How to Write Successful Pay-Per-Click Ads

Web hosting provider explains the concept of PPC Ads

To have successful pay-per-click (PPC) ads, you need these factors:

• Ads that are well written and that appeal to your target audience
• A good click-through rate
• Quality, relevant content on the landing pages

Click-throughs at any rate are useless and cost you money unless they're by people who are interested in your products or services. We've discussed landing pages in other articles (see "Related blog articles" below).

How do you write a successful PPC ad that will make the target audience want to click on it? Let your web hosting provider explain the concept...

Understand how PPC advertising works

PPC ads appear next to search results for searched-for keywords, below a heading such as "Sponsored Links" or "Sponsor Results." They may also appear on websites with relevant content unless you choose not to have them appear at these sites. You pay when people click on the link in your ad. Your cost depends on the keywords you bid on, and their prices vary widely, depending on their popularity. The position of your ad on the page will be based on the price you pay for the keywords — more expensive ads appear higher on the page.

A summary of how to use PPC advertising:

• Create an advertising account with Google (Google Adwords), Yahoo (Yahoo Search Marketing), or MSN (Microsoft adCenter), or with an advertising network.
• Research keywords for what you want to advertise.
• Choose the keywords that you want to bid on.
• Write the text ads.
• Place your ads and set a daily budget.
• Create and organize an advertising campaign.
• Monitor your click-through rates and refine your ads if changes are needed.

Focus on your goal

The goal of PPC advertising is to get people in your target audience to do the action that you want them to do: make a purchase or contact you, for example. The goal is not usually to simply bring more traffic to your site. Visitors who click on your PPC ad link and don't do the desired action cost you.

Choose your keywords and your ad wording with your goal and your target audience in mind.

Research and choose keywords

Choosing keywords to bid on for PPC advertising is similar to choosing keywords to optimize your web pages for. More popular keywords will attract a wider audience but may be less effective at targeting the specific audience you want. In advertising, they're more expensive to bid on.

The Short and Long Tail of Keyword Use provides an overview of how to select keywords that are less competitive and more specific. For more articles on keyword selection and use, see the Keywords article category.

Make each word matter

Text ads are only a few lines. You need to convey in them just enough to interest your target audience in clicking on your link and to show your non-target audience that your ad isn't for them.

What to include

Include each of the following in as few words as possible:

• The keyword that you're bidding on
• A feature of your offer, such as a free trial or free shipping
• A benefit of your product or service, for example, saving money or time
• A unique selling point
• An offer (if space allows)
• A call to action: call, view, order, download, compare, etc.

Including the keyword in the ad helps tie the ad to the search results. Also, Google highlights searched-for keywords in the search results and in the ads, which helps direct attention to ads containing the keywords.

How to write

Study a variety of ads and note how they economize on words. Note also which ads stand out to you and why, and draw ideas from them. More tips:

• Write simply, and avoid jargon.
• Use basic words that convey meaning easily, such as powerful or fast.
• Be brief but professional.
• Tailor your ad to the keyword query.

What to avoid

Check the guidelines for the search engine or advertising network you're using as some of these may not be allowed. Whether or not they're allowed, they detract from ads.

• Capitalization except for words that are normally capitalized
• Excessive punctuation
• Special characters in place of letters or words
• Hype, such as "the best"
• Clichés (overused phrases)

Do a split test with different ads

Which ad type will work best for you? Find out by running two or more different types of ads simultaneously, and track the results for each one. To track conversion ratios as well as click-through rates, you can use a different tracking link with each ad. After the test period (at least a week), keep the best-performing ad.

If all the ads do poorly, scrap them all and try new ads with different wording and details. Compare all the ads and look for patterns in what does better or worse than the others. You'll find what you need in content for your ads.

Related blog articles

• Advertising with Google AdWords
• How Do Your Landing Pages Work?
• Happy Landing: Getting the Most from Your Landing Pages
• Identify Your Target Audience
• Behavioral Segmentation and Targeting: Engaging Recent and Returning Site Visitors
• Motivate Website Visitors to Buy

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