Hi everyone!
I know it’s a tad late but I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year and are already heading towards your goals for 2018!
Throughout December and the beginning of January, I have been getting more familiar with Google AdWords with the help from my mentor, Scott.
What did we do?
We reviewed one of our client’s AdWords account to judge the performance of their adverts in each campaign.
The aim of this was so that we could optimise the performance of the campaign by focusing on the adverts that have a stronger and higher click through rate (CTR).
Ultimately, the goal is to maximise the return on ad spend for the client.
However, we faced a few problems…
Due to their limited budget, there wasn’t enough data in some ad groups to show even after a month’s long test. As a result, we were unable to make an effective decision on how to optimise the ad.
The campaigns were then configured to uneven ad rotation. The campaigns had previously been configured to display ads that were more likely to convert. However, this meant that our new test ads weren’t displayed as often so we weren’t able to judge their relative performance.
What actions did we take?
In the ad groups where we did have enough data to make an effective decision, we paused the underperforming ads and created a new set of ads based on what we learned. In other words, most of the higher performing ads had similar keywords and copy to each other so we duplicated these ads and created similar copy.
We then split off one ad group to its own campaign as it was consuming all the budget from the other ad groups in the same campaign.
We set all the campaigns to display ads evenly over time. This will run for another month where we will then review again.
During this process, I researched the web on how to write effective ad copy and if there were any top tips I should know about to make the process easier. They are as follows:
#1 Use Effective CTAs
Using effective call to actions is extremely important to get users to click to your site. You need to tell the user what exactly you want them to do and if you don’t then they might go elsewhere. A few good call to actions include:
Buy now
Act quickly
Call ???
One fixed fee today
Buy one get one free
Upgrade today
#2 Use Numbers & Symbols
Numbers and symbols in your ad copy can increase your impressions and CTR significantly.
Shoppers love a bargain so if you tell them in your ad copy that you have up to 50% off accessories then they are likely to visit your site which could then lead to a conversion - even better!
Using symbols like your registered trademark is effective as it shows the user your authenticity and you are likely to earn the user’s trust.
#3 Include Emotional Triggers
Conveying emotion in your ad copy is a very powerful technique to gain traffic to your site.
Someone who reads something that’s funny, relatable or has personal value are likely to click through.
It can be tricky to do due to the subjective nature of these emotions but this is where testing ads can help you find out what works and what doesn’t in achieving your click through goals.
#4 Include Keywords in your Copy
This may sound like the obvious but after doing my research, many businesses fail to include the most important keywords in their ad copy.
For example, when I searched for “women’s jackets,” the top ad displayed had no mention of women or jackets - only “designer clothing.”
As a result, I was more drawn to click on one of the ads further down on the SERP as they have “women’s jackets” in their ad titles and descriptions. I was convinced that they would take me to a landing page that displayed women’s jackets unlike the other ad which didn’t.
Surprisingly, the ad that didn’t have “women’s jackets” in their copy took me to a landing page displaying women’s jackets.
So, my top tip to them would be to include their keywords in their copy - they will receive many more clicks!
#5 Use Punctuation Correctly
Using punctuation correctly is another easy mistake several businesses make when creating their ad copy.
Simple full stops, commas or question marks can go a long way in ensuring you get the CTR’s you want. Having good punctuation makes your ad clearer to the user and increasing your chance of click through.
Grammar and spelling are also both very important. Getting someone to proofread your ads ahead of publishing can be a big help in ensuring they are free from any errors.
#6 Be Real
No one wants to click on an ad that takes them to the wrong landing page or conveys misleading information.
Ads are written to be clickbait - but if you state that you are offering 20% off all kitchen appliances and your customer visits your site to find out it is only 20% off when you spend £30 or more, they will not be happy.
“Being real” in your ad copy will increase customer and brand loyalty and will prevent you receiving any complaints.
To wrap it up, to write effective ad copy, you must:
Use Effective Call To Actions
Use Numbers and Symbols
Include Emotional Triggers
Include your Keywords in the copy
Be Real
Do you have any other tips we should know about? What do you think is the most important in writing effective ad copy? Let us know @wearegecko!
- Gillian