One last thing to consider before you begin writing your PPC ad text is what the immediate bene-
fits of your product or service are. These, too, will be used in ad text, so take the time to write out
several benefits that you might draw from as you’re writing your ad text.Once the preliminaries are done, you can begin to write your text. This job starts with your audi-
ence. Very often, when someone is writing ad text, they fail to take into consideration the audience
they’re trying to reach. Each generation of people communicates differently, so different tones and
styles of writing will be needed to reach them.A good example is the difference between today’s teen generation and the senior generation. If
you’re trying to reach teens with your video editing software, you’ll want to write your advertise-
ment in a language that will catch their eye and be understood. So, if your advertisement includes
the call to action, “Show the world you’re an emo!” those teen users will immediately understand
it means, “Show the world you’re part of the emotional crowd.” Senior visitors would not get that
unless they happen to have grandchildren who have explained that the term emo in teen-speak is
a designation for a group of people who openly share their emotions (incidentally, emo can also
be a sub-designation for groups like Goths, Punks, and Metal Heads).On the other hand, if you were trying to reach the seniors, your slogan might be something like,
“Share your precious memories.” To a senior, this says, “Hey, we can help you share your recollec-
tions with anyone you want.” To a teen, it says boring!If you know your audience, you can write ad text that is specifically targeted to the most qualified
potential visitors for your site. Sometimes, you’ll want to reach more than one group of people. In
this case, you’ll want to write different ads for each group of people. Don’t try to reach everyone with
one ad. You won’t. Instead, you’ll come closer to reaching no one at all.Each PPC program has its own unique requirements for ad text, so take the time to learn the
requirements for the PPC program that you’ve selected. Also, the only PPC programs that rank
advertisements solely on the amount that the ad’s owner bids on placement are with secondary
search engines like Marchex and Kanoodle. Most PPC programs from major search engines use an
algorithm that combines the amount paid for each click with the relevance of that ad and how
compelling the position of the ad is to the user. Ad position is everything. For example, Google
ranks ads appearing in different places either at the top or side of a page. How relevant and com-
pelling your ad is, combined with the amount that you’re willing to pay per click, will determine
where in that placement scheme your ad will land.The take-away is that if your ad text is well written and performs well, you could potentially pay
less for the ranking you want, or pay the same and achieve a better ranking than you expected.There are, however, a few ad text requirements that will apply to nearly all PPC programs: Include keywords in your ad text.As you’ve already seen, ads that contain keywords
can perform up to 50 percent better than ads that don’t include them.
Make your offer.Tell potential visitors what you have and why they want it. Just be care-
ful not to exaggerate claims about the benefits of your products and services. Keep your
claims accurate and compelling.117
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