Pay Per Click (PPC) Google ads are found above and to the right of your search results.
The idea behind them is that they are highly targeted and only seen by people searching for your product or service. As the name suggests, you only pay when someone clicks your ad, so they can be pretty cost-effective (if you know what you’re doing).
So, how can you make sure your ads are effective?
7 tips to help you create powerful Pay Per Click ads
- Know your audience
As with all your marketing, your advert will be targeted at a specific audience. You make sure your message is written specifically for them. Writing something for everyone will result in a wishy-washy ad that doesn’t attract anyone.
- Include your keywords
The whole point of PPC is that it’s targeted, so make sure your keywords are included in the heading and body of your ad. Not only will this highlight your ad’s relevance, but it will also reassure the potential customer that you are offering what they are looking for.
- Keyword only headings are a no-no
Cramming all your keywords into your heading may be tempting, but it will create something ugly and meaningless. Your heading should be benefits-driven, offer a hook and contain your keyword. That’s quite a tall order considering you only have 25 characters to play with, so you’ll have to get creative.
- Be focused
Each ad you write should be focused on one benefit only. You only have 25 characters for your heading and 35 characters for your description, so there’s no room for waffle.
- Call to action
The best ads will have a call to action. It could be your phone number or a link. Either way, it will add value to your ad and give you a way to measure its effectiveness.
- Proofread
So essential and yet frequently forgotten about – proofreading will prevent you from looking like a total amateur and publishing an ad with a blaring typo in it.
- Test
The only way to make sure your ads are working as hard as possible for you is to test them. Try different headings, calls to action and benefits to see which brings in the highest response rate. Only through this continual process can you find the perfect formula.
Over to you
Do you use PPC advertising?
If so, leave a comment below and leave your top tips for getting the most out of your ad.
Sally Ormond, Professional Copywriter