Writing engaging ads for your target audience is instrumental for Google Ads success. In order for ads to be engaging they need to be relevant, informative, and in line with what the user is searching for. Having ads with irrelevant ad copy is a great way to spend money on wasteful clicks, and having ads that are too bland make it easy for the customer to just keep scrolling.

Looking more specifically at PPC ads, let’s delve into Google Ads Search Network text ads and go over best practices for writing enticing ad copy.

PPC Ad Structure

Ads are structured by five distinct components. Each has its own guidelines and requirements. In a standard Google Ads text ad, each ad contains a headline, description line 1, description line 2, display URL, and final URL.

The Headline

The headline is the first thing potential customers tend to see when viewing your search ad. That being said, it’s vital to make sure your headline includes relevant keywords that appear in customers’ search queries. With only 25 characters in the headline, being concise while grabbing the customer’s attention is crucial.

The Description Lines

At 35 characters, the description lines (1 & 2) give us more room to draw in customers. Think of these two lines as your elevator pitch–they need to be to-the-point and show the value you provide to the customer. A strong call-to-action is key in convincing customers that your ad (and offering) is better than the competitors in your space.

The Display URL and Final URL

There are two separate URLs in each text ad–the display URL and the final URL. The display URL will be shown on the text ad itself, acting as an additional source of relevancy.

The final URL is where the customer will be taken after clicking on your ad.

Best Practices

Making sure to follow a few best practices when putting together your text ads will go a long way in having a presentable ad that draws the customer’s eye to drive click-through rates.

For an in-depth look at ad copy, check out our keys to writing great ad copy here.

Once your ads are written and implemented into your ad groups, we can turn our attention to ad extensions, which provide an additional way to use information and links within your Google Ads ad.

Check out the rest of the six-part series:

PRIMER: What is PPC – Pay Per Click Marketing Explained
PART 1: Structuring Your Google Ads Account
PART 2: Understanding Campaign Settings
PART 3: Researching Keywords
PART 4: Writing Engaging Ads (you are here)
PART 5: The Best Google Ads Extensions to Implement
PART 6: Tracking Success