October 23, 2000, was an iconic date in the world of online advertising, as Google launched its self-service advertising platform known as ‘Google Adwords’. Ever since, there has been no looking back, as it revolutionised the world of business promotion and traffic generation towards a website. It was rebranded as ‘Google Ads’ on July 24, 2018.

What exactly does a Google Search ad copy do for a business? To begin with, it provides a paid platform to advertise your products by reaching the target audience. Furthermore, it drives appropriate traffic to your website, based on the search activities.

With each search, your brand gets greater opportunities to come in the forefront. However, it is crucial to adopt the Google Search Ad copy best practices, so that your business can reach the right customers at the right time. In this article, we provide you insightful tips to create an engaging Google Search ad copy. But, before that, let us understand the concept of Google Ads.

Know the basics of Google Ads

Google Ads functions on the basis of a pay-per-click (PPC) model. The businesses or agencies pay to get their advertisements ranked on top of the search results page. This is done by utilising suitable keywords needed to drive the traffic towards those pages.

Networks used in Google Ads

The businesses target users on the following networks:

• Search networks – The advertisers bid on the pertinent keywords. The next time any user enters those keywords on the search engine, that particular business page gets displayed. These ads are visible on top and bottom of the search result page, with an ‘Ad’ icon on the left.

• Display networks – The advertisers promote their brands on related websites that are a part of the Google network. Hence, when a user is casually browsing through that website, he/she gets a glimpse of the product advertisement.

• Video networks – This makes use of the YouTube portal to display video ads before or in between an ongoing video, just long enough to attract the viewers’ attention.

• Shopping  networks – These are ads displayed during product searches on Google. They allow you to promote a particular product, rather than marketing the entire brand. They help boost traffic to your e-commerce store.

• App networks – These promote the mobile app connected with your business, through the Google Ads displayed via the search engine, YouTube or Google Play.

• Local networks – These are related to offline business goals. These are used for promoting your physical store to the customers falling under that geographical area, and can be clubbed with Google Maps.

• Discovery networks – These are a relatively new form of advertising. They draw attention to your brand’s story across Google’s feeds, personalising the content pertaining to the user.

Ranking on Google Ads

Ad rank refers to the position your ad holds on the search engine results page (SERP). This can be optimised by:

• Fixing a reasonable bid amount for your ad to get featured when specific keywords are searched for
• Including relevant ad extensions
• Creating unique landing pages with clear CTA and offers
• Aiming towards conversion (making the user purchase your product or signing up for your services)
• Improving your quality score

Google Ads quality score

Quality score is Google’s rating system to assess the overall user experience provided by your ad copy and landing page, when the relevant keywords are searched. It is measured on a scale of 1 to 10. It greatly influences the ranking and cost per click (CPC) of the ad. Following the Google Adwords ad copy best practices is key to obtaining a good quality score, which will ultimately drive the target traffic to your page. 

Google Search ad copy best practices

The blocks of text that appear in the Google Ads are referred to as ad copies. Since there are specific character limits for these texts, one has to make sure that the content is crisp and oriented towards relevant traffic generation. We have curated a list of the Google ad copy best practices, following which, your business landing page is sure to get more clicks and views.

1. Keywords are the “key”

Keywords are the connection between the search engine and your ad copy content. The key is to keep experimenting with them, till you match with your target audience. Avoid broad terms, as they will end up driving the wrong traffic to your page. Wherever possible, include the keywords in your main headline. Make sure that they are strategically placed and optimally used.

2. Connect with your target audience

The best way to grab the attention of your target audience is to make them feel that you understand their pain points. Imagine yourself in the prospective customer’s shoes. Think of what expectations they would have, and frame your ad copy accordingly. Use “you” and “your” in the ads. It helps customers relate to your brand.

3. Be precise

Avoid flowery language and irrelevant context. Keep it concise. Also, make sure that you notify whom your brand is targeting. For example, if it is a brand selling women’s handbags, make sure that your ad copy includes “for women” in it. This way, unnecessary traffic can be avoided, because you have paid for those clicks to be relevant to your business.

4. Genuine and compelling content sells

Make your ad copy authentic and upfront. It should speak directly to the customer’s need, and address it effectively. Do not indulge in plagiarism, as it takes away the originality factor, and is a major reason for prospective clients to lose interest in your ad copy.

5. Utilise space and characters wisely

Give emphasis to the headlines and descriptions. Make sure that you do not exceed the character count. But, also ensure that you haven’t left too many character spaces unused. Employ each character to assert your brand voice and make it resonate with the target audience.

6. Create appealing headlines

Make the ad headlines catchy. They should speak to the audience in a simple and direct manner. Keep the user intent in mind while framing the headlines. The headline should be able to cleverly summarise what exactly the purpose of the product is and why the customer should go for it.

7. Give emphasis to CTA

An ad copy without a CTA (call to action) element is headed towards oblivion. An apt CTA influences the conversion rate. A CTA is what drives a visitor to subscribe to your services or add your product to the cart. Make your ad copy CTA stand out.

8. Optimise your ad copy for smaller devices

Remember that most of your prospective clients are browsing through their smartphones for products. Customise your ad copy in accordance with that. Keep in mind that if you overshoot the character limit in your ad copy, the search engine is going to cut out some phrases/words, which may decrease its relevance.

9. Use ad extensions

These refer to additional features like contact number, location, rating or site links. They are usually in the form of clickable link buttons below your main ad copy. They add more value and increase the CTR (click-through rate).

10. Test your ad strength

Keep testing off and on, to get an idea about the relevance, reach and quality of your ad copy. It also serves as a means to improve your existing ad copy to generate better leads.

In a nutshell

Google’s massive reach is reason enough to use the paid services of Google Ads. By following the Google Adwords ad copy best practices discussed in this article, you can drive quality and relevant traffic to your page. The trick is to consistently keep refining your ad campaigns to generate better conversions. As the famous American advertising copywriter, William Bernbach, puts it, “Nobody counts the number of ads you run; they just remember the impression you make!”