How to write effective Google Ads

How to write effective Google Ads

Are you considering making online ads part of your marketing strategy? Google Ads Smart campaigns make it easy to get your ads up and running.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to write your ad copy, and how to make the most of your online ads so they perform well and reach the right audiences.

When you use Smart campaigns for your online ads, there are two types of “copy” — or text sections — you’ll need to write: headlines and descriptions. These sections will appear together in your ad when someone searches for your business or for products and services like yours.

Writing catchy headlines

The first thing you’ll write are headlines. You’ll need to write three headlines for each ad, which will appear together at the top of your ad, above the link to your website.

Headlines are designed to be short, punchy, and to catch the attention of your potential customers. They should entice your audience and convince them to read the rest of your ad. But be brief: You have a limited number of characters for each headline (30 characters).

Your three headlines should work together, building on each other to say something about what your customers are searching for (without repeating themselves). For example, if your small business sells sunglasses, your three headlines might say:

• “Sunglasses For Sale”
• “Find Your Perfect Frames”
• “Shop Our Collection!”

These three headlines work well because they clearly explain what you’re selling, while also encouraging potential customers to come explore your website.

Pro tip: It’s important to differentiate your headlines so they don’t repeat content, for example you would want to avoid using something like 1. “Cool sunglasses for sale” 2. “Stylish sunglasses for sale” 3. “Shop our stylish sunglasses.” Also, capitalizing the first letter of every word has proven to drive stronger results.

Writing great descriptions

Next, you’ll write two descriptions. You only have to write two descriptions for each ad to run below your headlines. Descriptions give you the chance to really show off what makes your small business special.

Like headlines, descriptions have a character limit though they’re longer than headlines (90 characters), so you have more room to be creative when talking about your business. Here are three examples of descriptions you might use if you’re selling sunglasses:

• “Our unique wooden sunglasses are designed and crafted right here in Los Angeles.”
• “Over 50 styles to choose from, plus free shipping and returns on all orders.”
• “Shop our Holiday Sale to find special discounts on our most popular styles.”

These are great descriptions because they not only show your audience what’s different about your business and products, but they also give customers an incentive to shop with you. And they play off of the headlines above, too.

Things to consider when writing headlines and descriptions

When writing your headlines and descriptions, here are some helpful questions to consider:

• What are you offering your customers? Don’t overthink it. If you’re selling sunglasses, make sure to state that clearly.
• What problem are you solving for your customers? “Get your new look for summer” or “Show off your personality” help potential customers understand the value of your products.
• Why should someone shop with you right now? If you’re having a holiday sale or have limited-time offers, let your audience know, so they can take advantage of these specials.
• What makes your product or service unique? Customers may want to know if your business is veteran-owned or only uses organic materials. Share that information.
• Why should someone choose your business over your competitors? Customers have lots of options. Telling them that you’re rated highest in customer satisfaction or that you offer risk-free returns for 30 days can help convince them to shop with you.
• What special incentives do you offer? Free shipping, special discounts for return shoppers, curbside pick-up, and similar incentives can make your business more attractive to shoppers.

Pro tip: Be sure to double-check your spelling, grammar, and punctuation for both your headlines and descriptions. You want your business to look polished and professional — plus, ads with mistakes may be rejected by Google’s system.

Smart campaigns eliminate the guesswork

Not sure what copy will work the best? No problem!

Google Ads Smart campaigns will automatically rotate versions of your different ads, measuring their performance and results. As the system learns which ads perform the best, it will show those more often — giving you the best possible results.

So be sure to write lots of ads! Get creative, try different things. Smart campaigns will do the hard work for you by determining which ads are working the best and which copy is resonating most with your audience.

Online advertising is a powerful way to help your small business reach more people and share your story with the perfect audience.

And by following these tips, you’ll be ready to start writing great ads that entice new customers, highlight your brand, and get major results.

6 questions to consider as you write your ads ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?As you write your headlines and descriptions for Google Ads Smart campaigns, think about what you want potential customers to know about your business.

• What are you offering your customers?
• What problem are you solving for your customers?
• Why should someone shop with you right now?
• What makes your product or service unique?
• Why should someone choose your business over your competitors?
• What special incentives do you offer?

How to measure success in Google Ads

One of the great things about using Google Ads Smart campaigns is how easy it is to measure your success and understand how your ads are performing — so you can continuously improve your approach.

Which metrics matter most?

In this video, you’ll learn what return on investment (ROI) and cost-per-click (CPC) are. Learn more.

When people discuss online ad performance, they talk about two key terms most often: Return on investment (ROI) and cost-per-click (CPC).

