Why Ad Copy Matters, in Paid Search

11.05.18

“Big savings all weekend long”, “Final Chance to Save!”, “Best prices of the year!” We have all been pitched these phrases in our searches. But your campaigns don’t need to fall into becoming another statistic of these ad copy tactics.

In paid search advertising, ad copy can be a task that is commonly overlooked, left un-tested and maybe to the inexperienced marketer, undervalued. Hiring an experienced copywriter along with routine A/B testing can help assure top performing ads. If you’ve hired a digital marketing agency (ahem, like Native) then you likely have an experienced team behind you to craft effective copy that keeps your campaigns driving clicks while spending your budgets in an efficient manner.

A lot of small/medium sized business however, tend to manage this in house, at least in the beginning before they’re ready to make the jump into managed services with an agency. If you fall into this category, we here at Native know your time is limited so we wanted to deliver you some pointers to keep your paid search efforts pointed in the right direction and keep your clicks aplenty while not hurting your wallet.

Crafting ad copy that supports low CPC:
Low cost per click (CPC) results in good quality scores alongside good click through rates. Relevant copy can drive good quality scores, which in turn equates to low cpc. Achieving good quality scores falls back on how relevant your ad copy to your targeted keywords as well as your landing pages.

Say you have an ad campaign with a goal of directing traffic to a landing page featuring 2019 GMC Acadia inventory. An example of this might look like; a standard headline might read “Big Savings on new GMC SUVs” with a description that might look like “Shop our big selection of new GMC cars truck, crossovers and SUV’s at ACME GMC dealership”

This isn’t a bad start but could be refined to become more relevant to the landing page content (2019 Acadia model inventory) assuming your keywords are closely targeting Acadia suvs as well. The CPC-optimized ad copy might now read something like, “Save on New 2019 GMC Acadias” – description copy “Discover quality and comfort of the new 2019 GMC Acadia. 40 in stock with great finance options.” This enhanced relevance to your landing page content and keyword theme is likely to deliver a much more relevant result for the searcher’s intent which Google will reward you for with raised quality scores and therefor lower CPCs.

Some main attributes to high click through rates (CTR) consist of copy written with attractive/competitive offers, copy written in inspirational tones as well as being relevant to your keyword targeting (much like CPC based) which means you are remaining relevant to what your audience is searching for. Another key point would be including examples or offers that drive urgency where the offer expires at a finite date. A bonus tip that relates to your ad copy, include your keywords in your displayed URL.

Let’s take a look at the same GMC Acadia campaign example. With a headline that might look like; “Shop Savings on new GMC Acadia Models” and a description “Shop our big selection of new GMC cars truck, crossovers and SUV’s at ACME GMC dealership”

This could be rewritten with the goal of driving higher click through rates (CTR) to feature a more compelling offer on the Acadia. Something like, “$5,000 Off Acadias thru 11/30” and a description “Limited $5,000 Savings on 2019 Acadia Models at Acme GMC, expires 11/30”

This attractive new offer specifically targets the model the audience is likely searching for along with presenting an expiration to drive urgency. Enticing the viewer to click through to take advantage of the offer and learn more.

Hopefully you find value in the tips mentioned here and can drive further success in your paid search campaigns. Feel free to reach out to us with any questions you might have about furthering your search marketing efforts.