Write responsive search ad headlines and descriptions that match a keyword theme.
Your search ad has two jobs. It shows the person that you have what they searched for, and it gives them a specific reason to pick you over the other ads on the page. Search ad copy has a narrower job than any other ad, because the searcher has already said what they want.
Search Google for something common, such as tuition centre Tampines, and look at the ads at the top. Some repeat the searcher's words and say something useful straight away. Others use generic lines that could appear on any search for anything, such as "Quality Education Since 2005" (an invented example of weak copy). Searchers can tell which ads are worth clicking, and so can Google. This affects both your ad's position and its price, as lesson 1.1, "The highest bid does not always win", explains.
On Google Search, the standard text ad is the responsive search ad. You supply a set of headlines and a set of descriptions instead of one fixed ad. Google shows a few headlines and a description or two at a time, in different combinations, and learns which combinations work best for which searches.
You can't predict which headlines will appear together, so each one must make sense alone and next to any other. A headline that only works as the second half of a sentence produces awkward ads. A headline that repeats another word for word produces repetitive ads.
Pinning fixes a headline to a position so it always appears there, for example a legal disclaimer. Google's help pages say pinning reduces the number of combinations Google can test, so pin only where you need to.
Google limits how many headlines and descriptions you can add and how many characters each can hold. These limits have changed before, so check the current numbers in Google Ads help as you write and don't rely on a number you read elsewhere.
The most reliable headline uses the words the searcher typed. At least one or two headlines should repeat the ad group's target search or something very close to it. An ad group targeting maths tuition in Tampines should have headlines that say maths tuition in Tampines. The searcher sees at a glance that the ad is relevant, and Google's systems tend to rate it as relevant too.
The other headlines should give specific reasons to choose you: a location or nearby MRT station, a price or free trial, speed (same-day replies, classes starting this week), or a detail such as small classes or evening slots. Quality, trusted and the best don't count as reasons, because every competitor can say them. Take every claim from your own business's real details so you can stand behind it.
Priya runs a tuition centre in Tampines (she and her details are invented for this example). Her ad group is P5 (Primary 5) maths tuition in Tampines, and her headlines are:
P5 maths tuition in Tampines Free trial class for P5 maths Max 6 students per class Evening classes until 9pm 5 minutes from Tampines MRT Homework done in class, not at home Book a trial online in 2 minutes Classes built around the P5 syllabus
Each line stands alone, so any two or three of them, in any order, make a sensible ad. None would fit a search for secondary chemistry, which is correct: headlines should fit their ad group's theme and not an unrelated search. Her class size and hours come from her own centre, so she can stand behind every claim.
Descriptions do the same job as headlines at greater length. They can expand on an offer or deal with a worry. Priya could expand on the trial (try one class free, see how your child finds it, then decide) and deal with a parent's worry (parents get a short note each week on what was covered).
Assets are extra pieces of information Google lets you add to ads. Sitelinks add links to other pages, such as timetable, fees or location. Callouts add short phrases, such as free parking or no registration fee. Other asset types cover phone numbers, locations, prices and more. Assets make your ad larger and more useful on the page, and Google lists their expected impact as one of the inputs to Ad Rank, so adding the relevant ones is one of the cheapest improvements you can make. Google decides when to show them, so add the ones that apply and let the system choose.
Pick one keyword theme, which is one ad group. Write one or two headlines in the searcher's words or close to them, and fill the rest with specific reasons from your business. Make sure each headline makes sense alone, doesn't depend on another and doesn't repeat another. Write descriptions that expand on an offer or deal with a worry. Pin a headline only if it must always appear. Check the current headline, description and character limits in Google Ads help. Add the assets that apply and let Google choose when to show them.
Before publishing, read the headlines in random pairs and ask whether each pair makes sense together and whether any pair repeats itself. Read the descriptions after each pair. Then check the whole set against the landing page: every promise in a headline should be visible on the page it leads to. Lesson 5.4, "The landing page finishes the ad's job", covers this check. Last, look at the ad editor's rating of how varied and relevant your headlines are, and treat its suggestions as prompts, not targets.
Pick one keyword theme from your own business. In the activity below you will write a full set of headlines and descriptions for it, each able to stand on its own.
Pick one keyword theme and write eight headlines and three descriptions for it. Each one should read properly on its own.
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