The Important Role Content Plays in Pay Per Click Marketing

Pay per click advertising. If done right it could be the most valuable investment you make.

According to Statista, PPC has been shown to offer the best ROI compared to any other form of online marketing. 

Big and small enterprises alike make good use of it as they only need to pay for an ad when it gets clicked. With such a cost effective model, it’s clear that PPC isn’t going to die any time soon. 

However, PPC only works when there’s a clear focus on content and your user’s intent and journey. 

We said earlier that a business will only pay for a Google ad placement when it’s clicked on. Good news right? Not always.

If the user clicking on the ad immediately backs out of the page, there’s not going to be a return to reap there. It simply becomes a waste of money.

They weren’t interested in what you had to say or offer, so they went elsewhere. 

And if the ad itself doesn’t offer any value, no one is going to pay attention. It won’t matter that your link is right at the top of the page. If the ad copy is of poor quality, potentially paying customers will scroll on by to one of your competitors.

Your ad copy will stop that from happening.

Why your content matters in paid advertisements

Before we get to the meat of the issue, we should explain something.

PPC copy: what is it exactly?

It’s the content of any paid advert you list on search engines, like Google.

More specifically, it’s copy that’s been written as a solution for your customers while showcasing your business, product or service as the ultimate solution to a searcher’s needs.

PPC copy on Google Ads allow you up to 30 characters for the headline of your ads (usually 2-3 headlines) and 90 characters for the description of your ad (2 descriptions typically).

It’s not a lot of copy. However, those few words tells your searcher everything they need to know. It says a lot about you and those few words will be the difference between them clicking through to your website or not.

But it’s not just your ad’s copy that matters

Once someone reads your PPC copy and clicks through (fingers crossed!), that’s only half the job.

You’ve paid for that click and now you need to keep your website user’s interest.

This is where the quality of your website content comes into effect.

Not only will your website’s content play a key part in keeping your new user on your website, but your website’s content also impacts what’s called your ‘ad score’ or ‘quality score’ for your Googls Ads.

What is an ‘Ad/Quality Score’ in Google Ads?

Every Google Ad that gets posted has its own ad score. This is determined by Google. They’ll use user behaviour as well as the copy in your ads and website to determine its score and whether the ad is worth showing or not.

Google’s main interest is to show the best results for their user’s need based on their search.

Want to know what Google’s quality score is based on?

Straight from the horse’s mouth:

“Quality Score is calculated based on the combined performance of three components:

1. Expected click-through rate (CTR): The likelihood that your ad will be clicked when shown.
2. Ad relevance: How closely your ad matches the intent behind a user’s search.
3. Landing page experience: How relevant and useful your landing page is to people who click your ad.”

Thanks Google.

Ad relevance and landing page experience are two key factors which will both be driven by the ad copy and website content.

Simply put, if people find what they’re looking for it’s going to push your quality score right up. And that all starts with the ads you create.

If your content isn’t good, isn’t relevant, and doesn’t match the intent of the searched-for keyword, then the ad isn’t going to perform well.

And worse, it will get a low ‘Quality Score’. Which means Google will show your ad less.

Not to mention that these ratings are generated with your competitors’ scores in mind too. If someone has better ad copy than you, it’s going to show in your overall ad score and analytics.

Then we come to the quality of the copy on the page a user has been linked to. If this isn’t good, any PPC ad for it will be doomed to fail from the start. There’s no point paying to send traffic to a page if it won’t convert any contacts or sales.

PPC copywriting and why you need it (if it’s not obvious already)

Good PPC copy doesn’t come out of thin air. It needs to be written with care and attention to detail.

That’s where specific PPC copywriting methods and services come in.

PPC copywriting is the art of generating user relevant content for paid advertising spaces. You have limited copy in the ads, but enough to get a message across to searchers. This content needs to have converting power even within just a couple short sentences. It needs to be short and snappy, whilst still clever and compelling.

If you understand the intent and psych of your user, you can convince them to click your ad over anyone else.

Persuasive short form copy for the win, but it’s not easy to do.

Copy like this can take an age to write – and we’ve been there! It’s why copywriting services for paid ads, like what we offer at TJ Creative, can help you craft the kind of killer PPC copy that gets to the heart of a customer’s issue.

It’s a hard task to manage alone. Indeed, many businesses start out not being able to write their own ad copy. But knowing the secrets behind PPC copywriting can change the game.

Poor PPC copy = wasted spend.

