Simple Steps for Creating Excellent Ad Copy

First impressions matter in the world of digital marketing. Your Practice’s Pay-Per-Click (PPC) ad is likely to be seen only one time by a prospective patient. 

That’s why optimizing ad copy is an absolute must. The more you can cater your copy to the needs of your audience the more clicks you will receive from prospective patients. 

The good news is that there are some basic practices you can adhere to that will help ensure your ads have a great click-through rate. In this post I’ll cover some easy-to-implement search ad copy ideas for practices to utilize. 

Use All Available Ad Space 

In July of 2018, Google Ads released its latest version of Expanded Text Ads and Microsoft Advertising (formerly Bing Ads) has since followed with a similar layout. Previously there were two 30-character headline spots available but now there are three 30-character slots. There are also now two 90-character description lines available instead of just one 80-character line under the old format. 

Here’s a pretend ad I created to exhibit the new layout: 

The new layout provides advertisers with considerably more space for ad copy. By using all of the available headline and copy space an ad becomes larger and, hence, more visible in search results. That pushes competitor ads further away and increases the likelihood of a prospective patient clicking on your ad in a relevant search result, which is the desired action. In short, make sure and use all available ad space! 

It’s also crucial to take advantage of ad extensions such as sitelink, call, and callout extensions. Including optional extensions within ad copy will make a given ad’s presence within search results even larger, resulting in more visibility on results pages and likely driving further gains in clicks. 

Get Local

People don’t want to stray far from home when they’re looking for a new orthodontist, dentist, or specialty dental care provider. That’s why it’s important to include local themes in ad copy.

Specifically, mention the city or even the area of a large city in which the practice is physically located. That will appeal to anyone looking for a new provider close to where they live or work, which should be most prospective patients. 

Using the sample ad I created to exhibit the latest expanded text ad format, here are some possibilities for integrating location into ad copy: 

Be Direct With Services

Be direct with the services your practice provides. Don’t create ad copy that makes people guess what your practice can do for them. 

By stating your services within ad copy you will help ensure that people clicking on your ads are truly interested in what you can offer them. Thus, the quality of clicks going to your website or landing page will be much higher than it would be with more generic or vague ad copy. 

In the example being used within this post, the first line of ad text explains exactly what the pretend practice can do for prospective patients: 

Have an Obvious Call to Action 

Make the action you want people to take very clear. Most likely, your practice will want prospective patients to call you directly or to schedule a consultation. In any case, don’t make people guess what the next step is. Spell it out!

Use the body text within the ad to invite prospective patients to click on the ad and take the desired action. People doing research are unlikely to know the precise next step they should take, so tell them. 

Let’s reference the aforementioned ad example one more time. The final body line spells out why someone should click to contact the practice to learn how they “Can Help Your Smile + Get a Free Consultation!”

 

To briefly recap, by taking up maximum available ad space and including mention of your practice’s local market you can improve your odds of attracting the attention of prospective patients. By clearly indicating the services your practice offers and listing a call-to-action within ad copy you’re much more likely to turn that attention into a click through to your website or landing page. 

Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions you may have!

 

—Mike Fitterer, Sr. Marketing Manager II, Sesame Communications