PPC Ad Copy: Increase Conversions with These 4 Tested and Proven Tips

by Joei Chan June 7, 2016
June 7, 2016

“It’s just 75 characters. It’ll be quick.” Anybody who’s written PPC copy knows that’s a lie.


Yes, PPC copy is mostly short. But it can also be the toughest to nail.


You need to be data-driven and creative at the same time. Hit the pain point, evoke emotions, sell your benefits – all in very limited space.


We know from personal experience how difficult that is.


That’s why we’re sharing our own tested and proven tactics to write landing pages and ad copy that bring high click-through rates and conversions. So you don’t have the make the same mistakes we made.


Ready? Let’s start with landing pages.


Landing page copywriting tips from Mention’s marketing team


You may be asking for an email signup, a free trial, or an actual purchase.


Regardless of what you’re asking for, all that money and effort you spent on bidding and ranking for keywords comes down to this copy.


Our head of content, Brittany Berger, says good landing page copy should be readable, succinct, and compelling.


Here’s how.


4 landing page copywriting tips to boost your conversions


1. Write a compelling headline


Good headlines all have a few things in common. Those that convert:



  • Sell a solution: People don’t want your product; they want a solution to their problem.
  • Use the word “free”: Everyone likes free stuff.
  • Draw comparisons to familiar concepts or products: When we first launched Mention, we compared ourselves to Google Analytics (but better).
  • Make your headline a testimonial: LKR Social MediaA/B tested this and saw a 24.31% increase in their conversion rate.
  • Evoke curiosity: Curiosity sells. Intrigue prospects with a story or a question.
  • Time-based headlines: Convey that your signup process is short and that your product is easy to use.
  • Write to one person: Is it targeted to C-suite execs or salespeople? Adapt your copy to things your audience cares about.

2. Sell benefits, not features or products


Don’t talk about how your blender has a super high-speed motor with 12 different modes. Talk about what you can do with those different modes. Its benefits and the problems your features can solve.


The blender is the product. The super high-speed motor is the feature. Yummy, healthy smoothie in 2 minutes is the benefit. Avoid egocentric words like “us,” “our,” and “our product.” Turn things around to focus on the user with “you,” “your,” “your business,” and so on.


3. Bold, visible, and compelling CTAs


Put your CTAs above the fold in a bright color. Be creative with your call-to-action text. Instead of the standard “download now,” talk about the value your ebook will bring to the reader. If it’s an ebook about making better saving habits, for example, you can put “start saving now.” If you’re a travel or ticketing agent, your CTA can be something like “reserve today and be gone tomorrow.”


4. Get rid of distractions


Always stay focused. Keep your visitor’s goal in mind. Whether it’s downloading an ebook or requesting a demo – ask the visitor to do one thing, not five.


Get rid of things like the navigation bar, footer links, and any other distractions. You want to keep visitors on your landing page and moving them towards conversion, not away from it.


PPC ad copywriting tips


Most of the tips above apply to PPC ad copy. But there’s a distinctive difference between ad and landing page copy.


First, the obvious: you have a limited word count. Second, PPC ad copy is the teaser to your blockbuster. You attract people to click with a sneak peak of your offer.


Like the subject line of an email, the PPC ad copy makes or breaks your click-through and conversion rates.


You need to get creative to stand out from all the other advertisers you’re sharing real estate space with.


Here are some specific tips you should try.


Try these 4 tips to writing ad copy that get clicks:


1. Be the best answer


Your ad copy is your first chance to connect with potential customers; the deciding factor that determines whether they’ll visit your site or your competitor’s. You need to tell them, “I have the answer. Click me and I’ll show you!”


Example:


Query search:


Smart watch models


Ad 1:


Smart watch. Huge watch offers. Visit us today to buy your new watch.


Ad 2 (optimized):


Compare Smart watches. Find a new smart watch that fits your lifestyle and budget.


Although both ads contain the keyword “Smart watch,” the second ad answers the query better.


2. Be accurate


Since you’re paying per click, you don’t want to attract clicks that won’t convert.


That’s why accuracy is the most important requirement for good PPC ad copy.


If you’re trying to sell a Twitter influencer tool, specify that in your ad. Don’t try to attract clicks by being vague and general, like “increase your social engagement,” at least not without a subheading that specifies what you’re offering.


A low message match will drive up the bounce rate, which in turn affects your scores on search and social networks. This results in a bad ad position or higher CPC.


3. Be specific with numbers


Numbers are easy to digest and understand, and studies show that incorporating them into your copy can make it appear more accurate and credible.


To take it up a notch, it’s been shown that specific numbers like 1,542 can improve performance over round numbers like 1,500+. If you’re including a number, write out the exact number.


4. Be consistent


Keyword consistency is important for conversions, as well as your relevance score. You can come up with click-baity ad copy, but if it’s irrelevant to your actual offer, people will just bounce when they arrive at your landing page. And you’ll pay for clicks that didn’t convert.


Use the same keywords in the headline and on the display URL as your ad copy. You can also add it to one of the description lines.


Every piece of the puzzle counts


Copywriting is just one piece of the big PPC puzzle. If keyword research was not performed thoroughly, or the channel selected was not appropriate, the campaign won’t convert no matter how well-written your landing page and ad copy are.


 

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