How to write a Google ad that actually gets clicks

A Google search ad is tiny. A few short headlines and a couple of lines of description. Yet the words you pick in that small space decide whether someone clicks you or the business beside you.

Good news: you don't need to be a copywriter. You need to say the right plain things in the right order.

Start with what the searcher typed

Someone searching "emergency plumber Tulsa" is not browsing. They have a problem right now. The ad that feels like an answer to that exact phrase wins the click.

So begin with your keywords. If you are bidding on "emergency plumber," put those words in a headline. Google bolds matching words in the ad, which makes it stand out and signals that you are relevant.

Match the searcher's words first. Get clever later, if ever.

What goes in each line

A responsive search ad has headlines (30 characters each) and descriptions (90 characters each). You provide several of each and Google combines them. Think of the pieces like this.

Headline one: what you do. The service, plainly. "Emergency Plumber in Tulsa" or "Custom Cakes in OKC."

Headline two: why you. One concrete reason to choose you. "Same-Day Service," "Free Written Estimates," "Family Owned Since 2009" (use only what is true).

Headline three: the action. "Call Today," "Book Your Free Quote," "See Open Times."

Descriptions: the detail that closes it. Add what is included, the area you serve, your hours, and a clear next step. Use full, natural sentences, not a pile of keywords.

Because the pieces are mixed, every headline should make sense next to any other. Write them as separate, complete thoughts.

Be specific, not impressive

Most ads sound the same. "Quality service. Great prices. Call now." Nobody trusts that, because every business says it.

Specifics stand out and earn belief:

• "Free Estimates, No Obligation" instead of "Great Prices"
• "Serving Midtown & Edmond" instead of "Local Experts"
• "Open Saturdays Until 4" instead of "Convenient Hours"

If you can say it with a number or a place, a day, or a deadline, do. If you cannot back it up, leave it out.

Read each draft out loud before you keep it. If it sounds like something you would say to a customer standing at your counter, it is probably fine. If it sounds like a billboard from 1995, rewrite it. A good test is whether a neighbor could tell, in two seconds, what you do and where you do it.

Use the extras Google gives you

Beyond headlines and descriptions, ads can carry extra assets: your phone number, a location, links to specific pages, and short lists of services. These make your ad take up more room on the page and give people more ways to act. Fill in every one that applies to you.

Phone numbers matter most for local service businesses. If customers usually call, make that easy to do straight from the ad.

Send the click to a matching page

A great ad can be wasted by a page that does not deliver on it. If your ad promises "Free Estimates," the page should say so near the top, with an easy way to ask for one.

Don't send everyone to your homepage. Send them to the page about the exact thing they searched for, and make the next step obvious on a phone. If clicks come but no calls follow, the page is often the issue and not the ad. We cover that in why your ads aren't working.

Test small changes

You won't nail it on the first try, and you don't have to. Write a few different headlines and let Google show them. After enough clicks to mean something, look at which ones people respond to and replace the weakest.

Change one thing at a time when you can. A different action phrase, a new reason to choose you, adding your city. Small wording changes add up, and they cost nothing in extra budget. Give each change a fair amount of time before judging it, since a handful of clicks tells you very little.

The honest part

Good ad copy helps, but it is one piece. Your keywords, your bids, the page people land on, and how quickly you answer the phone all shape the result. Ads also tend to take a few weeks of adjusting before they settle into something steady.

Don't expect wording alone to rescue a poor offer or a confusing page. Expect it to make a good setup work harder.

If you would like someone to write and manage your ads so you can run your business, tell us what you need. We will start with what you sell and where you work, and you can get a clear quote before anything begins.