How to write a killer pay-per-click advert

With pay-per-click, as with job interviews, first impressions count. A great pay-per-click advertisement combines just enough information to capture your interest with sufficient mystery to leave you wanting more. So how do you write one?

The success of your pay-per-click advertisement depends on keywords

The success of your pay-per-click (PPC) advert depends on your choice of keywords and where they're positioned within the ad text. Omitting important terms from your advertisement text is a common mistake. Not only are you selling yourself short, if Google AdWords is your platform of choice it will also mean you miss out on vital 'quality score' points.

AdWords' quality score demonstrates your campaign's ability to give search users exactly what they've gone online to find, based on campaign infrastructure and relevance of related groupings. Adverts featuring a higher density of keywords matching the user's search term earn Google brownie points, and so are rewarded by Google with lower cost-per-click and better positioning. Most importantly however, they'll stand out to the user because of their promise that the advertiser can deliver what the surfer wants to buy.

PPC ads should be as relevant and specific as possible

If the collection of keywords within your AdWords campaign have been well chosen and arranged into linked groups then you've already laid the foundations for your ad copy to get results. Using the correlation of groups and keywords as a starting point ensure your advertisement is as relevant and specific as possible. If you stock a certain brand flag it early on. Being brazen about name dropping not only positions you as a key player within the market, it helps attract the right kind of traffic to your web site.

No matter what industry you operate in, you'll always face competition from fellow pay-per-click advertisers. So whether you're selling high technology or low-cost flights, think carefully about which words are most likely to convert readers into customers. Set yourself apart by injecting a little sparkle into your copy. Google's limitation on the number of characters you can use often inhibits creativity, so it's worth remembering that you have the option of running several ads in rotation. Introduce new ideas alongside tried and tested executions.

Yahoo gives PPC advertisers more space to test advertisement copy

In addition to offering a more generous space allowance to pay-per-click advertisers Yahoo's costs are generally lower and its conversion rates strong. If you're already a Google user, consider opening a second, complimentary account with Yahoo to try out different keyword and ad copy combinations.

As with all advertising, whether online or off, killer advertisement text must always, always be true. Special offers, free postage and packaging or limited edition lines make for great click-through rates, but if you promise something that's not actually available on your site you will have wasted the cost of the click. Don't think that once there, your unwitting visitor will be so impressed with your site they'll buy something anyway. They won't. They'll leave and never come back.

 

Author Daniel Jupp is managing director of pay-per-click consultancy Top Position.

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