How to Write Effective PPC Ads to Please the Brain and Search Engines

For the past few weeks, we've been showing how important it is to respect the brain when writing effective content for Web sites. As we know, the brain has two distinct hemispheres that help it function as a whole. The left side of the brain gives us the ability to reason and think logically. The right side of the brain is responsible for giving us our creative and emotional abilities and allowing us to process the information we take in. The whole brain combines all the elements together and makes us who we are. Effective Web content must appeal to both sides of the brain while engaging the whole brain simultaneously. Logic, creativity and emotion must combine together seamlessly to close the deal.

When writing content, you have much more leeway to get your point across. When writing Pay Per Click (PPC) ads, you have to be creative and effective with fewer characters. It's quite challenging, but with a few important tips, it can be done. The thing to remember is to stay within the guidelines of PPC protocol and keep the brain in mind when you design a PPC ad campaign.

PPC ads target customers who have narrowed down their searches and know exactly what they are looking for. You want them to choose your product or service over all the other ads they see on the SERP. Your motivation is twofold: 1. You want their business; 2. You want a conversion because you are paying a fee each time a user clicks on your ad. Since you don't want to waste your PPC budget on meaningless clicks, you'd better be sure your ads are going to get results. Here are some tips.

Keep the Left Side of the Brain in Mind

Don't waste valuable space with useless information. You want your ad to convey logic and reason. Users who know what they're looking for want to know exactly what they are getting.

For example:
The web site is http://www.k9-toronto.com
The searches are variations of Dog Grooming
The "Logical" ad would look like:
Line 1: Full Service Puppy & Dog Grooming.
Line 2: Schedule Today 647.591.0523

Don't Forget the Right Side of the Brain

While appealing to logic, you cannot forget to appeal to emotion as well. The brain already knows what it wants, but you have to tell it why it should choose your product or service over all the others. In other words, you need an emotional hook: use phrases that appeal to the right side of the brain by focusing on creative ways to sell your product. Users know they need it - now they have to want it as well.

For example:
The web site is http://www.k9-toronto.com
The searches are variations of Dog Grooming
The "emotional" ad would look like:
Line 1: Groom Your Fur Baby
Line 2: Pamper "man's best friend" Today.

Remember that the Brain Functions as a Whole

You've got the logic; you've got the emotion; now it needs to sound plausible, not spammy. The three lines should flow together nicely and appeal to the brain as a whole. The first line describes exactly what users are looking for. The second line tells them why they want it. The third line tells them how they will feel after they've obtained it. There you have it: left-right-whole. When your PPC ads are well written, the brain is happy, and the merchant is happy because the campaign pays for itself with conversions.

For example:
The web site is http://www.k9-toronto.com
The searches are variations of Dog Grooming
The "Whole" ad would look like:
Line 1: Full Service Puppy & Dog Grooming.
Line 2: Pamper Your Fur Baby Today.

A PPC campaign is only as effective as the landing page the ad links to. After you've gotten the click, remember to employ these tactics on your landing page to ensure that users continue on the path to purchasing what you have to offer. The ad encourages them to check out your product; the landing page must win them over.

For more information about how to write effective PPC ads, ask a Toronto SEO Consultant.