Equally, if you get it wrong then the results can be limited, if any at all, so spending time getting your message spot on really is so worthwhile if you want to get the ultimate level of success from your campaign.

The Basics

AdWords has changed in terms of the advert make up it is important to know what has changed and how this will affect your advert.

So, out with the old, which was a headline, two lines of description and a final url and in with the new which now uses:

• Headline One = 30 Characters
• Headline Two = 30 Characters
• Long Description = 80 Characters
• Final URL
• Display URL

And of course, an example of how it looks now would only be correct using one of our adverts, right?

The reason for this change is to make sure the adverts work across all devices, from desktop through to smart phone, as with the rise in searches coming through mobile and tablets the old AdWords style just didn’t work, but the new one does and for me it is big upgrade that has actually made quite a bit of difference to CTR and quite often, conversions.

Writing Your Advert

My biggest bit of advice is to not write your adverts live on the system, instead, write them offline on a spreadsheet.

There are a few reasons for this, but generally it allows you plan your adverts in a more consistent manner and when you have them next to each other, you can quickly see if they are a bit to “samey” or whether they all display a similar message but with minor tweaks that allow you to try different things. As AdWords is often about the tone of the message, having 4 or 5 adverts per ad group allows you to find the right message for your audience, as the system will rotate (if you let it) and then work out which adverts are the right ones for your audience, based either on CTR or conversions.

By planning your whole campaign on a spreadsheet makes a massive difference, as you can then see if you are using too many characters by putting number checks on, you can check to make sure the message and adverts read well and you can also plan your adverts around your keywords as well, which helps to get a better Quality Score for your campaign and account, something that although is an important aim, should also be taken into account along with your message for your customer, as this is equally important.

So, when it comes to the actual advert, you need to think about the following to write the best advert you can.

Answer The Search

Your main aim with the advert is to answer the search. So, for example, if a visitor searched for “Self Storage Cheltenham”, and your company offered self storage in Cheltenham, then your advert needs to reflect this search. So, you could write something like “Affordable Self Storage In Cheltenham, Flexible Options, Find Out More Today” and then lead them through to the best possible page, or try a few different pages across your adverts and then see which is the best one in terms of CTR and conversions. The main aim is to make sure that when someone searches for something, your advert answers this search, and will therefore get the click through and hopefully, the business.

Give The Right Information

Don’t confuse the user, make it simple, make it follow through and you are on the right lines with your advert. For example, following on from the above, if the user searches for self storage Cheltenham and your advert talks about a different location or a different service, you are going to end up losing the visitor as the relevance is just not there. Therefore specific ad groups are so important, as you can tailor your advert to the search term, which makes sure the user sees the right message in terms of what they are searching at that moment in time.

Don’t Waffle, Less Is More

Don’t feel you have to fill ever character of your ad space, this is simply not the case. Quite often, less is more, so if you feel your advert is getting across your message and is concise, then this is fine, the limits are there but you don’t have to fill them. Quick, simple and on point are the main things to think about, as if you can attract the visitor using fewer words and characters, then this is a good thing, as they will make their minds up in seconds when it comes to clicking through to your site or moving onto the next listing.

Key Selling Points

Try to get some key selling points in the advert. These might be prices or reasons to use your business, special offers and things like that, but giving someone a reason to click through, based on your message, is the whole point of writing an amazing advert. Think about your message and think about why someone should use your business, and then, if possible, get some of this message within your advert and your campaign.

The Right End Point

The final thing to think about when you make your advert, is the page you are sending them to. Ideally, you should think about a specific landing page just for your campaign, but if you are sending them to a normal and existing page on your website, make sure it is the right one. Avoid the home page where possible and take them through to the nearest end point you can, as if you make the user have to click around to find what they are looking for, you have broken the journey and will lose out on conversions.