Let’s take a look at what ROI and CPC are, why they’re important, and what each one means for your business. ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Return on investment (ROI) ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ROI is a pretty simple measurement: how much you spent versus how much profit you made, calculated as a percentage. It’s a basic and important way to quickly understand if your ads are making more money than you’re spending on them, and if they’re worth the time, effort, and budget you’re putting into them.To calculate ROI, simply take your sales revenue, subtract your ad costs, and then divide by your ad costs and multiply by 100. ? For example:

• Sarah spends $100 on ads for her tutoring business.
• She makes $200 from selling two tutoring sessions via her ads.
• Taking her total revenue ($200) minus the cost of her ads ($100) gives her $100 in profit.
• $100 divided by 100 equals 1. 1 x 100 = 100.
• Sarah’s ROI was 100%.
• This means that for every $1 Sarah spent, she made an extra $1 in profit.

A positive ROI means your ads are bringing in more money than you’re spending; they’re generating profit. The higher your ROI percentage, the greater the profit — and the better your ads are doing. But if you have a negative ROI, your ads might still be stabilizing or it may be time to refresh your copy and keyword themes. Results take time, so don't panic if at first your ROI is low. It can take a few weeks for your ad performance to stabilize while we discover what works best for your business.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Cost-per-click (CPC) ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

CPC measures how much you’re spending for each individual click on your ads using a basic ratio. It’s an important measurement because it helps you quantify and put a price tag on the exposure your ads are generating for your business. To calculate CPC, simply take the total amount you spent on your ads and divide it by the number of clicks those ads drove to your website. For example:

• Carlos spends $100 on ads for his dental practice.
• His ads drive 50 clicks to his website.
• 100 divided by 50 = 2.
• Carlos’ cost per click is $2.

Google Ads Smart campaigns will also show you your CPC per ad in the campaign dashboard.

What to look for in your metrics ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?So, what should you do with these numbers, and what are you looking for? One great idea is to track them over time. Generally, your ROI should increase over time as your ads get better and better at reaching the right audience and convincing them to spend money with your business.? ? ? ? ?

CPC is a little trickier. It’s usually okay if your CPC goes up over time as long as your ROI is also increasing. If you’re still generating more and more revenue from your ads, you may find yourself spending a little more per click to reach the right audience. That’s okay — if more of those clicks are turning into conversions, your profit is still increasing and your business is still growing because of your ads.? ? ? ?How to make your ads work even harder for you? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Your performance is designed to improve over time as Smart campaigns learns the best ways to connect with your audience. But you can help, too.?

Here are five things you can do to make your ads work even harder for you. ? ? ? 1. Check your keyword themes and search phrases ? ???????????????????

When you set your ad live, we recommend choosing 7-10 keyword themes — these will be used to show your ad when a person searches certain terms in Google.

Over time, Smart campaigns will create a list of search terms that cause your ads to appear. You’ll want to make sure these search terms are a good match for the types of products and services you offer, so check them often and deselect any terms that aren’t a good fit.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 2. Check the locations where your ads are running? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? People all over the world use Google, but you may only want to reach people in the area you serve. If your Los Angeles-based bakery only delivers locally, you don’t need or want to spend money showing ads to shoppers in Boston. Check your Smart campaigns settings and make sure your ads are only appearing to people in the areas you serve. ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

3. Check the times your ads are running ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? The internet is always on, 24/7. But you know your business best — if there are certain times of day or days of the week when most people are looking for you, you can change when your ads are shown.? ? For example, if you are trying to drive phone calls to your business and your business is closed on Sundays, it probably isn’t worth showing ads on Sundays when no one is there to answer the phones. You can use ad scheduling to adjust when your ads are showing up to make the most of those clicks.? ? ?

4. Liven up your ads? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? To help your ads rise above the general online “noise” your customers search through every day, it’s important to catch their eye with great design and interesting ad copy.Check out our lesson on writing great ads, and remember: Smart campaigns automatically test different combinations of your text and images to see which ones work best. So go ahead and create lots of different, imaginative versions of your ad text. ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 5. Double-check your website? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Remember, when someone clicks on your ad, it will take them to your website — so your website needs to be ready to help them complete the sale, inspire them to visit your location, or do whatever else you’re hoping potential customers will do after they click on your ad. ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Make sure business hours and contact information are up-to-date on your website, and that you tell people exactly what you offer and how they can connect to learn more or make a purchase. It’s also important that your website is easy to navigate, mobile-friendly, and loads quickly.

Online advertising is a great way to help you reach more people and attract more customers.And by following these tips, you’ll be ready to measure the success of your online ads, understand what the numbers are telling you, and make the changes necessary to help your business thrive.

Five Tips to optimize your Ads? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? To measure the success of your Google Ads campaigns, calculate your ROI (Return on Investment) and CPC (Cost per Click) and track these numbers over time. Then, try these 5 tips to optimize your ads further.

• Confirm your keyword themes and search phrases
• Check the locations where your ads are running
• Check the times your ads are running
• Liven up your ads with interesting copy or visuals (Tips)
• Make sure your website is up to date and easy to navigate