In coming across this article by Howard Jacobson, author of Google AdWords for Dummies, about mistakes advertisers make when using AdWords, I was reminded how easy it is to forget how important those short text ads are.
In this case the author identifies how easily your ad can blend in on the search results page. Without a unique headline or including your unique selling point/offer, your ad will look just like the others. And, what would incent anyone to click on your ad over the others if there is nothing that differentiates it?
The author also points out that click throughs for AdWords ads are important because Google uses the number of click throughs an ad receives as part of its calculation of the quality score for a particular key term. Quality score is very important in AdWords advertising as a higher score can potentially get your ad a higher position in the search results page advertising section for less money per click.
Therefore, the content in your AdWords ad is a vital component of your ad campaigns and ad groups.
Here are some important tips to remember when writing your ads.
- Make sure your ad copy is in line with the key terms in the ad group.
In creating your ad groups with a campaign, the more related the key terms are, the better so that you can write ad copy that is high related to those terms. Or as Google puts it, "Keep stuff together that belongs together." For example, if you sell dog supplies, don’t group key terms for dog food and dog collars in the same ad group – be sure to split them out into two different ad groups, each with its own unique ad. You can drill down even further to dog collar brand, etc. The more related an ad is to a key term, the better.
- Include key terms in your ad text!
If someone is doing a Google search on a particular key term and your ad doesn't have that key term in the text, you are going to miss out on creating a connection with that searcher. That person is looking for something specific and you have about ten seconds to grab their attention. If the term they searched on is there in the ad, they are more likely to click.
- Have a call to action.
Tell the viewer of your ad what you want them to do – Buy Now, Order Now, Learn More, Click Here, Sign Up.... Without a call to action, you're relying on the viewer to interpret what you want them to do next. By telling them, you take the guesswork out of the next steps.
- Direct people to a unique landing page.
Your destination URL should lead visitors who click an ad to a page on your website that speaks directly to their search query. This landing page should include content that is specifically related to the key term(s) and have a good, easy to see call to action. Not only will this enhance the user experience, but it will likely improve your AdWords quality score.
- Set yourself apart from the rest.
Take a look at the competition by reviewing the other ads that are coming up on the key terms you're advertising on. Does your ad stand out or blend in with the others? Your ad copy should feature your unique value among the others. It's best to create multiple ads and test which perform better.
Some of these tips are easy to implement and others will take more time and thought, but worth the work to help make your AdWords campaigns successful. If you don't work to improve them, the advertising money you're spending will not go very far and in paraphrasing Howard Jacobson, "you'll quit AdWords just when you’re on the verge of a breakthough." Don't miss the opportunity.
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+Elissa Mitchell
@ezmitchell
