Google Search is among the most important digital battlegrounds when it comes to reaching undecided voters who turn to the platform to get information about elections, candidates, and how to vote. In addition to organic search engine optimization (SEO) tactics that will help your campaign website rank higher and appear in more search results, paid advertising is a key component of your campaign’s strategy.
It all starts with writing effective search ads that appear alongside the right results and get potential supporters to take action. In this article, we break down five part checklist for writing successful search ads.
Keywords Are the Foundation
Google wants to get users the reliable information they are searching for as quickly as possible and it should be your goal as well when writing search ads. Since a user triggers the appearance of a search ad with specific keywords like “Jones for Congress” or “David Jones taxes,” it’s important that your ads include those keywords as well.
Not only will this ensure your ads appear alongside more search results, but it will also save your campaign money since Google preferences more relevant search ads in the real-time bidding process. Some campaigns are reluctant to include certain text in their search ads, but voters are already searching for keywords on hot-button topics and the question is whether or not you want your ad to appear.
Write Clearly And Concisely
The copy of your search ad should be easy to read and understand.
You only have a few lines of text to convey your message so use them wisely.
Stand Out
Remember, you’re trying to help a voter answer a question and your ad will be one of more than a dozen results they see. Why is your candidate or campaign unique? What can be said about you that can’t be said about anyone else?
Drive Further Action
Your search ad is a jumping off point. It’s a first step for a voter learning more about your campaign, making a donation, or making a plan to vote for your candidate. Make the call to action obvious and use active language like “Learn More,” “Make a Plan To Vote,” or “Donate Now.”
Write Multiple Variations
Google’s search advertising platform makes it easy to test and optimize multiple variations of your search ad. It’s important that you take advantage of this functionality because it can help increase click through rates and drive down costs per click.
Experiment with different headlines, body copy, and calls to action.
Conclusion
Writing an effective search ad is first and foremost about answering the question the voter is searching for. A generic ad will not perform as well as an ad that is specific to the keywords being searched and addresses the topic.
Undecided voters are turning to Google Search to learn more about candidates, elections, and the issues up for debate. An effective search ad, alongside organic SEO practices, gives your campaign an opportunity to connect with voters at the right moment.
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