Relevance is often talked about in digital marketing. It’s an important topic because it’s not only good for consumers, but also good for advertisers since the early days of Quality Score.
Advertisers with higher Quality and Relevance Scores are usually rewarded with more traffic and lower CPCs.
The following data (indexed to allow multiple verticals and clients to be merged) demonstrates this point. As ad relevance scores increase, CPCs decrease and CTR increases.
According to our data, an above-average Ad Relevance Score compared to a below-average Ad Relevance Score can reduce CPCs by 40%.
One of the most critical elements in relevance is ad copy. In this article, I’ll break down several examples of ad copy and identify what goes into making it quality.
The elements of a relevant PPC ad
To begin, we need to establish the ground rules.
Recently, Google has taken more control over ad optimization. Because responsive search ads are the default ad type, Google has the power to choose the title and description that it thinks will work best.
Yes, you can set some elements to override this auto-optimization feature, but Google is increasingly relying on its machine learning capabilities to create the most relevant ad.
The other key is ad extensions that have just been renamed as assets. Extensions have grown over the past few years and there are now 19 different types in Google Ads:
8 of them are dynamic (eg score, location extensions, structure fragment). 11 are manually configured (eg price, location, contact form).
When used effectively, all of these elements can increase your performance. Remember the data about the relevance of the ad. A more relevant ad can improve your CTR and lower your CPC. The right information helps reduce customer friction.
With that in mind, let’s look at some examples of high-quality, relevant PPC ads.
Example 1: Car insurance
Auto insurance is one of the most competitive and high-spending vertical categories.
The ad I pulled is an interesting mix of one of the top three insurance sites, Progressive and other lead generation sites. Notice which ad has keywords in bold related to the search term “auto insurance.”
It’s interesting to note that Progressive doesn’t have the term “auto insurance” in the description, instead focusing on consumer-proof claims (4 of 5).
They also used call extensions. When your ads contain phone numbers, you instantly give the consumer the option to call or interact online. This consumer choice is vital.
The other extensions are ratings and offers, which are used well to give consumers a sense of additional information to help make a decision.
Example 2: Concert tickets
I’m a music fan and started looking for samples for various artists and tickets for shows I’d like to see. I found the following example in a search for “My Chemical Romance Tickets”.
Seatgeek did a good job of pointing out two things:
Asking for the statement that it is the lowest possible price. I didn’t specify which show I wanted to watch, and the listings of several nearby shows were explained well in the extensions. This helps me choose a program and specifically go to those lists.
Example 3: Electricity rates
A similar use of extensions in a different category was for “electricity rates”.
Using copy and these extensions offer the right mix of options, while still focusing on performance/conversions (“Get a quote”).
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Example 4: Noise canceling headphones
Let’s not forget that Google doesn’t just show text ads. Shopping ads are common and show frequently for retail searches.
Below is a search result for “noise canceling headphones”.
This is an interesting example because of the wide price mix.
It looks like the JBL headphones are the cheapest at Target. Target also includes the “In Store” note, plus the price reduction and product ratings. The combination of price and robust listings is compelling.
Most brands don’t consider competitor pricing as a reason why their conversion rates are high or low when optimizing.
Although it’s a different topic, know that competitive research is a critical input needed to understand your performance.
Example 5: iPhone 14
Let’s look at the most popular consumer product right now, the iPhone 14. The example below is some of the biggest players in the game.
AT&T and Verizon’s approach is similar, “Get the iPhone from us.” What is different is the use of extensions and sitelinks. Each has a different approach.
Which ad would you click? Because?
Personally, I find AT&T’s ad compelling enough in the first position, and the sitelinks allow me to click on the specific model.
Optimizing your Google Ads campaigns
When we talk to customers, we talk about the “search experience.” This includes the keyword, ad, and landing page—three important elements of a PPC campaign.
Here, we’ve focused on ads, and as you’ve seen, different brands have different approaches: different extensions, copy, pricing, and more. All of these will yield different results for your advertisers.
The data shows that there is real business value in delivering high ad relevance. Having the right elements to test and optimize is key. Stay tuned for new elements that Google implements and keep testing.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.
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About the author
Jason Tabeling is the CEO of Air tank and is a proven marketing executive and leader with over 20 years of experience growing strong, profitable teams, working for and with Fortune 500 companies in a variety of industries. Prior to AirTank, Jason served as Executive Vice President of Product at BrandMuscle, an enterprise software and services company focused on Fortune 1,000 brands, where he led innovation and product strategy. He earned the company a Forrester Channel 2020 Leader in Marketing Automation Wave ranking. He also spent 16 years working with Rosetta, Razorfish and Progressive Insurance, leading paid media, earnings and ownership teams in the health, financial services and retail sectors. He was named “40 under 40” by Direct Marketing News, has been a judge for the AMA Reggie Awards, and has been featured in Forbes and many other publications as an expert in the field.
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