Create Better Google Ads with the Help of These 11 PPC Ad Copy Examples

Author's avatar Marketing UPDATED Dec 22, 2021 PUBLISHED Nov 19, 2020 13 minutes read

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    Peter Caputa

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    You might think it’s just a few words, but ad copywriting can determine the success or failure of your ad campaign. Whether it’s text in a Google ad or in a Facebook advertisement, your website’s traffic is dependent on the messages you send out. So, if you’re looking for PPC ad copy examples to learn a few things yourself, you’re in the right place.

    A good ad copy showcases the benefits and features of your product along with answering customer’s questions. Typically, it’s short and simple and yet powerful enough to make readers take an action.

    So, in this post let’s discuss the soup to nuts guide on ad copy. Here’s a peek at what you’ll learn today:

    1. What are Ad Copies
    2. How Do I Write a PPC Ad Copy?
    3. 11 PPC Ad Copy Examples to Inspire Yours
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    What are Ad Copies?

    Advertisement copy refers to the written content that goes inside a digital advertisement.

    Since copywriting serves both sales and marketing purposes, an ad copy’s goal is to catch the attention and interest of readers. To this end, ad copies talk about what value a product or service can provide and what someone has to do to drive benefits from it.

    Put simply, an ad copy makes your target audience take an action by talking about the benefit of doing so. It typically includes any information a potential customer would like to know about a product along with a CTA.

    Related: 11 Tips for Creating a Custom Google Ads Dashboard to Track PPC Performance

    How Do I Write a PPC Ad Copy?

    You must have seen ads with written text along with an accompanying design in different areas on the internet. This is because ads run on social media platforms, websites as well as on search engines.

    A PPC or pay-per-click ad copy refers to the copy that is shown in a Google advertisement.

    This type of copy can be very challenging to create. Why? Because you have to fit your message in a small space and hold readers’ interest with only a few words.

    Since you’re paying Google lots to show your ad to people who type a relevant query, it’s obvious you want high ROI. Properly done PPC ads can bring in profits, whereas, poor ad copy is a waste of time and resources.

    This begs the question: how do you write an excellent ad copy? Here are some tips:

    1. Start with research. Study what your competitors are doing and collect some PPC ad copy examples. This will help you stay relevant, learn from them as well as figure out what you need to do to stand out.
    2. Talk about the solution you have. Customers come across your Google ad when they enter a problem that they’re looking for an answer to. Your ad copy should help them understand how your product can fix their problems.
    3. Tickle readers’ emotions. Add emotional triggers in your ad copy to affect your audience on a deeper level and make them click. To this end, study your audience to know what emotions you should stimulate. Also, use power words relevant to your product and service.
    4. Include keywords. Add keywords that your audience would search for. You can include them in your ad body, but do so wisely as forcing them in can negatively impact your ad’s readability. Don’t forget to add keywords in your display URL.
    5. Let numbers encourage readers. You can use numerical statistics to get your readers’ interest. For instance, add a number related to your business’s performance or the lowest price of your product to encourage readers to take an action.
    6. Tell customers what to do. Don’t assume readers know what they have to do next. Give directions to ensure you don’t miss a potential customer midway. Make sure your call-to-action is clear and use strong verbs to make readers click.
    7. End with testing. Continue to test your PPC ads. Change the CTA or place it differently. Try different display URLs or alter the words in your body copy. Sometimes little changes in your Google ad can make a big difference.

    There’s so much more you can do to make sure your PPC ad is a success. For instance, Jasmine Hippe from Augurian suggests you insert the searcher’s geographic location into the search ad copy. “This tactic made our ad copy hyper-relevant to each user’s query, resulting in a 30% increase in CTR for a client.”

    Dandy Marketing’s Daniel Reeves has another tip. Reeves says, “If you’re running PPC ads for local businesses such as a Dentist or Chiropractor, chances are you’ll be bidding on ‘near me’ keywords. I’ve tested a lot of different Ad Copy for these types of keywords and found that addressing the distance and intent is key to a high performing ad.”

    Elaborating, Reeves adds, “For example, if someone is searching ‘keyword + near me’ they are showing two main things, firstly is they want a service that is close to them. Secondly, the intent behind this keyword shows they may be looking to book soon, or as quickly as they can.

    So, one of the obvious headlines to include is ‘Dentist Near You/Me’ something like that, but what I have found is different variants that actually work better. For example, including ‘We’re Just Round The Corner,’ ‘Your Local Dentist’ or ‘We’re A Short Drive Away’”

    You can also include a CTA in the headline as Dan Young of Loud Digital suggests. Young outlines, “This typically doubles Click-through Rates and it encourages the user to click.”

    Portent’s Ryan Moothart recommends the same: “Give a clear call to action in one of the available text ad headlines. For example, ‘Book an Appointment Today.’ Giving the user a clear expectation of what action you, the advertiser, want them to take can noticeably improve on-site conversion rates.”

