Writing the Perfect Search Ad Copy

As an SEM intern here at TargetClick, evaluating our clients’ search ads and making improvements to increase performance is something I do every day. Before you can rise to the ranks of having the best search ad of all time, there are plenty of elements to consider during ad creation. Having the right ad copy will help you increase your ad’s position, reach the right market and improve the click-through rates and conversions. Below, you will find my list of things to think about as you write the perfect search ad copy for your business. Performing Keywords If you’ve run your campaign for a little while and have some data to work with, looking at your top performing keywords can be beneficial. If a certain keyword is generating more conversions than others, you should probably include this keyword in your search ad copy. For example, if your customers are searching for car leases more often than cars for sale, setting up an advertisement that’s targeted at car leasing can make a difference. Adding your best keywords will ensure that your ad is being shown more often when the keyword is being searched and will hopefully continue to generate conversions. Descriptive Display URL The display URL is the web address your audience sees on the search engine. Although you have to include your sites basic domain name, you can still add additional words to it. You can include keywords that are relevant to your ad group and what you are advertising to give your audience a clear view of what your site it all about. Relevant Destination URL The destination URL is the actual web address your audience will be directed to once they click on your ad. Making sure the web page you are sending traffic to is up-to-date and relevant to your advertisement is important. It could ultimately affect your ad’s quality score, causing your ad to receive lower impressions. You should also consider how you will track conversions from the website to measure success of your advertisement. Strong Call to Action Having a strong call to action in your ad copy can help give your viewer that extra push to go ahead and check your website out.  A call to action needs to be convincing and tell the viewer what you want them to do next. Whether you want your audience to shop your inventory or fill out a contact form, a call to action in your search ad is a necessity. If you are running your ads on mobile devices, you might want to consider a “Call Now” call to action rather than “Click Here.” Adding Sitelinks & Other Information When you create your ad, you can include additional information to help your viewer find what they are looking for. You can include sitelinks, which are additional links on the bottom of a search advertisement that direct you to other pages on the advertiser’s website. You can include up to 6 sitelinks, and give each link a descriptive name. You can also have the ads feature your business’s phone number by adding a call extension. If your ad is viewed on a smartphone, the viewer can call your business right from the ad.  If you want your address listed too, you can use location extensions that will allow your audience to access directions to your business. Creating a great search ad takes time and patience. Sometimes you just have to experiment until you can see what works best for your business.  By keeping your audience in mind, you can create ads that will generate results.