Ad copy with added va-va-voom

The keyboard is mightier than the sword - or so thinks our PPC expert David as he unpicks the finer points of PPC ad copy.

One of the most common misconceptions about PPC is that it is all about click-through rates and cost-per-click and – should you push these metrics in the right direction - ROI targets will be hit. This kind of thinking usually relegates advert copy to being just a component in realising the optimal click-through rate. However, the ad copy plays a far more important role in the success (or failure) of a campaign. 

Used in the right way, the PPC advert copy can glue everything together, from the search queries targeted right through to the unique selling points of each particular business.

Take, for example, an online store with an average order value of £10 that offers customers free shipping. Free P&P – what a great enticement for browsers to click on the advert, right? 

Putting this attractive offer into the ad copy is sure to benefit the click-through rate, pulling in customers who are driven to purchase by the promise of 'free delivery'.

The catch however - explained fully on the site - is that free shipping only applies to orders over £100. The likely outcome then, is that the customer will arrive at the site, look at the terms, and ultimately decide it's not for them before continuing their search elsewhere.

For the advertiser, the cost per click on this particular visit has been entirely wasted. This particular case is an example of attracting a customer who does not fit the target audience e.g a group of people who value the unique selling points of the service highly enough to make a purchase.

So, to overcome this, it's important to write advert copy that focuses on finding an ideal balance between a) the unique selling points that drive customers to your business and b) call-to-actions that will attract clicks but reflect an honest experience that the visitor can expect. 

Furthermore, once you have created ad copy that ties in nicely with your business, it's worth reviewing keyword lists along the same lines and making sure you are focussing on the correct search terms. For example, if you sell high-end shoes, weeding out any keywords such as 'cheap shoes', 'shoe sale' (or applying negatives for 'cheap' etc when using broad matching) will help focus the campaign on your desired clientèle.

By doing this the campaign may marginally lose out on traffic numbers but, at the same time, makes sure the people the people who do click through are sold on your proposition and get exactly what they are expecting once on the site - a scenario that ultimately benefits all parties.

All in all, you are trying to achieve a campaign which gives a consistent experience for the user from search query to conversion and back again.