    Lastly, Tewfic Kattan of Sandstorm Digital® Worldwide has some more tips. In Tewfic’s words: “There is so much that goes into a successful ad copy, it is important to be holistic in your approach.  What we like to include in an ad copy is:

    1. Use keywords wisely
    2. Have a unique selling proposition
    3. Call to action is a must
    4. Utilize ad extensions smartly
    5. Research target audience persona, user behavior, and competitors
    6. The message must be clear and well written
    7. Test, test, test. testing will help optimize your ad’s performance.”

    Related: 26 Different Ways for Writing Search Ad Copy That Gets Clicks

    11 PPC Ad Copy Examples to Inspire Yours

    Since Google ad formats and techniques are always evolving, there’s something new to learn every day. That being said, we’ve reached out to experts and compiled their opinions on what makes a good PPC ad copy. Alongside their views, they’ve also given PPC ad copy examples that you can learn from.

    1. Noah Digital
    2. Podium
    3. Karasin PPC
    4. LSEO.com
    5. Bruceharpham.com
    6. Hockerty
    7. The PPC Machine
    8. Icethaw
    9. Impression
    10. DVS
    11. Oak Engage

    Let’s get straight to it.

    1. Noah Digital

    “At Noah Digital, we know that a good ad copy is about attention-grabbing headlines, your USP, and your audience’s wants/desires,” shares Mary Wang from the company.

    Wang adds an example of one of the ad copies that got a “35.75% CTR and 10.35% conversion rate.”

    PPC ad copy example by Noah Digital

    Emphasizing what you can learn from this ad, Wang says, “What the user sees first is what makes them click. The ad copy needs to show them what they want in the headlines.

    Use the description as your second chance to make them click. Why choose you? Is experience the reason if you are offering a service? Is quality the reason if you are selling? Highlighting these reasons will get you clicks.”

    Related: Google Ads Click-Through Rate (CTR): What’s Considered “Good” and How Can You Increase It?

    2. Podium

    Here’s an ad Podium’s Sarah Atkinson claims performed well:

    “Serious Accident At Work
    No Win No Fee
    Receive A Quick Quote Online
    Have You Suffered Due To A Work Accident In The Last 3 Years? See How Much You Could Claim
    Work Injury Solicitors Offering Confidential Legal Advice. Get In Touch Today.”

    Explaining what made this ad a success, Atkinson highlights, “This ad for one of our clients in the legal sector performs well in terms of generating a high conversion rate, taking into account industry average.

    I think it performs particularly well because the ad has a specific call to action and the ad also mentions that a claim should be made within 3 years of the accident. This helps to target those who are more likely to be able to claim compared to those who may have left it too late.”

    As per Atkinson, the ad also creates trust by “having ‘no win no fee’ and ‘confidential legal advice’ within the ad.”

    3. Karasin PPC

    Joe Karasin of Karasin PPC points out an ad that “led to hundreds of leads being generated, and a total of $607,500 in gross commissions.”

    The ad headline read, “Want To Sell Your Home | Find A New One Before You List | San Angelo Real Estate Experts” followed by body copy, “Get peace of mind by finding your next home before you list your current one. Don’t miss out on your dream home because of low inventory. We have the tools to help.”

    Regarding the excellent performance of this ad, Karasin opines, “I feel this ad worked well because it addressed the fears most potential sellers in real estate have. While the traditional ad for finding sellers focuses on equity, home values, or even the ‘hot market,’ this ad addresses them directly.”

    4. LSEO.com

    Brain Reese from LSEO.com shares this PPC ad example, “Home Improvement Programs | Leader in Home Repair Funding | Get Started Today.”

    Reese adds that this ad “was effective because it covered three major criteria for creating effective ad copy:

    1. Clearly state the product/service
    2. Benefit and or reason why you are the top choice
    3. Simple call-to-action”

    5. Bruceharpham.com

    Here’s another PPC ad copy example, shared by Bruce Harpham of bruceharpham.com: “2X Your B2B SaaS Leads | Marketing Services From $2000 | B2B SaaS Marketing Agency

    If your SaaS churn rate is over 10%, you need to attract better fit customers. Save your B2B SaaS marketing with a free marketing audit. Contact me for next steps.”

    Harpham points out that this Google ad “achieved a 4.59% click-through rate.” According to Harpham, “it worked well because it was well targeted and made a specific promise.”

    Editor’s note: Get a complete picture of your ads’ cost, clicks, impressions, average CTR, total conversion value, and so much more with this Google Ads: Competitive Health Template.

    Google Ads: Competitive Health Template

    6. Hockerty

    Salva Jovells of Hockerty discusses how a short ad is better. Jovells shares an ad that “ended performing better than any other title” from all their responsive search ads. The PPC ad headline was, “Made to measure = All Sizes available.”

    Jovells explains that this ad included their “main feature (made to measure). The ‘=’ splits the content in two and makes it more readable. And with a very short message, you are saying lots of things.”

    Luckily, with the help of a paid search dashboard you can easily determine your best performing ads and the similarities in their titles.

