Google AdWords™ For Dummies®, 3rd Edition

Chapter 8

Writing Magnetic Ads

In This Chapter

• Writing the two types of ads
• Understanding the three goals of your ad
• Making your ad stand out
• Telling your story in four lines
• Connecting the ad to your visitor's intent
• Compelling — and selectively discouraging — action
• Using image, mobile text, local, and video ads

This sentence you're reading now contains the same number of characters — 130, including spaces — that Google allows in a text ad.

You get four lines of 25, 35, 35, and 35 characters to tell enough of your story to compel the right people to choose your ad over all the other ads and organic listings on the Google search page. If you're advertising on the content network, your ad is competing with articles, videos, games, and more. We've heard professional copywriters say that the Google ad is the most challenging form of salesmanship-in-print they've ever attempted.

Depressed? Don't be. Writing effective ads is hard for everyone, not just you. Spend some time preparing, practicing, and (especially) testing your ads, and you'll quickly rise to the top of your industry. As business philosopher Jim Rohn says, “Don't wish it were easier — wish you were better.”

This chapter helps you stop wishing and start improving. First, we look at the two very different types of ads you'll be writing, depending on which network you target. Next, we reveal the three-pronged goal of your ad. Most advertisers focus on one prong only, to their detriment. You discover how to balance the ...