Writing better ad copy - the principles that hold up across formats
Responsive search ads, expanded text ads, call-only ads - the formats change, the character counts shift, the testing mechanisms evolve. But the fundamental question every ad has to answer remains the same: why should someone who is searching for this click on my result rather than the others?
Good ad copy starts with the searcher's problem, not the advertiser's product. The searcher is looking for something. The ad that acknowledges what they are looking for and immediately signals that it can help wins the click. The ad that leads with the company name, a list of services, and a generic call to action does not.
Mirror the searcher's language
People search in their own words, not yours. A business that describes itself as providing "professional HR consultancy solutions" should write ads for people searching "help with difficult employee situations" or "what to do if a staff member is off sick long term". The gap between how businesses describe themselves and how buyers describe their problems is where most ad copy fails. Reviewing your search term reports for the natural language people use is more useful for ad copy than any copywriting framework.
Lead with the most specific relevant claim
Generic claims - "professional service", "experienced team", "great results" - are in every competitor's ads. They add nothing. Specific claims - "Google Ads account audits from 250 pounds", "same-day boiler repairs Manchester", "ISO 27001 certified" - differentiate. The more specific and verifiable the claim, the more weight it carries. Every headline should pass the test: could any competitor in this category make this exact claim? If yes, it is probably too generic.
Address objections in copy
The most common reason people do not click an ad - or do not convert after clicking - is an unaddressed concern. Price, commitment level, time required, qualifications, trustworthiness - these concerns vary by category but they are predictable. Researching what questions potential buyers ask before choosing a supplier in your category, and then addressing those concerns directly in your ad copy, converts better than copy that ignores them. "No contract. Cancel any time." addresses a commitment concern. "Free initial consultation" addresses a financial risk concern. These are copywriting decisions with direct conversion rate impact.
Test the right variables
RSA asset performance data shows you which headline themes perform best. Over time, patterns emerge: do value propositions about price outperform claims about quality? Do urgency-based headlines beat authority-based ones for your specific audience? These patterns are only visible if you are systematically testing different angles rather than just variations of the same theme. Each ad group should test at least three genuinely different headline approaches - not slight rewrites of the same concept but distinct positions on value, trust, urgency, specificity, and social proof.
CTAs that specify the action
Calls to action at the end of descriptions should specify what happens next. "Get a free quote today" is better than "Contact us". "Book your consultation" is better than "Find out more". "Download the guide" is better than "Click here". The more specifically the CTA matches what the searcher will actually do if they click, the higher the click-through rate and the lower the bounce rate, because expectations are being set accurately.
Found this useful?
Start a conversation - no pitch, no pressure.