Pay-per-click adverts look simple but the best examples use every trick in the book in order to stand out. Business writer Rachel Miller explains how a simple title, copy and link can become a powerful advertising tool
Pay-per-click ads are also known as sponsored links. They appear next to search results on Google and Yahoo — on the right hand side of the search results page and sometimes also at the top.
Pay-per-click adverts have three main components: a heading, a short piece of copy and a link. Despite their apparent simplicity, each of these elements must work hard to ensure the advert stands out from the rest.
1. Use keywords to show relevance
Make sure your ad uses your keywords in your ad title and text — preferably at the beginning. If you haven’t chosen your keywords, then do this first — it will help you write your ad.
There are two good reasons to include your keywords in your ad — firstly, it makes your ad look relevant. So if someone has searched for oak flooring, they’ll look for the ad that has that phrase in the title rather than a general flooring company. Secondly, if the words used in the search are in your ad copy, then they will appear in bold, making your ad stand out.
