How to Write Killer AdWords Ads
Google Adwords is a highly targeted advertising platform - zoning in on buyers already seeking your product. But a campaign is only as strong as its words... so here's how to write killer AdWords ads.
April 25th, 2011 by Becky Turner
How to Write Killer AdWords Ads |
What Is It?
Google AdWords is a way of putting your product or service in front of people who are already looking for it.
AdWords appear next to Google's search results but only when your selected keywords are triggered (so you don't waste money advertising to the wrong people). Your ads can also appear on related websites, again where the web content triggers your ad keywords.
Should I Be Using AdWords?
If you are selling any kind of product or service online, the answer is most definitely yes. This includes affiliates, who earn sales commissions selling other people's products online. Here's an example of this strategy:
- I sell an ebook for $10. I take out an AdWords ad which costs $0.10 every time someone clicks on the ad. So 100 clicks costs me $10. With a conversion rate of 2%, I can earn $20 in sales for every $10 spent on advertising. This equates to an easy passive income in sales of my ebook, yielding a 100% return on investment.
That's just a low-cost test campaign. The worst that can happen is you blow $10 and have to start again. However, once you've proven a decent ROI, you can invest more of your profits into AdWords and yield an even greater profit tomorrow. It's very scalable.
Anyone with a computer and an internet connection can start making money with AdWords in about 30 minutes, provided you:
- Have a product to sell (see ClickBank Marketplace for ideas)
- Can write a killer AdWords ad (see below)
- Can generate a large, targeted keyword list (see below)
- Can invest some pocket money into AdWords trials
How to Write Killer AdWords Ads
Here is a step-by-step guide to increasing your web sales through AdWords, whether it's for your own product or an affiliate product.
Step 1 - Keyword Research
Identify the most relevant keyword for your product niche (dog training, lucid dreaming, rose gardening, golf tips, etc) and build a targeted keyword list using Google's Free Keyword Tool.
Targeted means specific. If you're selling a dog training product, don't simply target words like:
They are too broad. Instead, target word combinations like:
- Dog training
- Puppy training
- Dog obedience
- Puppy housebreaking
You can even target highly specific combos (for which you can also create separate campaigns and landing pages) such as individual dog breeds:
- Sheltie dog training
- Sheltie puppy training
- Border collie dog training
- Border collie puppy training
Keyword Matching
Google allows four different types of keyword matching, defined by your use of brackets, quotes and hyphens:
- Broad match: dog training
- Exact match: [dog training]
- Phrase match: "dog training"
- Negative: -gym
A broad match will display your ad any time a search contains your keyword, no matter what other words surround it, and including plurals and relevant variations of your keywords. Because broad matches can be less targeted, you should only use this option when your keyword contains multiple descriptive words.
Examples of broad matches (where your keyword target is simply dog training) are:
- learn dog training techniques
- how to train your pet dog
- dog training
- training dog
An exact match will only display your ad when someone searches for that keyword exactly, in the same word order, and nothing else.
A phrase match is a kind of hybrid of the above two options. It will display your ad for that keyword exactly, in the same word order, but the search may also contain other words like in a broad match:
- pet dog training
- dog training in new york
- easy dog training methods
A negative match will prevent your ad from being displayed if it contains a negative keyword. This is to protect you from off-topic searches. For example, the following search would not trigger your ad:
It's important you make good use of the keyword matching tools. Don't automatically allow everything to be a broad match, because Google will expand all these keywords with variations, and you could end up with some untargeted keywords - so use it with caution. Try to keep as much control over your keyword targeting as possible.
Use negative matching to limit time-wasting clicks. If you use the negative word -free you will eliminate people who are only searching for free stuff and who are unlikely to make a purchase. So it's probably best to save yourself the cost of their clicks.
Lastly, remember that bigger is NOT always better when it comes to creating a targeted keyword list. It is better to have a list of 10 highly targeted keywords and trigger fewer ads, than to have a list of thousands of untargeted keywords which will simply eat through your budget (not to mention giving you a poor click through rate).
Step 2 - The Quality Score
Before we proceed, just be aware of one more factor.
