PPC Copywriting – Writing PPC Ads

PPC copywriting can be a daunting task if you are just starting out. Through our experience in PPC, we found that there are several basic things that can be done to boost click through rates on your ads. We will walk through five steps that can help improve your ads and increase your return.

Tip #1: Sell the unique benefits of your product or service.
SEO expert Bryan Eisenberg, in his recent article entitled “Why I Won’t Buy From You!”, recommends highlighting in your ad copy why someone should buy your product over someone else’s. As Mr. Eisenberg says, a common and crippling mistake when writing PPC ads is “companies failing to position their value relative to their competitors.”

Before even writing your ad, type the primary keyword phrase you’ll be targeting into the search field in Google and read the existing PPC ads on page one. What aspects of their business are they promoting? What are their claims for that product or service? To make your ad stand out, stay away from promoting your products or services in the same way.

Tip #2: Include a Call to Action.
A call to action is a simply phrase such as “Click here for [specific info]“. This helps users understand the information that will be found once they click on an ad. The key to this step is including a call to action that is relevant to the service or product being offered. If it is not relevant, users will stay on the page for a second and then leave. Nothing will make your ad as ineffective as empty or vague copy.

Tip #3: Boast about your awards – specifically.
If your company has the “best” product, talk about it in your ad. When doing this it is important to have evidence to back up the claim, not just for ethical reasons but because, as recommended by Mr. Eisenberg, “superlatives and hyperbole don’t help your visitors choose.” The whole point of a PPC ad is to be the ad that gets that click. “Best law firm in town” won’t be as attractive as “95% of cases won.” Just make sure you can substantiate the 95% success rate on the landing page.

Tip #4: Be creative.
In most instances, there are many competitors that do PPC within your industry. Writing unique copy that differentiates your ad from competitors is one great way to improve click through rates. One example of this could be to make your add funny. For a law firm (or other professional, service-based company) for example, an effective approach is to build your ad copy around the unique benefits of using your New York City personal injury law firm versus the hundreds of competitors.

But what are the unique benefits of using your firm? Mr. Eisenberg suggests the following:

“Write down every possible reason you can find why someone should want to do business with your firm. Afterward, review the list and eliminate everything that is also true of your competitors. Nothing should be allowed to remain on the list that can also be claimed by a competitor.”

Once you’ve completed that exercise, you’ll be left with a few benefits that are uniquely yours. Build your ads around those and stand out amidst the competitors’ ads.

Tip #5: Focus on your headline.
The headline is the first thing that search engine users are likely to notice. If a headline is crafted around a specific keyword phrase that you are targeting, and one you know potential clients are using, you have a much better chance of winning a click. We discuss keyword research in detail in our SEO in 30 Days series.

To produce PPC ad copy that will bring in clicks from the type of client you most want, take the time to write a strong, unique, keyword-focused ad. By following the steps above you’ll get a huge head start in the PPC ad game.

The online market place is changing every day. To stay up to date on your PPC and SEO tactics, be sure to read some of our latest articles on topics such as local SEO and Reputation Management.

Related posts:

1. PPC Landing Pages, Part 1: What Are They, Why Do You Need Them?
2. PPC Ad Management: Cost-Effective Campaign Settings, Part 2
3. PPC Ad Management: Cost-Effective Campaign Settings, Part 1
4. Spring Cleaning for Your Law Firm’s PPC Campaigns
5. PPC: Landing pages, Part 2: What should they look like, what info should they contain?