How to Use Psychology to Improve PPC Ad Copy
It’s time to stop trying to understand Google, and time to start understanding the people behind search queries.
Google is one of the biggest hurdles to ranking on Google. As an SEO, you’re constantly being challenged by major and minor SERP updates. Whether it’s a shift in how links are prioritized, or how you should incorporate keywords, the strategy is ever-evolving.
As Google becomes better at machine learning, it can identify searcher intent. Now, more than ever before, Google is focusing on which sites provide the best UX, and ranking those sites higher. How does Google determine which sites are popular with users? Google uses click through rates, time spent on the page and bounce rates as important metrics to determine searcher satisfaction.
So now the job of an SEO becomes less about understanding and anticipating Google algorithm updates, and more about what searchers are looking for. The same is true for SEM and PPC advertisers. Your ads will be far more successful once you better understand the psychology behind your searcher’s intent. What are they looking for from the results they see, and how can your ad address those needs? Learn how to use psychology to write better PPC ad copy.
Creating a Sense of Urgency in PPC Ad Copy
One of the best ways to get people to click on a PPC ad is to create a sense of urgency in your PPC ad copy. According to a study by the Association of Consumer Research, people engage in impulse buying to satisfy an immediate gratification of desire. By instilling a fear of missing out (FOMO), you can drive more clicks and a higher PPC ad click through rate. Google AdWords gives you the ability to create a sense of urgency with the countdown ad customizer. Ads that use the countdown customizer will display the time left until your promotion ends. This lets searchers know exactly how long they have left to make a purchase or take advantage of a deal. You can also create a sense of urgency by using the words “now” or “limited time” to create that fear of missing out.
Evoke an Emotional Response
By focusing on value-based language like benefits instead of product descriptions and features, you can improve your click through rates, decreasing your CPA. Take a cue from TV commercials. Very seldom do you see a television commercial that simply focuses on what the product is. Instead they focus on how it can make the consumer’s life better. Your search ads should be doing the same. Simply adding the word “you” to your ad copy text can help convey this. Antonio Damasio, professor of neuroscience at the University of Southern California wrote that emotion is required for almost every decision we make. When consumers are asked to make a decision, they use emotions from past experiences to lead to the right decision.
Your value propositions should use benefit-based language to trigger an emotional response. Examples of emotional triggers that advertisers can leverage include: respect, be liked, be accepted, be understood, predictability and new challenges. If your product can address consumer triggers, you can use emotional triggering to obtain higher PPC click through rates.
In order to create successful PPC ad copy, you need to grab the attention of searchers and trigger their emotions. The challenge is being able to accomplish this in less than 170 characters. While saturation is a problem for many PPC advertisers, those who can generate engaging creative will be able to improve click through rates and ROI.
Always follow industry best practices and all applicable rules and regulations with your advertising and marketing materials. ArrowShade takes compliance very seriously. We are also here to help. For questions regarding compliance, please email us at compliance@arrowshade.com.
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