Creating effective Google Ads can be a real challenge, especially when you’re trying to squeeze all your messaging into a limited space.

“Only 25 characters for the headline?!” “I’m not allowed to say ‘click’? That’s literally what I want users to do!” “My product has so many benefits and features, how am I supposed to list them all here…” Come on, Google! Standing out from the crowd of eight other advertisers vying for attention (or as few as four on mobile) requires some serious creativity. So, how can you make your ads pop? I’m here to share some tried-and-true strategies, handy tips, and real-life ad copy examples that can help you craft exceptional Google Ads, leading to improved click-through rates, enhanced Quality Scores, and increased conversion rates. Ready to have some fun while mastering the art of Google Ads? Let’s dive in!

Reflect the User’s Ultimate Goal

Because many of your rivals are using dynamic keyword insertion and targeting similar keywords, their ads often sound strikingly similar. This makes it easy for your ad to blend in and miss out on valuable clicks. So, how can you differentiate yourself? Sometimes, advertisers overlook the heart of what their customers seek. I call this “The End Goal:” the ultimate outcome people desire to achieve by utilizing your product or service. Grasping this concept can be the key to crafting an ad that rises above the sea of DKI keywords.

A Hypothetical Scenario

Imagine you’re selling acne treatment products, and users are searching for keywords like “Help get rid of acne.” Your goal is to create a compelling Google ad based on this search term. Your headline shouldn’t waste space asking prospects if they’re “Dealing with Acne?” – it’s already implied by their search.

Instead, address their End Goal – what they truly want – with a headline like:

Eliminate Acne Permanently Don’t squander precious headline space on stating the obvious. Instead, present visitors with the ultimate solution they’re looking for.

A Real-World Illustration

Let’s say you’re in the business of buying cars directly from the public. What should your Google ad copy look like? Potential customers might search for something like:

WeBuyCars.com directly addresses the prospect’s end goal by assuring them they’ll buy their car. To simplify conversions and eliminate ambiguity, these ads should all emphasize what prospects want to hear: “We’ll Buy Your Car Today.” Why? Because the searcher’s primary objective is to sell their car. The selling process itself is secondary to the ultimate goal of getting the car sold. A headline like “Sell Your Car Today” might leave searchers wondering if they need to list their car on a platform like AutoTrader, fielding calls from countless unserious buyers. Or worse, will they be bombarded with calls from numerous companies after receiving just one inquiry? I personally tested this for a car buying business, comparing “Need To Sell Your Car?” (control) against “We’ll Buy Your Car Today” (variation). This minor headline adjustment resulted in a 30% surge in conversions.

Leverage Countdown Timers to Tap into Loss Aversion

Did you know that the fear of missing out often motivates us more strongly than the prospect of gaining something? This well-documented psychological principle is known as loss aversion and it can be a potent tool for boosting your Google Ads click-through and conversion rates. Fortunately, incorporating a touch of FOMO into your ads is quite simple. Google recently introduced a simple countdown timer feature that you can easily implement within your text ads. Just insert this small code snippet into your headline or description:

{= This will generate a popup:

This is how the countdown dashboard appears. After setting the end date, your ad will feature a real-time countdown. Visitors seeing your ads will be compelled by the fear of missing out, giving you a competitive advantage over those who aren’t using this tactic.

A Real-World Example

The ad agency Merkle | IMPAQT implemented this strategy for some of their clients leading up to Black Friday, using Google text ads to countdown to the start of the sale. Here’s what they discovered:

We utilized the countdown feature to countdown the days until Thanksgiving and holiday deals went live. We found that the click and impression assisted conversions for this ad copy significantly outperformed other copy variations. Additionally, we observed higher conversions associated with this copy on Thanksgiving and for about a week after as a result. They’re not alone in their success with this new feature – Clarks America reported a 32% increase in CTR and a 3% increase on conversion rates by using countdown timers.

Maintain Ad Relevance

Speaking of time, have you noticed how recent events tend to be more captivating and engaging? The concept of timeliness and relevance is quite intuitive; recent happenings naturally attract more attention and interest than events from months ago. The same principle applies with your Google ads. Have you experimented with copy that highlights the number of customers you’ve served last month or this year? I tested this for a tax accounting firm. We pitted these two ads against each other:

The control ad (top) and the variation (bottom) The outcome? The more current and time-sensitive ad achieved a remarkable 217% increase in CTR and a 23% improvement in conversion rates. And I’m willing to bet that the specificity of the number also contributed to its conversion power… Want to improve your ad copy? Make sure to check out our video on which Google ad copy mistakes you need to avoid!

Embrace Specificity

Numbers are easily digestible and understandable. Studies indicate that incorporating them into your copy can make it appear more more accurate and credible. Here’s a great example from MECLABS where Amy Hebdon created a new numbers-focused ad to compete against her control ad:

The control ad (top) and the variation (bottom) Which one do you think performed better? The control ad won. Just kidding, the new ad triumphed! It actually achieved an 88% higher click-through rate at a confidence level of 99%. Why? The specificity of the new ad likely made it slightly more believable than the control ad. How could we make this ad even more effective? By making it even more specific. It’s been shown that precise numbers like 1,542 can outperform rounded numbers like 1,500+. When including a number, always use the exact figure! The more specific you are, the more believable you become. And the more believable you become, the better your chances of reaching David Blaine levels of impressiveness, or at least excelling at providing a positive user experience.

Personalize Your Ads

When crafting ad copy, do you ever unintentionally slip into a self-centered tone, using words like “we,” “us,” “me,” “myself,” and “I”? Such language fails to prioritize the customer’s needs and can hinder your chances of earning a click – it can also hurt conversions on landing pages, too. When it comes to writing impactful copy, I wholeheartedly agree with this gem from John Kuraoka:

The second-best word is “you.” The best word is the customer’s name. Since we’re still in the early stages of advertising and can’t automatically personalize Google ads with the visitor’s first name, we’ll have to settle for second best. So how do you create Google ads that effectively use power words like “you” to enhance performance? Consider these ads:

Which one stands out and makes you most eager to click? While both Shopify and Volusion have strong ads, AmeriCommerce clearly lags behind. “Awarded “Best eCommerce Solution”? Please. No one cares about your accolades. What can you do for me?! Look for opportunities to incorporate the word “you” in your headline or the first line of your description. And, as always, prioritize benefits.

Emphasize Local Relevance

Many advertisers target a broader audience beyond a single city when setting up their Google Ads campaigns, with some even advertising nationally. However, even if you offer services globally, it’s crucial to make your potential customers feel welcome and assure them that assistance is readily available nearby. You might already be using an 800 number for all your Google Ads call extensions and landing pages, perhaps even a pool of them. But did you know that using phone numbers with geographic proximity to the visitor can double your conversion rates? Believe it or not, your 800 numbers might be working against you.

Image source. So, how can you leverage this in your Google ads? Create geographic-specific Google Ads campaigns and tailor your ad copy and call extensions to each specific geographic area. The aim here is to convey to your prospective customers that you’re just around the corner, ready to lend a helping hand. If you’re still relying on standard Google call forwarding for your Google Ads call extensions, stop immediately. Switch to a call tracking provider and start acquiring local phone numbers. Seriously, do it.

Test, Test, Test

With so many of your competitors preoccupied with countless other tasks besides improving their ads, you now possess the knowledge to transform your Google ads into the most captivating ads in existence (or at least the top-performing ones). But only if you start testing today. Go for it! This post was originally published on the Unbounce blog.