What are the 10 best practices for writing an effective ad on Google Ads? The article delves into essential strategies for crafting impactful Google ads that are not only clear and engaging but also relevant to the target audience. Here’s a breakdown of key points covered:
1. It is suggested to avoid the use of rhetorical questions in Google ads as they tend to be less effective compared to providing valuable information directly related to users’ search queries.
2. Including the search keyword in the main title, description, and ad path can enhance relevance and result in a higher quality score from Google.
3. Dynamic keyword inserts can be utilized to personalize ads based on specific search queries, thus increasing relevance with minimal effort.
4. Creating a sense of urgency in ads can encourage immediate action from potential customers through tactics like setting time limits, quantity limits, and fostering a desire for exclusivity.
5. Ads should be kept current and contextualized to maintain relevance and effectively engage users.
6. Using specific and concrete data in ads can enhance credibility and lend legitimacy to the content.
7. Employing customer-centric language while avoiding excessive self-promotion aids in meeting user demand effectively.
8. It is crucial to always include a clear call to action in ads to direct users towards conversions and specific actions.
9. Placing the brand name prominently in ads is essential for brand recognition and visibility.
10. Testing multiple versions of ads and continuously optimizing based on click-through rates can improve performance and competitiveness in Google auctions.
In conclusion, to be successful in writing Google ads, a strategic approach that emphasizes relevance, engagement, and conversion optimization is crucial for effectively reaching and resonating with potential customers.
A good Google ad is one that helps potential customers understand the products and services you are selling. Your Google ads must be clear, interesting and meet consumers’ expectations.
They should incite people to take the action expected of them. Above all, your ads should be appealing, impactful, effective and relevant. Google also expects that your ads meet certain criteria. Let’s take a look at how you can write successful Google ads.
Souce : Kinsta
1- Avoid using rhetorical questions
Google is not a fan of rhetorical questions. Using a rhetorical question often serves as a hook or intro to capture people’s attention. While this practice works well on Facebook ads, they are hardly relevant on Google.
This is due, once again, to the very nature of the platform. As a part of pull-type marketing, Google ads do not need to get in front of users. People are already conducting searches. If, for example, customers are looking for an ice cream maker to make good ice cream, there is little point in an advertizer starting an ad with “Looking for the best ice cream maker?”
Customers are carrying out searchers with words representing their intention. Instead, use a writing approach that provides useful information while maximizing the space you are given on Google.
2- Include a keyword in the main title, description and path
According to Google, ads that have the search keyword in the main title, description and path are judged to be more relevant. Therefore, the generate a higher quality score. The keyword automatically establishes a link to the message in the ads. This enables Google to determine whether the ad is too general or specific to respond.
It also helps Google assess the appropriateness of the chosen keywords compared to the needs of the original intent. To get the best possible score, choose your keywords carefully according to their typology (information or action), nature (short or long tail) and place in the conversion funnel (TOFU, MOFU, BOFU). Also, insert your flagship keywords in your writing
3- Include a dynamic keyword (DKI) in your ads
The previous point is sometimes very difficult to set up in the case of extended keyword searches with different search terms. To quickly and simply overcome this, consider using dynamic keyword inserts in your ads.
This will insert the search query directly into your ad. This optimizes your ad’s relevance with minimal effort. For example, as part of an ad for scented candles, if Person A triggers the ad with the query “vanilla scented candles” and Person B with “Vanilla atmosphere candle,” both will see the same ads personalized to their specific query.
Person A will see: Vanilla scented candles – Two for one – Buy online
Person B will see: Vanilla mood candles – Two for one – Buy online
The advertizer can be relevant to several people with a single ad. The dynamic keyword insertions are shown in brackets in the ad: {KeyWord: your keyword}.
4- Add a sense of urgency
This approach is as old as the world—yet it’s still an effective strategy writing Google ads. The aim is to initiate an immediate response towards a rapid conversion. The sense of urgency’s level of aggressiveness is left to the advertizer’s discretion depending upon their strategy. Creating a sense of urgency often takes one of the following forms:
Time limit:
Also, it is not uncommon to punctuate one’s sense of urgency with the use of superlatives, such as only, now, exclusively, or until.
5- Enter the ad in its current timeframe
In other words, have an up-to-date, well-contextualized ad. Major campaigns that roll into the next year often use generic terms to avoid rewriting the ads too often. However, this is not the best strategy for gaining relevance. Whenever possible, use current context and recent data.
For example:
Not only will your ad be perceived as recent and still valid but it will also keep customers in the present for a more relatable context of your pitch.
6- Be specific and concrete with data
Numbers often speak louder than large abstract sentences. They serve as both fact and evidence in a way that words cannot. Digital data gives credibility to the content. It also allows customers to gauge the content’s legitimacy and to position themselves in relation to it.
For example:
Don’t hesitate to use data to strengthen your argument as well as position your pitch on a common denominator between advertizer and customers. This helps to adjust expectations accordingly and prevent—as much as possible—bounce rates. Different people will not view a low price in the same way. Person A might agree that $50 for a pair of shoes is a good deal, while another person may consider it out of their budget.
7- Never talk (much) about yourself
Contrary to what we might think, the advertizer is not the star of an ad. Customers are! Never forget that the ad is only ever intended to meet demand. Therefore, avoid self-centered vocabulary (Our, We, Us) and transfer the attention to what you have to offer the user with an adequate lexical field (Your, You, Yours).
8- Include a call to action
A call to action goes hand-in-hand with creating a sense of urgency. The call to action guides, directs and initiates conversions. Even with a clear and readable ad, customers do not want to guess what the advertizer’s intentions are. In fact, it is up to the latter to initiate the action by explicitly stating the action that they want someone to take. For example, people initiate a search in order to find work.
The call to action qualifies their click and filters the ads they will see. For example, if a person is looking to apply only online, they will be receptive to a message to “Apply now.” A call to action, such as “Make an appointment,” will not attract their attention. On the advertizer’s side, adding a call to action generates a conversion by presenting a simple and straightforward action to carry out. A good call to action falls within a fixed and restricted time frame. Therefore, presenting an ad like “Apply online before August 31” lets people know their deadlines and increases the likelihood of a conversion.
9-Add your brand name
This may be obvious, but it is often this aspect that will be overlooked in favour of the pitch or the call-o action. However, your brand name is essential to ensure your identity is recognized. Advertizing to generate conversions is certainly a goal; however, your brand’s visibility, its reputation and its knowledge are also important.
Don’t hesitate to test, try and qualify several versions of your ads. This involves testing different selling points, keywords, writing styles and calls to action.
10-Test and test some more! Only keep successful ads
The first version is rarely the right one, at least for Google. It is therefore strongly recommended to test between 2 and 5 versions of your ad in order to be able to:
- Determine what works best for your campaign
- Be more competitive in Google auctions by offering alternatives to the algorithm.
Finally, before analyzing the first results to optimize your campaign, give the campaign at least one week to run without making any changes. After this time, make sure you have had between 100 and 500 impressions and between 30 and 50 clicks per ad. Anything below these targets doesn’t give you enough data to make a legitimate decision.
Finally, remember that the purpose of writing an ad is to encourage clicks. Optimizing your advertisements is therefore carried out solely on the basis of the click-through rate (CTR).
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