Poor website content = wasted spend.

Great PPC ad copy + poor website content = wasted spend.

Great copy all round = return on investment!

Don’t keep wasting your budget on paid ads by putting out poor content.

How to write Google Ad copy to get more clicks

Ad copy is there to sell. But there’s a difference between an aggressive sales tactic and a useful one. It’s the latter you’ll want to focus on when crafting content for your Google Ads.

Don’t write from the perspective of your own business. Don’t write about all the features of your product and why it’s good.

Write with your customer in mind. Put yourself in their shoes.

What would you want to know about your business from just a first glance?

What problem do they have that your product can help with?

You offer value, quality, and reliability, but what language can you use to immediately deliver this message?

You can also take inspiration from any content you’ve made before that’s performed well. Model this copy after any web page or blog post that’s connected with your audience.

Not sure which of your content stands out? You can use both direct feedback (such as likes, shares, or comments) and your Google analytics to find out.

We’ve even got some tips below on how to do competitor research for good ad copy.

Don’t forget the content on the page you’re linking to

As Google says, the landing page experience plays a part in the quality score of your ad. Your content is key in creating a positive user experience on your website.

We’re not just talking about the words you use. It’s not even just about the keywords you target and whether they’re really relevant. It’s about the user experience as a whole.

Creating an enjoyable user experience is so important for any website, and your content will be essential in providing your users with the best possible website experience. Your website’s content is more than just words.

If your content doesn’t speak to your user and provide them with the solution or information they need, they’ll leave quickly. And that is tragic when you have paid for that click to your website!

Too many businesses are blowing their budget on poor ads and/or a poor landing page experience.

Our top 6 tips for writing great ad copy

With limited characters, PPC ad copy is hard to create. So for anyone looking to attempt this themselves, here’s a list of the top 6 tips for writing great ad copy.

• Research your competitors

It’s always worth looking at your competitors’ ads to see what they’re writing. And when you’re reading their ads, think about what you could write.

Keyword research on Google Keyword Planner will be super useful to see where competitors are putting their money and what your users are searching for.

• Think about what makes you different

Your USP will help to write a better ad because it will have more chance of appealing to your customers over your competitors.

Now you’ve got an impression of who you’re advertising against, you can write with your difference. Pick out your USP and push it in your ad copy. Be creative and make sure the message will resonate with your user and make your ad stand out.

Think about it: what does your product offer that can’t be found anywhere else? What language will ensure a customer knows you’re the best option? How can you phrase your message to stand out?

• Craft your call to action (CTA_

A CTA can be hard to write without a clearly identified purpose. So, what do you want your ad to do? Do you want a customer to shop your website, book a call, or sign up?

Your CTA should be interesting to your customer. Don’t go for the usual ‘Find out more’. Add a reason or benefit for them to take action on your ad.

• Use Ad extensions/Sitelinks to your advantage

Ad Sitelinks will help your ad take up more screen essentially with useful info and links.

There are various extensions you can use, such as sitelinks, callouts, pricing, and call assets. If you write the entirety of your copy with extensions in mind you can also ensure it flows well. Extra detail won’t look out of place.

Each can add more value to an ad, and Google itself recommends using 4 or more in each posting. Don’t worry about overloading a reader – the algorithm won’t project an asset unless it’s calculated to strengthen your ad’s performance.

• Appeal with emotions

Creative writing can go forgotten in the digital marketing sphere. But when it comes to PPC ad copy you need to appeal to the emotions. Great copy is made with feeling. It’s made to connect to a reader over a specific problem.

Focus on what a customer is feeling at this moment. What has led them here? What problem have they tapped into the search bar? And how do you want them to feel after they’ve bought your product? This is the simplest way to use psychology in marketing.

It’s all about connecting with your user.

• Test your ad copy

Once you’ve written your copy, test it. Test your headlines, your USPS, and your calls to action. Test different versions of them all and see what’s really making someone click through.

You can use the Google Ads platform to run ad copy tests. See which ad copy shows most and which converts best from impression to click.

You should also create multiple ads to see how the copy performs against each other in real time. Which version pulls in the stronger analytics? Don’t go in blind and never let an advert sit without some experimenting. You won’t know what’s working unless you test.

The best performing PPC ads are made with awesome content, and they link to equally high quality content pages. But we know ad copy can be hard to create.

Talk to us at TJ Creative about your PPC plans and we can help you spend your ad budget wisely.