Copywriting for Google AdWords

Almost every beginning marketer has somehow been foiled by the Google Adwords Select system. For those of you not familiar with it, Google Adwords are those pink and green sponsored ads that appear at the edge of Google's search engine listings. Usually the scenario begins quite optimistically with a generous funding of your account and the submitting as many ads as possible. Then existentialism sets in as you realize that Google is rejecting ad after ad. This is because copywriting for Google Adwords has its own finicky style and length requirements.

Two key factors affect whether or not your copywriting will be accepted by Google Adwords seemingly mysterious approval system. The first factor is finding the right keywords so that you will be paying for targeted as opposed to random hits. The second is writing ads that are tiny, concise, clear and right to the point.

Writing Google Ads is difficult for most people simply because it is harder to write shorter copy than it is longer copy. Not only do you have to incorporate keywords, but also you have to make the three or four word space that you have to actually describe your business make logical sense to anyone who reads it! 

Copywriting for Google Adwords is a daunting chore even for professionals so don't get too down about those first few expensive mistakes you may have made. Here are a few tips that may help you get your ads into top positions while keeping your conversion rate below the dreaded 7% mark.

First of all you need to consider your headline. The headline needs to express one of two things - either the benefit or the end result if a consumer goes to your site. In order to brainstorm this you need to figure out what your web site's most attractive feature is and associate them with some key phrases

Here is a list of key phrases that describe the features using an online store that sells wedding bands.

Contemporary selection
Lab created or real gems
Free engraving
Discounted inventory

Your next step in the process of brainstorming would be to associate benefits with each of the features:

hundreds of styles to choose from
style for any budget
personal service
inexpensive gems

The next step would be to try to incorporate keywords into those key phrases.
If you've used Overture pay-per-click engine you know that there is a greater click through rate on search results that use the exact key phrase the surfer types in. The same holds true for Google's AdWords program.

A search through Google Adword's keyword search tool tells us that the optimum keyword phrases to use in our copywriting would be "wedding bands" and "engagement rings." These two phrases also have to be incorporated somehow into the copy.

Ultimately, 2riting effective Google Ads is a process of reduction. The standard Google Ad is only 25 characters. Start by writing it out in a long form such as ...

Contemporary engagement and wedding rings! Hundreds of styles to choose from with a style for any budget. Genuine and lab created gems to suit any budget.  Free engraving and personal service. Also check out bargains on our discounted inventory.

On the next rewrite eliminate every single word that you do not need and rearrange the copy. The result might look something like this:

Contemporary engagement and wedding rings.  Genuine lab and created Gems! Discounted inventory with a style for every budget. Free engraving. Personal Service.

This ad gets the point across and might be fine for submitting as the contextual heading to a search engine. However at 137 characters, it is still too long for Google AdWords. Your headline must be less than 25 characters (including spaces). To make it even more challenging your copy can only be 35 characters per line and there are only two lines. So you have to express your entire advertising message in less than three lines.

Here are some examples of how the copy above could be distilled down into Google Adword copy.

Wedding & Engagement Rings
Style at a discount
Lab created and genuine gems
plus free engraving

Discounted Ring Inventory
Lab Created and real gems
Free engraving on wedding
and engagement bands

After you have come up with your ads, your final step is to post your ad and see whether or not they will perform for you. Google usually notifies you very quickly if your ad is disapproved or if they feel it is not performing. An ad that does not perform for Google is one that is getting a less than a .05% click through rate.

Succeeding at copywriting for Google Adwords is a bit like playing a game of finding the best synonyms. Sometimes all it takes is one little substitution, for instance changing the word "big" for "huge" to increase your clickthrough rate. Other times ad words succeed for reasons unfathomable to the human brain but perfectly logical to search engine spiders. In any case, when it comes to writing this kind of specialized and very brief advertising copy, it takes a bit of persistence and patience to make it pay off!

Comments

[Gloria]

That is a great article with thorough and useful explanations.
http://www.all-translations.com/copywriting-service.html

[Internet Marketing Blog]

Just wondering when you're going to start posting again? It's been awhile!

[Neil Wheatley]

Excellent article, thanks.

[Chat]

I’d be interested in an updated GoogleAnalytics chart (may be two with about six weeks coverage), just to see if the effect did wear off after a while and also, did others link to your new name with the same link-text (allinurl:…). I hope you will publish a follow up.

[Peter]

hi for me, to write google adwords.
i always use format like

eye-catching headline
feature
benefit
my url

best regard,

Peter Kohar
www.CopyWritingRevolution.com

[Ciara Carruthers]

Hi,
Great article, thanks. And great site, I just discovered it.
I'll be back...

[R. Wulandari]

Hi,

I really enjoyed this article. By chance, my friend just wrote for Google Adwords. He said that he used a software called Glyphius to help him make quality ads. instantly. I think I hane to get started soon.
thank you...

[Eiric Bachtiar]

Hi Peter, apa kabar lo?makin hebat aja ni?
hahhahahhaha

sadis $2000 men,heheheheheh

wish u the best

Eiric Bachtiar
http://www.bestjakartaguide.com

[Neil the Freelance Copywriter]

I had no idea about these little details... no wonder AdWords isn't working for me!

Thanks for an interesting article.

[Nancy Wells]

Shared this with all my coworkers. Nice content re: copywriting to increase clickthrough rate. Bookmarked you.
Nancy Wells

[Copywriting software for ads]

Good point of view, this copywriting to increase CTR. There is a program that can be used to know which ad will achieve the higher CTR before testing it. It is Key sentences Tool, this software is based in a huge swipe file of Adwords ads. You can test it.

Jorge Bello

[Ramesh]

wow! this is nice post on seo copy writing thanks for sharing your ideas.

[sohbet]

then you

[sohbet]

thenk you aygulum

[chat]

thenk you aygulum raul

[Mark]

Nice post! Thanks for that. So important to understand and really nail your Google Ad Word campaign. My friend heads up Google in a southern hemisphere country. I sent him this to get his opinion on it and he came back and said your observations and recommendations were very accurate and effective. Nice one!

[KonnierP]

Did you use the ideas of a custom writing service for your professional data? I opine that you really have great definition essay performing skills. Thanks so much for that!