Google AdWords - How To Write Great Ads

By : Mike Seddon

What is it that makes an ad a great ad that attracts a lot of clicks?

Many Google AdWords users will spend a lot of time, energy and money trying to get their ads to the top position as they believe this will increase their click through rate. Generally they are right. The more prominent your ad the more likely it will get looked at.

However it is not unusual for ads with lower positions to get more clicks than the ad in the top position. The secret for this is all in the words used in the ad itself.

Writing a clickable ad is not an exact science but there are some tips and techniques that can really help improve the clicks you ads are getting. They will also save you money as you shouldn't need to chase the top position to get a good click through rate.

1) Get you keyword in the title.

The first line of your ad (the title) is the one that people scan first. It's almost subconscious because they take in the whole page almost at once. So if they see their keywords in the title of you ad their subconscious mind makes a positive connection with your ad.

2) State the benefits in your second line.

Now that your first line has made a positive connection, you need to reinforce that by stating the benefit they will get if they click on your ad. If your benefit matches their need then you are almost home and dry. A click is almost certainly going to happen now!

3) Include a Call to Action.

Make your third line the call to action and also introduce a sense of urgency so that they will take immediate action. A good example of a third line is something like. Act Now. Offer ends Today.

4) Never forget the purpose of the ad

The purpose of an ad is to get a click. It is NOT to sell your product. Your website should do that once you have got them to click on the ad. It's amazing how easy it is to start writing a sales pitch for your product in the ad rather than concentrate on the benefits of clicking on the ad.

For example: If you were selling a new back pain relief drug then you might start to write about how good the drug was, how cheap etc. So you may write an ad something like this. Back Ache? Try our new drug. Cheapest Drug Available. Whilst this might sound okay, it's too product focused. You prospective clicker is looking for benefits. A better ad would be. Back Ache. Wave GoodBye To Back Ache. Relief Guaranteed.

5) Keep it Relevant

This actually isn't about getting more clicks. It is actually about making sure that the clicks you are getting are worth getting. You need to make sure that your ad will attract people that will want what you have to offer. Read you ad and ask yourself this question. If I clicked on my ad what would I expect to see on the website I am taken to. If it isn't what your website is offering then you need to rethink the ad.

If you find you are getting a lot of clicks but very few conversions then it is very likely that you ads are setting a false expectation of what you website is offering.