Pay-per-click ad copy is one of the most popular types of digital marketing tactics. According to a study conducted by Clutch, an agency research firm, 49% of people click on text ads in search engine results page, proving that despite the myriad of digital strategies, paid ads are still performing. For starters, some people don’t know the difference between organic and paid listings. And yet, there are many reasons why modern consumers haven’t stopped paying attention to these above-the-fold ads—even when they know they’re paid.
The survey found that the majority of people clicking on paid ads were doing so because it most accurately answered their search query. And for high commercial intent—when an individual is actively looking to make a purchase right now—paid ads get 65% of all clicks. The digital marketing analytics afforded by PPC also help businesses learn exactly how powerful their keywords and ad copy is, which can prove instrumental for landing page design. With that in mind, here are a few tips for creating effective Google Ads campaigns:
Use Specific URLs
Always do your best to match the query as best as possible. Any time a person makes a query, they are looking for results that most closely resemble what they are looking for. After you’ve done your keyword research, your ad needs to cater those needs exclusively. For example, if you’re trying to sell your women’s travel gear, be sure to include the word “women’s” in your content—and in your URL, too. In this case, your URL would look something like: www.example.com/women, and include further tags depending on how niche the page goes (i.e, you are talking about a specific product, like backpacks, or a brand like REI).
Don’t Forget About Geotargeting
No matter where you are in the world, you can take advantage of geo-targeting—targeting users in a specific location. Even if you don’t have a physical location (for example, if you’re a remote business and/or offer digital products and services), you can look at your data to determine where the majority of your traffic is coming from, and optimize it by targeting the specific location. If you’re still new and don’t have enough information to make those data-backed decisions, you can see where your competitor’s competition is coming from. The fact is, local marketing is very powerful, and you should do your best to leverage its benefits.
Be Creative With Copy
With so many paid ads out there, you’re competing with a large amount of competition, and sometimes they’ll have much bigger budgets than you. For this reason, make it a priority to add at least one creative ad to your roster. If you’re stuck, start by thinking of the problems that you’re solving with your product or service. Let’s say you’re selling backpacks with stellar spine support. Your ad copy might read, “Tired of being a hunchback?” By having fun and split testing your creative approaches, you’ll learn more about what your target market is most attracted to in terms of content.
Keep Psychology In Mind
When it comes to writing copy, there are various psychological tactics you can use, and loss aversion is one of them. Studies have shown that man buyers are motivated by the prospect of losing out on something, whether it’s running out of time or losing out on limited product availability. One way you can take advantage of this is by using countdown timers. Google Ads has a countdown function that makes it easy to do this. One agency saw a 32% CTR increase and 3% higher conversion in their ads, simply by adding the countdown snippet to their ads.
Hire an Agency
Unless you’re a skilled digital marketer and know all these is to know keyword research, analytics, split testing, and other digital marketing strategies, chances are you’ll need a bit of help. Fortunately, there are plenty of agencies and professional freelancers that cater to all types of budgets and needs. Keep in mind that spending a little now yields a stronger return on investment, and saves you plenty of time and headache. Rather than stress out consuming dozens of “How-to” videos on YouTube, spend your valuable time working on the important areas of your business that can’t be outsourced.
Align Your Landing Page
It’s important that you optimize your landing page for PPC conversions. Many business owners consider landing page design totally separate from PPC, or digital marketing altogether. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. Once you’ve captured a visitor with a great, your landing page has to deliver, or you’ll suffer from a severely unbalanced clickthrough and conversion rate. And when it comes to your landing page, your ad copy has to translate well. Use the same copy in your headers, create aligning graphics, and evoke the overall message that attracted them to your site in the first place. This level of consistency will ultimately improve CTR and conversion, and lower your cost per click.
Michael Zhou is a Senior VP of Business Intelligence Development and has assisted the Fortune 1000 company with expertise in the web as a whole, including ground-zero marketing efforts that benefit both consumer and vendor. He is also contributor on Esprittoday.
Google ads stock photo by PixieMe/Shutterstock