In 2008, Google introduced the Quality Score which rates your ad on relevancy and bid. A high score is good; it means you have correctly matched your keywords to your ad and website, and it'll get you priority ad placement and a lower cost-per-click.
A low score is known as a Google Slap - it means your ad is not relevant enough and you'll get pushed down the placement list and pay more for your clicks. Your ad may even get denied altogether.
The Quality Score takes into account: relevancy of the ad and website, on-page optimization factors, loading time, pop-ups / pop-unders, the transparency of your business, and whether you have essential pages like a privacy policy and contact form.
Basically, to get a good Quality Score, make sure your ad, keywords and website are all closely related, and make a respectable bid.
Step 3 - Write The Ad
The key to writing a killer AdWords ad is to make the reader stop, consider the benefits of what you're offering, and act on the ad (click).
The difficulty lies in the fact that you have so few words to make your impression, in a sea of other ads all competing for the same click.
I'm going to break down the process of writing your ad and help you get into the mind set of the reader. If you're not yet familiar with AdWords, here's an example of an ad so you can see the format:
Lucid Dreaming Techniques
Learn To Control your Dreams.
Free Practical Workbook!
www.world-of-lucid-dreaming.com
The Formula
Title (max 25 characters) - Think of this as your news headline. Catch their interest with an active title that contains your keyword.
Tell your reader why they should click on your ad using words like: easy, simple, free, save, secrets, learn, cheaper, bigger, improve, tips, etc.
Sometimes it pays to ask a question and their answer makes the ad more compelling. Other times it's better to just make one bold statement about why your product is so great.
Line 1 (max 35 characters) - This is where you list a compelling benefit which compliments what you've already said in the title. Elaborate and appeal to your readers' emotions by explaining how you can: save them money, save them time, make them feel better, make life easier, or improve their lives. Sometimes a (genuine) statistic works well here too, such as "94% success rate" or "1 million copies sold".
Line 2 (max 35 characters) - This is your call-to-action. Why should they allow themselves to be distracted and make the click? A lot of internet marketers use a free trial or free demo here, because there is nothing to lose. You may want to put a special offer - but don't actually try to close the sale here or mention your product price just yet.
Display URL (max 35 characters) - This must be the domain of your site, so readers can see exactly where they're going. However it needn't contain the full URL of the landing page as this can be too long to display. Don't try to trick Google with a different domain or you'll get slapped.
Destination URL (unlimited characters) - This is the precise URL of your landing page, which readers won't see but Google will verify.
More Ad Examples
Now let's look at some more killer Google Ads and refer each one back to the formula described above.
Wanna Sack The Boss?
I Made $2,000 While on Vacation.
Ideal for WAHMs. Free Video Tour!
www.career-evolution.net
Stop Your Sheltie Barking
Dog Expert Reveals The Cure!
Highly Effective. Free Mini Guide.
www.kindgomOfpets.com
Astral Projection MP3
Have Out-of-Body Adventures
On Demand. Free MP3 Demo!
www.world-of-lucid-dreaming.com
It's generally a good rule to put all your ads in Title Case, but remember Google won't allow ALL CAPS or exclamation marks in the title. Your ad will be denied if you use words like "Best" or "#1" as these are assumptive.
Split Testing AdWords Ads
The most effective way to make money from AdWords is by split testing several variations of the same ad and running them side-by-side.
Google will rotate the ads evenly and you can track which has the highest conversion rate. Then you can focus on that one with your bigger budget.
If you don't split test your ads, you are putting all your eggs in one basket and not giving yourself the opportunity to develop your ad writing skills.
Advanced Keyword Tools
 Google's free keyword tool is a good starting point but it's certainly NOT the final word in keyword research. There are some much better tools out there if you want to develop extensive AdWords campaigns with thousands of highly targeted keywords.
For a professional keyword tool I recommend Keyword Elite 2.0, which I find very easy to use and full of smart features to quickly create targeted keyword lists for my AdWords campaigns. If you are serious about making money from AdWords, then an advanced keyword research tool is a must-have weapon in your arsenal.
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