When you're running Search Engine Marketing (SEM) campaigns on Google, Bing, or any other search engine, you are competing for your customer's attention.
Want to give yourself the best opportunity to catch your audience’s attention? If so, you’ve got to write better ad copy. Well-written ad copy increases the chance that a potential customer will click on your ad and ultimately purchase your product or service.
Here are 25 tips to improve your SEM ad copy:
1. Understand Your Target Audience
Can you clearly define your target audience's demographic information, interests, and overall pain points? Without that, it'll be difficult to write ad copy that cuts through the noise.
2. Highlight Unique Selling Points
Identify what sets your product or service apart from your competitors and include that information as much as possible in your ad copy.
3. Use Compelling Headlines
The average human sees 5-10 thousand “ads” a day. How do you cut through that noise? Take the time to craft attention-grabbing headlines. Capture the viewer's interest and make them want to learn more.
4. Maintain Ad Relevance
Ad Relevance incorporates the continuity between keyword, ad copy, and landing page copy. To achieve this, use relevant keywords in your ads that align with the copy on the landing page. This will improve visibility, increase your ad rank, lower cost per click (CPC), and increase the chances of your ads appearing in relevant search queries.
5. Utilize Ad Extensions
Take advantage of ad extensions like site links, callouts, and structured snippets to provide additional information and increase the visibility of your ads. You should experiment with using as many types of ad extensions as possible as these give your impressions additional free real estate.
6. Use Numbers and Statistics
Incorporate specific numbers or statistics to add credibility and make your ad copy more persuasive.
7. Create a Sense of Urgency
Encourage users to take immediate action by calling out that an offer ends soon or letting people know that there is a limited capacity of what you’re selling.
8. Include a Strong Call-to-Action (CTA)
Clearly state what action you want users to take, such as “Browse our selection now.”.
9. Test Different Variations
A/B test different versions of your ad copy to identify what resonates best with your audience and drives the highest conversion rates. You can do this by creating multiple versions of the ad or through a Google Ads Experiment.
10. Leverage Social Proof
Incorporate customer reviews, testimonials, or awards to build trust and credibility with your audience.
11. Monitor and Optimize Ad Performance
Regularly monitor the performance of your ad campaigns and make data-driven optimizations to improve ad copy. Responsive Search Ads (RSAs) will allow you to see which ad copy assets are serving the most.
12. Address Common Objections
Anticipate potential objections or concerns and address them proactively in your ad copy to alleviate doubts.
13. Use Ad Copy Personalization
Personalize your ad copy to specific audience segments to make it more relevant and engaging. If applicable, include location-specific information in your ad copy when targeting specific geographic areas.
14. Incorporate Emotional Appeals
Connect with your audience on an emotional level by using language that evokes specific emotions or appeals to their desires.
15. Use Dynamic Keyword Insertion (DKI):
Utilize DKI to automatically insert the user's search query into your ad copy, making it more relevant to their needs.
16. Incorporate Seasonal or Timely Offers
Take advantage of holidays, seasons, or special events by including relevant promotions or offers in your ad copy. You can also do limited-time price and promo extensions for seasonal or holiday sales.
17. Analyze Competitor Ads
Study your competitors' ad copy to identify their strengths and weaknesses and find opportunities to differentiate yourself.
18. Optimize Display URLs
Customize your display URLs to include relevant keywords or a call-to-action, making your ads more clickable.
19. Test Ad Copy Length
Experiment with both shorter and longer ad copy to see which format performs best for your target audience.
20. Use Powerful Words
Incorporate persuasive powerful words like "exclusive," "proven," "guaranteed," or "free" to make your ad copy more compelling.
21. Address Pain Points
Identify the pain points or challenges your audience faces and address them directly in your ad copy to show how your product or service can help.
22. Test Writing Style & Tone
Experiment with different writing styles, tones, or personas to determine what resonates best with your audience.
23. Test Different Value Propositions
Experiment with different value propositions in your ad copy to determine which ones resonate most with your audience.
24. Use Ad Copy to Pre-qualify Leads
Include specific qualifiers in your ad copy to ensure that users who click on your ads are more likely to convert.
25. Utilize Ad Copy Testing Tools
Take advantage of ad copy testing tools or software to streamline the testing and optimization process.
Implementing these tips will help you create ad copy that captivates your audience, drives sales, and ultimately helps you achieve your SEM goals.
Remember to test, analyze, and refine your ad copy regularly to stay ahead of the competition and maximize the effectiveness of your paid search campaigns.
If you need help writing or optimizing your ad copy, High Beam Marketing is here to help. Reach out to our team today to start a conversation.