As mentioned above, the key to profitable AdWords marketing is to strive to continually stay relevant. One thousand visitors that aren’t doing what you’re wanting them to do are worth nothing. One visitor doing exactly what you’re wanting them to do is worth something. Keep that in mind as you begin writing your ads. Your ads are the gatekeepers to your site. Their job is to make sure that interested parties are attracted to your site and that non-interested parties aren’t. It’s a two-edged sword that can only be sharpened with tons of testing.
An Ad consists of the following four (three visible) parts:
- Headline
- Description
- Display URL
- Destination URL
We’ll dive into each of these parts separately to ensure you’re driving the traffic you want at a profitable price.
Headlines that Sizzle
The headline of your ad has one job – grab the reader’s attention. The following two description lines will do the footwork of inviting (or uninviting) a click. You only have 25 characters, so you’ve got to be creative and pare out anything unnecessary. There are many different routes you can take when writing your headline:
- Offer Instruction -> “5 Steps to Ripped Abs”, “How to Build a Website”
- Ask a Question -> “Want to Quit Your Job?”, “How did I Retire at 29?”
- Make it Personal -> “How I Finally Quit My Job”, “How I Retired at 29.”
- Draw a Comparison -> “Cheaper than Walmart”, “More Effective than Tide”
Making even the slightest change can have a profound impact on your ad’s clickthrough rate. The headline is usally the point of bigger returns, as it’s a make or break situation here. If your headline doesn’t sizzle, your ad won’t be read. However, if you have a great headline you’ll know right away. When you do find a gem of a headline, see how you can incorporate it into other ads (while still maintaining relevance).