    7. The PPC Machine

    David Miles of The PPC Machine contributed this PPC ad copy example:

    “Low Cost Life Insurance | Get the Cover You Really Need | From Only £5 per Month
    Guaranteed Low Premiums. Get 1-2-1 Advice and Find the Best Cover at the Lowest Price.
    Protect Your Family With Our Wide Range of Policies From Specialist and Trusted Insurers.”

    Miles elaborates that this ad “emphasizes benefits rather than features. Things like: best cover, 1-2-1 advice, and guaranteed low premiums are all things, which help differentiate this IFA’s advert from the competition. Also, this ad makes things personal.

    By saying ‘Get the Cover You Really Need’ and ‘Protect Your Family’ it is talking directly to the reader and making the messaging all about them. It also reinforces the fact that they really NEED this life insurance, which heightens the sense of urgency.”

    Sharing one more tip, Miles continues, “Generally speaking, ads which use words like ‘you’ and ‘your’ get a better CTR, as do ones which hit on the reader’s current pain-point.”

    8. Icethaw

    Lewis Peters of Icethaw says that one of their “most popular PPC ad text ad copies” has the headline “Cheapest Rock Salt Suppliers – Unbeatable Prices, Save Today.” The ad had body text as follows: “Loose & Bagged Rock Salt. Fast & Reliable Delivery Whatever The Weather.”

    Peters notes, “We believe this ad to be particularly effective as it nails the following points:

    • Boasts excellent pricing & value for money
    • Tells the reader of our different product types (loose & bagged)
    • Reinforces our fast & reliable delivery (which is vital if the cold winter weather is already here)”

    9. Impression

    Nathan Ifill of Impression also contributed to the list’s PPC ad copy examples. Ifill shares a PPC ad copy that was simple and yet had a “42.51% CTR and a 10.00% conversion rate.”

    The example was: “From [location] Pick Up Your Car Conveniently From Keflavík International Airport!”

    Ifill summarizes why this ad worked so well by giving these three pointers:

    • “It included the searcher’s location in the ad using an ad customizer. Even if they were searching from a remote town in the middle of nowhere, the ad directly spoke to them by including their location in the headline.
    • It tells people to pick up ‘their’ car. Not ‘a’ car, but theirs, making it personal.
    • It highlights the convenience of doing business. Plenty of competitors might also be based at the airport…but none of them are talking about it!”

    10. DVS

    Paul E. La Vigne from DVS says that the company has been focusing on lead generation by running a PPC campaign on Google this year.

    For maximum conversions, the ad copy used has the headline, “DVS – Marketing Agency. We: Plan, Design, Execute. 25 Years of Experience.” The description that DVS has used for this copy is: “Our Purpose Is To Improve People’s Lives Through Better Communication. Contact Us Today! Located In Grand Rapids, MI.”

    Talking about how well this ad has done and why, La Vigne highlights, “So far for 2020, we have averaged a nearly 30% CVR and 4.1% CTR. The ad copy was written to accomplish a specific goal and works well because it is clear, concise, and has a solid CTA.”

    11. Oak Engage

    “I think it’s important to lead any advertisement by addressing the pain points of your ideal prospect. Ask yourself what are they trying to solve? What’s the intent behind their search?” recommends Josh Hummerston of Oak Engage.

    Hummerston continues, “By starting the ad with a question that not only highlights the exact problem that your target audience is facing but also subtly asks if it resonates with them, you’re actively encouraging a two-way interaction between you and the prospect (before they’ve even clicked your ad!). Once you’ve addressed the object of your prospect’s pain, you can then move on to addressing the problem via a solution.

    Give your prospect something of value to take away from the interaction, like an E-book or a guide. It’s a game of give and take and you should always expect to give as much as you receive.”

    Here’s the PPC ad example Hummerston shared:

    “Struggling with Employee Engagement? We’ve got 10 simple, actionable solutions for you.
    Download our free checklist today to become an employee engagement expert.”

    Talking about what you can learn from this ad, Hummerston adds, “In this example, there are two distinct benefits of interacting with this ad or content for the prospect:
    A) They get something of value to download that will help them solve their problem
    B) The prospect is able to subconsciously position themselves as the hero within their narrative for becoming the ‘employee engagement expert!’ It’s all about reinforcing positive interaction.”

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    Wrap up

    All in all, PPC ad copy is tricky to create, but if you stick to the basics and the suggestions of our experts, you’ll do well.

    Remember: you can’t just write down anything!

    To make sure you are attracting the right customers, add keywords, a CTA, and your product’s benefits all while keeping your message short. Don’t forget to test multiple times and monitor the impact of your copy in delivering results using these ppc dashboards. To reiterate, just tweaking the ad copy here and there can dramatically impact the results.

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    Article by
    Masooma Memon

    Masooma is a freelance writer for SaaS and a lover to-do lists. When she's not writing, she usually has her head buried in a business book or fantasy novel.

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