There are many ways to make money online and one of the most popular ways that websites and companies make money is through pay-per-click links. For those who have implemented pay-per-click campaigns and are finding their click-through rates and conversion rates frustratingly low, it may be time to rethink the ad copy, says Jonathan Long, Founder and CEO of Market Domination Media writing for Huffington Post.
Basics of Pay-Per-Click
For those unfamiliar with Pay-Per-Click, or PPC, this infographic illustrates this simple model, which is used all over the internet and allows companies to place advertising on a website through links in the content. When users on the site click on the advertisement link, the host website receives a sum of money in exchange. It’s a simple enough concept, though that the crafting of content to get the desired clicks can be quite a finicky process.
Highlight Selling Points in Offers
When writing copy, it’s important to make the selling points of the offer stand out. Regardless of what the main attractions are of the product or service, they need to stand out in a way that will attract consumers’ attention and command their interest. There’s no simple way of knowing exactly what will work, so it’s important to write, rewrite and test different approaches to see which ones connect best with the desired audience.
Write Effective Copy
Writing effective ad copy can be difficult, but there are some tried and true methods that consistently have the positive results. These methods include eliminating potential objections to ad copy, writing titles that command attention, and using special characters. Standout titles grab the site visitor’s attention more than anything else. Furthermore, using words like “guaranteed” and “accredited” along with trademark symbols (®, ©, ™) inspires confidence in a product, removing possible objections due to doubt. However, use caution not to make any claims or guarantees that can’t be legally supported, suggest legal experts. Posting specific prices should also be avoided, as prices are a huge detriment to click through rates—and allow competitors to undermine them.
Write Consumer Based Copy
Sometimes businesses are under the impression that effective copy is just a means of getting the technical and service descriptions of a product into the advertisement. Writing advertisements for the internet, however, is not so simple and requires putting oneself in the shoes of the customer. It’s important to keep in mind what the customer needs and wants and to write copy that will persuade the reader that this product or service is the best solution.
Split-Test Variations
Testing ads is the best way to get in touch with the consumer and see what works. It is also a good way to purge the pages of ads that are ineffective. Even when one ad for one product proves successful, it may not work for another product or with a different audience. Every advertisement needs to be tested if it is to reach its optimal performance level. Results are extremely quantifiable—there are tools all over the web to help measure and analyze them—so each test is a learning opportunity.
Make Improved Offers
Finally, one of the reasons that a company’s ad could be experiencing low click-through rates and few conversions is that the advertised offer simply may not be good enough to attract potential buyers. A majority of companies will find that rewriting the ad or modifying the offer can be accomplished with relatively small changes. These small changes can significantly increase the performance of the PPC links. If the copy is stellar and the offer is enticing and targeted to the right consumer, the PPC advertisement is where it needs to be to perform at its best.
