Google Adwords

Google Adwords - For Beginners

Writing exceptional ad copy is the most important thing you can do with your time when investing in pay per click (PPC) marketing campaigns.
Paid searches in Google often appear above organic search results, so they usually have a higher click through rate in comparison to links lower on the page. Pay per click (PPC) is great for building awareness or when the lifetime customer value is high. The cost of pay per click depends on the selected keywords you are targeting, the popularity of those keywords, and the competing bids, which is why common keywords in Insurance and Law top the list of the most expensive keywords in Google Adwords. Wordstream showcase this in their article; “The 20 Most Expensive Keywords in Google AdWords”

So where do you begin when you’re just starting out?
To measure a successful ad, you look at the Click Through Rate (CTR) which is the ratio of clicks to impressions. This metric represents the percentage of people who see your ad and then click through to your website. Lots of impressions with a low CTR would suggest your ad isn’t resonating with your intended audience. The best way to combat this is to write a strong ad copy.

What does it take to make your ad stand out?
As with any and every successful advertising campaign you need to be relevant and, if possible, solve the audiences’ problem. Your ad copy needs to shout “I will meet your needs!” with a specific call to action. Consider what your customers would ask, or might search, if they needed your products or services. A direct approach, along with the character limit in ad copy, ensures your writing is concise, and creates a sense of urgency. However, watch out for spammy, typical headlines. These headlines don’t stand out at all, and low performing ads will mean a low Quality Score making your chances of being seen even lower.

    Image Credit: Google Adwords

What’s a ‘Quality Score’?
This is a Google metric, designed to inform the bidding process in Google Adwords. In basic terms, your Quality Score is kind of like your Credit Score. It determines your page ranking position and how much you will pay per click in a particular Google AdWords campaign. Quality Scores are essentially a measure of relevance; more relevant ads, campaigns, and landing pages have higher clickthrough rates (CTRs), which raises your Quality Score.

Things to consider when writing your ad copy:
We’ve discussed the need to be relevant and considerate of the likely search query, particularly in your headline using a Call to Action. To ensure you stand out in the ad description, you need to allude to your Unique Sales Propositions (USP’s) - if you don’t know what they are, I suggest looking at creating a Basic Marketing Strategy. Make sure you don't just list features either, features are great, but benefits sell. Promote your USP’s and the benefits of your products or service to your audience, along with your CTA for maximum impact.

Hot Tip: It’s also a good idea to try and consolidate your CTA, USP and your main, target keyword in your Headline where possible.

There’s no fool-proof way to the perfect ad, so my number one piece of advice is to remember your speaking to humans. Write like a human being, not a marketing machine. People respond to people, so your ad needs to read well and make sense.

What ‘Call To Action’ works best?
The quick answer? It depends. No really, it depends on what action you want your audience to take. Action words (verbs) work best alongside the other traits of clickable, well written ads - like values or solutions. For example, using the mighty F-Word “Free” with the CTA verb “call” can be applied to so many products and services, but these types of words are often the first to resonate with the audience. Secondary, is the content of the ad, with your USP’s and benefits. It’s essential that your ad copy focusses on how these USP’s or benefits help the audience/prospects, not simply to showcase the features of your products.

Tell them what’s “free” or exactly how much they’ll save. Currency signs and percentages stand out, so take a look at your competitors, see if they are being vague about numbers. If they are, it’s time to get specific to differentiate yourself.

Hot Tip: In a world of instant gratification, offer your audience something they won’t want to miss - whether its a complementary demo, or live chat available 24/7.

How much will it cost?

The beauty of Adwords is that you set the budget. You can set up an automatic payment or decided to use it on an ad-hoc basis. Many e-commerce platforms and web hosting services offer credits to use with Google Adwords, so it’s always worth investigating this route to start. How that budget is spent will depend on your keyword selection and the corresponding cost per click price of each keyword.
It pays to do some keyword research before you start a campaign. For those starting out, look for keywords of low or medium cost, that are still relevant enough to be effective, as well as bidding for the common, more costly keywords.
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Does this all sound like too much? It’s always daunting when you’re trying something new that can majorly impact your business. Start out small and remember to record your Return on Investment (ROI).
Need help? Contact us for a free consultation, we can point you in the right direction or arrange to help you further.