A Google Ad is a paid advertising strategy that effectively drives qualified traffic or ‘ideal’ customers to your landing page, whilst potential customers are searching for products or services similar to what you offer. It is a platform that allows you to continually refine your searches and drive the relevant people straight to your website. But there is only limited space to grab a searchers attention which makes it difficult to write a compelling advert. So how is it done?
It is a common misconception that Google ads is a difficult strategy to drive traffic to your website. You may be thinking that setting up a Google campaign is an expensive, unreachable marketing tactic for your business, especially against those well known brands with deep pockets. However, Google ads are flexible. You can tailor your ads to suit your budget with the option to stay within your cap with the ability to stop or pause your ad spending at any time. So there is no reason to worry about the size of your business or your available resources, there is an option for everyone.
The efforts shouldn’t stop with your ad, the users experience after clicking should be considered before perfecting the ad. Is your landing page using relevant keywords? Does your page answer the user’s question or answer to their requirements? A seamless transition from click to conversion is just as important, don’t waste those precious clicks.
Headline 1 & 2
Let’s start with the headline, the first section of your ad which captures a user’s attention. This tells your audience what they’re looking for and shows its relevance to Google. It needs to be strong and disruptive, pushing users to continue reading the entire ad. This needs to be evocative and maximise your key selling point; keywords or relevant phrases are particularly important as they may resonate with a potential client and trigger your ad in Google.
Not only is headline 1 necessary, but headline 2 is there to amplify your initial message, you need to catch people’s emotional value and assist in the general call to action, so the user does not even need to continue reading your ad copy to result in a click. It may even promote an offer, or just simply expand on headline 1.
Display URL
The display URL is exactly that – a display. It may be that this URL doesn’t even exist and is there to assist the purpose of the headline. When a user clicks on the URL, they will be directed to your landing page, this is utilising a URL path. You may want this URL to contain the keywords searched, appearing in bold, ensuring the ad stands out amongst competitors and suggests that the destination URL is more relevant to the customer query.
The idea is that you want to use your ad in directing a potential reader to specifically what they are looking for. This may not be possible with a home page, as you may offer multiple products or services that don’t specifically relate to your ad, so it is important that your URL is applicable.
Description
The description is the second most important section of your ad. It highlights further what can be discovered if a user clicks, or maybe a generic outline of what your company has to offer, specifically resonating with a user’s query and emphasising your headline further. You may want to use directives to urge potential customers to click, such as “Shop Now” or “Hurry”, depending on the context of your ad. It doesn’t need to be in depth, just a simple yet useful expansion of your headline in a maximum of 80 characters.
Call Out Extensions
Extensions are optional but equally important aspects of Google ads. Call out extensions are small, non-clickable fragments of crucial material that you can use to highlight information about your company. These can also include product information, additional offers and anything else you believe will drive a potential customer to your landing page. Call out extensions provide a dynamic way to make your advert more desirable and encourage a click. Some of these are essential to businesses depending on the outcome they desire, for example a contact number or email, if you require immediate contact or a rating to enhance your products or services.
Sitelink Extensions
Site link extensions are valuable clickable links of 25 characters used to direct customers to any other relevant page that may suit their interest. They allow users to take direct action from their search result. Google ads allows up to 4 additional links within one PPC ad, directing users beyond your ads main landing page and to a specific page that may be more applicable to their search intent, straight from the search engine results page. Sitelinks are composed of three elements, the blue headline, which is clickable, and two description lines, which show as plain non-clickable texts.
As a business ad extensions have the ability to improve your Search Engine Marketing (SEM) campaign, by helping performance in several ways such as increased visibility, personalisation, lower cost per click and a higher click through rate. This utilises the money you put into Google ads, equating to higher sales and ROI for your business.
Location & Opening times Extensions
Location extensions highlight the physical place and time in which you can find your product or services. This may not be relevant to some business, for example online clothing stores, but for a company providing products or services in a certain location, this can be a crucial section to your Google ad. As a potential customer searches for your ad, it will reveal your location, distance from them and your opening times.
Google dominates just about every aspect of the online world. Even offline in daily life, it’s almost impossible to go a single day without hearing someone say, “just Google it.”
When it comes to search engines, nothing else really compares. So it’s important that you make yourself aware of Google ads offerings to ensure that you are making the most out of it, especially making them cost effective. Paid search ads can be tremendously beneficial to your business, whether big or small, so long as you optimise them properly. There is no such thing as a Google Ads campaign that doesn’t work – there are just some that require a bit more work. Using the information provided, you know what it takes to create a successful Google Ad campaign that drives clicks and converts leads.