Instruction

The sole purpose of the ad is to get somebody to click on it whilst framing them for the conversion. conversion is the goal for most businesses.

 

However, with the kind of affiliate marketing that most marketers are doing, it’s very difficult to achieve conversion tracking as you will rarely have access to the back end of the website to install  tracking tags etc.

 

Based on this, the best we can hope for is a good click through rate (CTR) as, because of the way the Google ad auction is run, the higher your click through rate the lower your cost per click.

 

So, in order to focus solely on getting the best CTR, we will look to select traffic for keywords that we know are already converting.

 

 

Ad copy writing

The fact is Write Google Ad  that drive clicks is a bit of an art and can take time to master. The goal is to give you the tools you need to get you writing ads that drive the best possible CTR.

 

The good news is that there are some general rules to follow that will help create your ad copy framework.

 

Below I’ll lay out the context to give you some understanding of the underlying principles then you can use the specific examples to your heart’s content.

 

Bear in mind the advice below is written specifically with affiliate marketing in mind.

 

1. Hit the Killer Keywords

There are some little known killer keywords that grab audience attention and you should look to include these in your ads.

 

Official:

Sometimes you may struggle to get an ad approved if you try and use the name of the company that you’re promoting in the ad itself. But by not using it you often get a lower CTR.

 

A clever way around this is to use the word official in the first headline.

 

This way you don’t even need to follow the general rule of thumb of including the keyword that you’re bidding on in the ad copy. You rapidly achieve congruence and credibility. (Important: Needless to say, this strategy only works when you’re bidding on branded keywords).

 

This technique can work wonders.

 

Get:

I’ve tried and tested all kinds of calls to action. By far the best to use in my experience is one starting with ‘GET’.

Here are some examples to use in your ads.

• Get Started Today
• Get 10% Off Today
• Get Free Access Today
• Get (Your Problem Solved Today)

 

Buy:

Another killer keyword to use in your ads is the word BUY

• Buy Today
• Buy Now & Get 10% Off

 

Now:

Be careful with Now. I’ve often found it’s too pushy and can harm CTR. It’s worth testing it to see what gets a more favourable CTR. Sometimes it’s better to go for ‘BUY’ or Click to Learn More’

 

2. Pay Attention to the Anatomy of the Ad

There are some editorial requirements surrounding the structure of Google Ads. As a rule of thumb always try and use the maximum number of characters you can.

 

 

Headline 1 – 30 Characters

Introduce the site or offer. You don’t have to try too hard because remember, we’re driving branded traffic, this means they
already know about your brand.

 

Headline 2 – 30 Characters

Include a USP of the product/service you’re promoting and try and quantify if possible

 

Headline 3 – 30 Characters

Almost always the affiliate offer or Blog post or product or service you’ll be promoting will be running some kind of a promotion. Detail the offer here

 

AND ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS combine it with a call to action. You would be surprised how many ads forget to include a call to action.

 

For example:

• Free Trial Today Only
• Get Your Free Trial Now
• 10% Off Today – Join Now
• Join Today For 10% Off
• Get Free Access Today Only.

 

Here is an awesome strategy. EVEN if the offer you’re promoting may not have a deadline published, the merchant you’re promoting can always pull the offer.

 

This justifies the approach to advertise it as a time-limited offer and therefore ALWAYS make it seem as there is a clear time limit.

 

For example:

• 10% Off Today – Join Now.
• 10% Off Limited Time Only.

Believe me – This will definitely get people clicking and it’s a killer undercover strategy!

 

Display URL- 2 X 15 Characters

Nike.com/__15 Characters __/__15 Characters ____

Many people get confused by this – it’s a page URL that doesn’t actually exist. But it is a perfect opportunity to include some keywords or offer details.

 

Following method always works best for user:
Nike.com/product details/offer details

If we translate this to a free trial on running shoes it would look something like this.
Nike.com/Running Shoes/Free-Trial

 

Description 1 – 90 Characters

starting with social proof always works well in the first description.

e.g. Trusted by Thousands (have a look at the reviews online and try and gauge how many customers they have had).

 

Another great tactic is to find a review site where they have published their reviews (either their Google my BusinessAccount, Facebook Page, or Trustpilot. Then use this data to add social proof to your ad.

Rated 4.8/5 on Trustpilot by 5096 Users.

 

Then talk about the problem that’s being solved, something like Helping You Sleep 10X Better and finally followed by a call to action, Get A Free Quote Today.

 

Description 2 – 90 Characters

Very often this description is not shown. Try and copy the first description above but reword it.

 

Using a different social proof Trusted by 5096 mums.

This time I’ll detail an offer: Free Access Now for a Limited Time Only.

Followed by a call to action: Click to Find Out More!

 

Always finish with an exclamation mark at the end. Trust me this works!

 

However, bear in mind only one exclamation mark is allowed in the whole advert and only in the description so make sure to have it at the end of one of the descriptions. Normally I find it’s best to have it at the end of a call to action.

 

Typically, people looking at your ad will want to know what is in it for them so you need to address this in your writing. To give you a hand with your descriptions I’ve included a handy headline formula which always worked well.

 

As a general rule, it is always good to address

(R) Results promised
(O) Deal with objections
(T) Time to achieve results

 

3. Ad extensions

Ad extensions allow you to increase the area of your advert and get more characters for FREE. Always use them.

 

The 5 main types are ;

• Location extension
• Phone call extension
• Callout extension
• Structured snippets
• Sitelinks

 

 

For callout extensions just use any USPs you can think of as per the examples above.

 

Unlike callout extensions where you might put in USPs of the product or offering (like free shipping, lifetime guarantee etc),

 

structured snippets are designed to feature information about the product.  For example, brands offered, styles, types etc.

 

The table below gives you a great overview on the differences.

4. Site links

Site links are a great way to push your competitors down the page. You’re effectively urging the user to click on your ad by making it as big as possible.

 

Always use calls to action for each site link and as per the example below I will typically use 4 to create a large format ad.

 

Take a look at this example to see how much bigger these site links make the ad.

 

 

 

Check more articles:

How To Use YouTube Ads For Amazon FBA

Top 3 Advertising Platforms Alternative to Facebook in 2022

Facebook Ad Strategy: from Basic to Advance

Best Targeting Options for Google Ads Campaign

 

Conclusion

Google Ads ad copy is a mix of theory and practice. Look beyond the ad and to the home page for further information. When we’re speaking to others, we must use our artistic side as well as the technical best practices I’ve discussed here. Everyone would be affluent by now if ad copy were only determined by algorithms.

 

Let us know how these best practices work for you! What was the most effective strategy for you? In your ad wording, what has worked the best for you? We want to hear from you!

 

 

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