Ad copy is defined as the most important text in any clickable advertisement. The ad copy text is usually found in between the title and display URL of an ad that is seen on a search engine results or web page. Google makes it relatively easy to start a PPC campaign— all you need is a credit card and a number of keywords— but it takes a lot more work to actually maintain it.
A great ad campaign is not an overnight success, and if you’re a bit concerned as to why your ads are not generating the great results that you want, here are some strategies that will help you improve your ad copy:
This is a rather basic, but important strategy that needs to be in place. Keyword research is a must to start: understand how keywords perform. It helps to find out the keywords being used by your competitors. Organize these keywords into ad groups, and be extra careful in noting that the ad text is specific to keywords inside an ad group. Actual keywords should also be incorporated in text ads.
Afterwards, keywords that cover the same topic can be optimized in an ad group by sending traffic to landing pages. You can even utilize Exact Match Marketing for ad campaigns, which is particularly useful for those who are just starting out their businesses, because this strategy allows for greater control over ads placement, and can even cut costs because you can exclude irrelevant phrases.
This refers to ad copy that is being made to target specific locations, such as Region, State or even Zip Code. This feature is present in Google AdWords and other similar campaign platforms. What’s great about this feature is that it allows you to zoom in on target audiences or customers, which is helpful if, say, you’re running a local delivery service. It keeps your ads specific and focused.
In running a successful ad copy, make sure you do lots of testing, as it allows for adjustments or tweaks in your ad campaign. This also ensures that you can improve your performance throughout the campaign process. You can do this by running two or more different versions of campaigns within your ad groups, and testing to see which of the versions have the best performance. Collect relevant data within each version, and find out the best performing ones which you can retain for your ad campaign.
If you’re looking for a smaller-scale ad campaign you can place on specific website or its sections, you may want to check out Placement Targeting, previously known as Site Targeting. This feature, however, is only available in Google AdWords and has the capability to run your ads on Google’s Content Network.
Sitelinks can help optimize click-through rate by highlighting important details or features about your business, such as product specifications or business opening hours. This strategy helps to attract customers and clients towards your site.
On the other hand, ad extensions also provide details about your business through specific links in your ad. You can add links of your app, map directions, or reviews about your business, which can be clicked and/or downloaded by customers. Best of all, this feature is free and is an excellent way to boost your ROI and visibility among customers.
Tracking is another important strategy for improving your ad copy. This allows you to track expenses incurred throughout your ad campaign, and to see which keywords or ads are paying off. The conversion tracking tool in Google AdWords is a great tracking tool— it allows you to see customer activities after they clicked on a particular ad — whether they purchased a product, made a review, signed up for updates, etc. It also allows you to analyze data so you can make the necessary adjustments to your ad campaign.
This may sound like a tedious task, but you’ll certainly reap good benefits for having an optimized landing page. Improve your quality score so that your ads will be shown more and you’ll have lower Cost-per-Click (CPC). Ensure that your keywords, ad copy and landing page are relevant in order to increase your quality score. High-quality ad campaigns are given more web traffic by being directed to the proper landing pages.
Improving your ad copy isn’t that hard, it just takes a bit of know-how with tried-and-tested strategies, and more effort to test it out and make it work.
Need more help on boosting your paid search efforts? Read our tips for a successful paid search campaign here.
For a more automated and sophisticated approach to ads, check out our post: what are programmatic ads?
For more information on how to optimize your ad copy and run a successful ad campaign, visit Arcalea today.