Accelerate your thought leadership by contributing to our blog. Join our community of experts now!
Enjoy reading this blog post written by our experts or partners.
If you want to see what Databox can do for you, click here.
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:
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
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:
To monitor and improve the performance of your Google Ads campaigns, you can spend hours running a variety of reports and compiling selected metrics manually into one dashboard. Or, you can pull all your data automatically into one dashboard with Databox.
You can instantly review all of your campaigns and drill down on important metrics, such as:
Now you can benefit from the experience of our Google Ads experts, who have put together a plug-and-play Databox template showing all the key insights you need to optimize your Google Ads campaigns for conversion and ROI. It’s simple to implement and start using as a standalone dashboard or in PPC reports, and best of all, it’s free!
You can easily set it up in just a few clicks – no coding required.
To set up the dashboard, follow these 3 simple steps:
Step 1: Get the template
Step 2: Connect your Google Ads account with Databox.
Step 3: Watch your dashboard populate in seconds.
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:
Related: 26 Different Ways for Writing Search Ad Copy That Gets Clicks
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.
Let’s get straight to it.
“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.”
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?
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.”
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.”
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”
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.
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.
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.”
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:
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:
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.”
“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.”
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.
Hey, we’re Databox.Our mission is to help businesses save time and grow faster. Click here to see our platform in action.
Are you maximizing your business potential? Stop guessing and start comparing with companies like yours.
At Databox, we’re obsessed with helping companies more easily monitor, analyze, and report their results. Whether it’s the resources we put into building and maintaining integrations with 100+ popular marketing tools, enabling customizability of charts, dashboards, and reports, or building functionality to make analysis, benchmarking, and forecasting easier, we’re constantly trying to find ways to help our customers save time and deliver better results.
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.
Get practical strategies that drive consistent growth