Google Ad Strength Cheat Sheet and Tips
Trey Norman
Digital Media Associate
Contributors: Sarah Rogers, Search Associate and Julia Muller, Associate Director, Search.
We recently created a Responsive Search Ad template for writing above-average Google Ads. It came out of the necessity to replace ‘poor’ ad strength ads with ‘excellent’ in client accounts. Here are the resulting B2B SEM campaign performance improvements. Our template requires brand positioning, value proposition elements, and product features to enhance RSA ad strength with keywords and DKI features. In addition, it reminds us to always use the strongest CTA and uses smart tactics for improving Responsive Search Ads’ strength and performance. Lastly, it includes many of the changes we identified as having a high probability of improving the ad score, such as fitting keywords into the headline.
This template is a great tool to use when writing RSA ads for Google and Microsoft Ads. Feel free to adopt it into your ad copy routine.
RSA Headline Categories
Keyword Stuffing
A couple of the more self-explanatory methods of improving ad strength are including brand name and keyword stuffing. Keyword stuffing is a proven method of improving ad score strength. As the name implies, keyword stuffing involves fitting keywords from your ad into your headlines and description. For the best results, it’s best to use higher-volume keywords. Stuffing keywords in headlines is a skill, try to avoid awkward or forced language, and use them naturally as you would in everyday speech.
Dynamic Keyword Insertion
Keyword stuffing should not be confused with Dynamic Keyword Insertion (or DKI), which is when Google automatically updates the ad copy with the keyword that caused your ad to show in the first place. For example, when writing an ad for a B2B bank you write “Open {Keyword: Account}” as your headline. Now, Google will dynamically insert one of your keywords into the ad copy, depending on what is being searched for. It’s important to note that DKI counts toward the total number of keywords you use.
Don't Forget Your Brand Message
Additionally, inserting brand messaging, which is messaging that your company already uses to represent its brand, helps to create branded headlines that set the tone of your brand, and by extension, your ad. For example, if a B2B bank has “Your Lease, Your Terms” written in bold letters at the top of their website, that phrase would make a great headline.
Ways to Improve Ad Headlines
Another important element to include is the product and services you offer within your headlines. You want to be abundantly clear about what your ad is offering to avoid spending funds on clicks that will bounce back if they weren’t looking for what you offer. Depending on the products being offered, this could be used hand in hand with Dynamic Keyword Insertion. On top of adding headlines dedicated to products and services, it’s good to also add headlines that showcase the features of those products and services.
1. Use CTA's
A couple of other methods of improving ad strength are adding call-to-action headlines and urgency headlines. Call to action is essentially using language to persuade the potential customer to take action for any potential problem using your product or service. Examples include:
“End Your Financial Concerns”
“Ensure Your Safety"
“Meet Your Needs”
However, with the addition of a single word, you can easily convert a call to action headline to also being an urgency headline. Using the previous examples, we can turn these headlines into ones that convey urgency with just a single word:
“End Financial Concerns Now”
“Ensure Your Safety Today”
2. Emphasize Offers
If you or your client are running any kind of offers, your headlines are a great place to showcase them:
“50% Off First Purchase”
“Free 7 Day Trial''
“Customized Business Loan Terms”
These headlines not only go a long way to show your offers, but also for improving your ad strength.
3. Highlight Authority
Lastly, showcasing why your brand is an authoritative voice on the subject is a great way to fill up headline space. Some examples of good authority headlines include:
"Awarded Most Reliable Bank”
“FDIC-insured"
“#1 in Adoption and Coverage”
Of course, some of these headline concepts can easily mesh together, but we recommend creating all 15 headlines for each of your RSAs, perhaps you need to stretch the use of each concept per headline to create a greater volume of them.
This template was inspired by Anne Bui, search consultant and founder of PUFFER Digital.
If you’re looking to optimize your ad strength, drop us a line and our team of Search Experts will customize a strategy that meets your needs.
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