The Science Behind PPC Ads Writing in 2021
Writing great PPC ad copy requires strategising and creative thinking.
Pay-per-click or PPC marketing is one of the crucial elements of online advertising for businesses. PPC allows you to target the right customers, send them unique messages especially designed for them and increase your sales. All of this is possible if you know how to handle PPC copywriting and understand how it works.
If you're already using PPC ads but want to improve them, or you're just getting started, this post will help you do it like a professional. You'll learn how to write 2021 PPC ads that make their way to your target customers, get their attention and ensure your investment pays off.
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Here's the science behind outstanding PPC ads writing in 2021.
Know the Basics
Before we dig into the writing section, let’s quickly run over the basics of PPC advertising. Here’s what you need to know:
PPC is a way of buying traffic and visitors to your website instead of earning it organically through an SEO strategy
You do so by bidding for ad placement in search engine's sponsored links
Advertisers pay a small fee whenever someone clicks their ad
This can easily pay off if the visitor ends up buying a product or service you're offering
The fee varies based on your ad quality
The most popular PPC platform is Google Ads.
It sounds simple when we put it like this. However, it’s a long way ahead of you if your current ads aren’t making as many sales or being placed top of the search result’s page.
To make sure your PPC ads budget isn't being wasted, just keep reading.
Write better ads
When it comes to the success of your PPC ads, it all comes down to PPC copywriting. You need to know how to choose and place the right keywords, how to create powerful landing pages and what works in 2021.
Let’s take it one step at a time. Here’s how to write brilliant PPC ads.
1. Create and update the keywords list
You should build your PPC ad campaigns around proper keywords that relevantly signal what your ad content is about. This means you need to conduct the initial keyword research and create a keywords list.
Later on, you’ll be adding new keywords to the list, since no list is final. Things change, new trends come and go, and people search for what they need differently.
Here's how to nail your keywords selection:
Choose relevant keywords that are closely related to your business, products, offers and services
Don’t just focus on the most popular keyword, but try bidding for those less competitive but more specific ones
Include long-tail keywords that appear in voice or local searches
Once you create your first keywords list and start including them in your ad titles, URLs, subheadings, and content, you’ll need to constantly revise and refine. Remove those underperforming keywords that bring poor engagement and find new ones that work better.
Use keyword research tools to help you find the best ones for your PPC strategy.
2. Geo-target the local customers
Localizing your ads may seem like you’re narrowing your potential clients down. But you’re creating a more powerful ad for a specific group of people who’ll respond to them much better.
Geo-targeting through your PPC ads means:
Optimizing your ad content for local searches
Including a location name in your URLs or ad titles
Including local phone numbers and address
Using location-specific slang.
Geo-targeting will have people responding better to businesses closer to them physically since there'll be an instant contention.
3. Address your customers directly
Your PPC ads need to focus on your customers. It’s not about your business or your products. It’s about solving their problems and addressing pain points.
This is why your ad copy needs to:
Answer questions your customers may have
Address their burning pain point and issues
Address them directly with “you” or “your”
Here's a great example of a PPC ad copy title:
“The Tools and Process You Need for Better Copywriting”
“Smart Microscopes for Better Teaching and E-Learning”
They send a clear message, address the customer directly, and promise something worth visiting the page for. Consequently, they'll boost your sales and ensure you get the clicks you need.
4. Include numbers
People like facts. They like to know exactly where they stand, what they can gain, and how. That’s why your PPC ads should incorporate relevant numbers into the title and across the lading page.
Numbers will:
Provide more precise information
Intrigue the target customers
Make an instant offer.
So, compare the two PPC ad titles below:
“Boost Your Immunity- Best Immunity Supplements”
“Boost Your Immunity - 30% Off on Immunity Supplements”
Adding a number to the mixture makes the whole ad more interesting and worth checking out. Think about the numbers you could use to give your target customers the kind of information they're looking for.
5. Highlight the benefits
Every marketing professional knows that when the competition is strong, you need to stand out. Separating yourself from the rest of your competitors is best done by showing the benefits of the products or services you’re offering.
That's why it's so important that your PPC ad copy clearly explains and highlights the benefits of becoming your customer. Make sure to include product/service:
Description
Features
Benefits
Here’s an example:
“Immunity Supplements- Boost Your immune System Quickly and Safely”
The landing page should explain all the benefits of taking each supplement from their offer, how it works, and who needs to try it.
Whatever it is that you’re offering, you have to make a clear presentation of all the reasons your customers should give it a try.
6. Add prospect qualifiers
To make the most out of your PPC budget, you should design ads that target and attract only those people who are potential clients. Having the wrong type of people clicking your ads is a waste of money.
To ensure your ads find their way to actual prospects, use prospect qualifiers. These are clear signs that set one group of prospects from the other, inviting only a specific group to click the ad.
Here’s how some companies handled it:
“Event Management and Planning: Corporate Events Only”
“Aloe Vera Body Wash: For Adults Only”
This way, they're making sure only the customers they can help and who can buy their services are clicking their ads. It boosts their ad ROI and saves money on clicks that don't result in a sale.
7. Measure performance
Finally, there’s no point in writing a brilliant ad copy if you don’t monitor and measure its performance. It’s one of the biggest PPC mistakes you could make.
You should also A/B testing for your PPC ads:
Create two ad copies
Change the messaging
Measure their performance
In time, you'll learn what your audience responds to best, what type of ads make the most sales and what brings the most closed deals. Measure the performance and keep an eye on the changing industry environment, new trends, your competitors, and the bigger picture.
Final thoughts
Writing PPC ad copy requires strategising and creative thinking. To make the most out of every click, you need to make sure you’ve got the right people looking at the messages designed especially for them. The 7 tips we've shared above explain the science behind outstanding pay-per-click campaigns and ad writing that you should start applying today.
Guest contributor: Dorian Martin. Dorian is a digital marketing specialist and an experienced content writer. His passion for writing led him to work as an editor and proofreader of academic papers at HeyTutor. The main quality of his blog pieces is credible facts and insightful tips, which his audience loves.
