad copy, benefit vs description lines, using unique selling propositions, writing ad copy using a step-by-step blueprint, testing techniques, and best practices. The training is part of a larger PPC training series that has previously covered keyword research, campaign setup, and advanced tools.
4. Special Considerations
• Limited space
• Editorial Guidelines
• Its the first step in the conversion funnel
(Persuasion = KPI = CTR ) with your
Customers
• Not mean to make the sale
• Think cascading waterfall - ad leads to
page, page leads to headlines, headlines lead
5. Insider Tips
• Your keywords must match your ads
• core principle to the entire process
• When you find keyword which don’t match
(based on results)
6. Insider Tips
• Pause current word, move to new ad group
• Start over with a new message that
matches the keyword-intent exactly.
• Note: this is fundamental to the “Go-Wide,
Then-Deep” campaign deployment tactic
• Doesn’t apply as much when keyword and
ad groups are 1-to-1 matching
10. Google Ad Copy
Mechanics
• Headline - Keyword or Benefits
• Description 1 - Benefit
• Description 2 - Feature
Display URL - Proper Domain + Keyword
11. Ad Copy - Benefit vs.
Description Lines
• Feature
• What it does
• What is made out of
12. Ad Copy - Benefit vs.
Description Lines
• Benefit
• Outcome - What You’ll get from using it
• Resolution - The problem it solves
• Potential - The ambition it will fulfill
13. Ad Copy - Benefit vs.
Description Lines
• Examples
• Huge inventory - one stop shopping
• Widest selection - find stuff you can’t get
elsewhere
• Discounted price - save money
• Free shipping - save money
15. Unique Solution Selling
in Google Ad Copy
• Unique Selling Proposition
• What is exclusive and unique to you?
• Meet the customer where they are
• Don’t assume how much your customer
knows about their problem
16. Unique Ad#1
Solution Selling
in Google Ad
Example Ads
Ad#2
17. USP - Ad #1 vs. #2.
• How much do they really know - probably
searching on the effects of his problem but
doesn’t really know how to get to the root
of it.
• Expertise and information is currency -
offer to educate them, they’ll buy out of
gratitude.
18. Unique Ad#1
Solution Selling
in Google Ad
Offer to Solve the Customer’s
Problem Ad#2
20. Search Intent Harmony
• Are you in harmony with the problem your
customers are really trying to solve.
• Don’t interrupt their thought process
• Help them build momentum toward a
solution
• Don’t bring up negative sales points
21. Personnas Help You
Write to 1 Person
• Know who you’re writing to
• Personnas - Develop fake customer profiles
• You can also use customers you talk to
on a regular basis
22. Personnas Help You
Write to 1 Person
• Best customers
• Common phone sales questions
• Worst customers
23. Personnas Help You
Write to 1 Person
• What’s in a typical day?
• What frustrates them most during the
day
• Respond to “if only I could stop dealing
with ‘x’, I’d have so much more time on
my hands.”
24. Pre-Qualify w/ Google
Ad Copy
• Pre-qualifying in ad copy
• Use ad copy to limit the clicks you get
(so you don’t get tire kickers)
• What you say in your ad can lead to
attracting sales or just clicks (clicks w/o
sales = cost)
25. How to Start Writing
Ad Copy; A Step-by-
step blueprint
26. Blue Print to Start
Writing Ads
• Outline the type of offer you’re making in a
spreadsheet.
• What are the points of resistance (deal
breakers)?
• Make a list of the features in a spreadsheet
27. Blue Print to Start
Writing Ads
• Answer the question “so what?” after each
feature
• Use the results of the above to merge all
of your benefits and write them in a
28. Blue Print to Start
Writing Ads
• Use the results of the above to merge all of
your benefits and write them in a
paragraph format
• Don’t stress about grammar or
correctness.
• Write like you’d explain what you do for
a living to a friend via email.
29. Blue Print to Start
Writing Ads
• Whittle them down to just 1-3 short
sentences (10-15 word sentences)
• Remove all unnecessary
• Limit adjectives and superlatives
30. Blue Print to Start
Writing Ads
• Slim down even further to the character
limits for each Google Adwords ad copy
line
• Tip: MS Excel has functions to count
the number of characters. This is
easiest since you can set up dynamics
counting. Rather than having to mouse
to a menu
31. Blue Print to Start
Writing Ads
• Modify the base copy for each Adgroup/
Keyword
• Doing so will probably inspire other
copy ideas
33. Tips for Ad Copy
Writing
• Descriptive Modifiers - use cheap,
discount, premium with keyphrases
• Incentive - why should I buy? Why should I
believe discount percentages?
• Credibility - why should I trust you?
34. Tips for Ad Copy
Writing
• Guarantee - what if I have buyers remorse?
• Imagery - Using words which mental
imagery; appeal to the senses
• aim, inspect, look, see, reveal, view, watch,
show
• announce, call, command, describe
• amaze, balance, extend, grab, let go, pitch,
point, pressure, ragged, solid
36. Ad Copy Compounding
• Ad Copy Compounding - small ad copy
changes to lower costs/increase CTR
• test simple changes to ad copy
• don’t delete or change the original ad
• set a new ad to compete against the old
with a slight change.
• keep the winner, build next one with
new change
40. Ad Copy Testing Ideas
• Word order
• Capitalization
• Display URL format
• Invert description lines
• Change the tone of the copy to match your
customer
41. Ad Copy Testing Ideas
• Full line of ad copy variant
• Punctuation - try variants: questions,
exclamations, periods (not all pass editorial)
• Domain
• Capitalization
• Alternate Domain Name
42. Benefits of Ad Copy
Compounding
Technique
• What happens if you do better?
• Google automatically lowers the CPC
• Google may bump you up a notch
44. Ad Copy Best Practices
• Ad copy must match keyword in an ad
group
• Headline/Title - most important part of the
ad. More relevant = more click
• Users scan in an “F” pattern
45. Ad Copy Best Practices
• Match title to keyword phase
• Ads should feature key phrases
• If you can compete on price, feature it in
your ad
46. Ad Copy Best Practices
• Secondary offers work well (primary
offer=product) - free shipping, free bonus,
trial offer
• Short display URLs work the best
• ‘www’ works best in front of display URL,
but test
47. Ad Copy Best Practices
• Capitalization can work well in display
URL, but test
• Quantify your offer in your ads - how
much, how long to take effect, etc
• Avoid over-the-top writing
48. Ad Copy Best Practices
• Create at least a sense of urgency in your
ad, if not actual urgency (offer ends soon)
• Use clear sentences--don’t keyword stuff
• Credibility indicators should be features if
there’s space