Just how important are headlines for Google Search Ads?
Consider this.
29.8 billion ads are shown on Google every day. YES 29,741,270,774 ads are shown on Google EVERY DAY! Source.
But guess how many of those get clicked on?
237 Million. ONLY 237,914,225.
That means a paltry 0.80% ads get clicked on. Not exactly a Click-Through-Rate (CTR) any Google Ads guru is aiming for. We can do better than this. We must do better than this.
As business owners and marketing managers, we need to know how our ads can get the most clicks possible.
Over many years of running Google Ads campaigns for ourselves and 100’s of clients we’ve developed a pretty good idea of what works and what doesn’t.
In this article I’m going to show you our top-performing search ad headlines. The top 40 battle-tested headlines that work time and time again. Whenever we’re creating a new campaign, or improving a campaign that isn’t quite working, we return to these headlines.
They just work!
Why headlines specifically? Why not the meat of the ad copy?
Focus on the trees before the branches!
People are constantly evaluating if they will pay attention to an ad or not. The way that people do this is by scanning imagery and headlines. And since Google Ads are text-based, and you have limited real-estate, the headline is your biggest leverage point for improving CTR.
You should think of it like this: headlines are the ad for the ad. Without a good headline, nobody will pay attention to the rest of your ad.
The challenge though is to have an ongoing supply of new headline ideas for your ads. So to make this easier for you below are 40 winning headlines you can use for ideas when creating new ads and start seeing the clicks rolling in.
Let’s hone in.
I have broken this up into two predominant industries:
E-commerce
Services
Each industry has unique selling points. But at the end of the day, people are the ones spending the money, so much of the psychology is the same.
There are certain triggers and messages that work across both industries. The obvious trigger I am not going to focus on is the price.
Most people are motivated by price if they are comparing like for like products or services. A high price may scare people away and a lower price may attract people you don’t want to deal with. That’s something you have to decide for your business, and is something we could detail in a separate article.
I’m going to focus on the more emotional benefits that address people’s fears or concerns, and which can be more challenging to work out. Since we manage thousands of ads, across both industries we know what generates those clicks you are chasing!
Across both industries, we have found two prevalent factors that tend to attract more clicks:
People want things fast, that’s the new benchmark – everyone is in a rush nowadays, no-one wants to wait. The side-effect of having instant access to information at all times.
People like to feel as though they are receiving something for free or getting a bargain.
Top 20 Headlines – E-Commerce
My favourite industry, who doesn’t love a good bargain? And guess what, Google users love a bargain too. A non-branded ad with the headline “Orders Above $99 Free Delivery” commanded a massive 26% CTR
Urgency & Convenience-Based Headlines
Same-Day Delivery In {Your City}
Same Day Shipping/Delivery. Buy Now
Guaranteed Next Day Delivery
All Venues. All Games
All Games, Rounds & Arenas
Selling Fast. Don’t Miss Out
Selling Fast. [the item you are selling] Guaranteed.
Hurry, First Show in {Custom countdown will show days or hours till event}
Fast Delivery Australia-Wide
Fast Delivery Across Australia
Countdown Ad {Custom countdown will show days or hours}
Value based headlines
Free Shipping In {Your City}
Fast, Free Shipping {Your City}
Best Prices & Free Shipping
100% Guarantee. Buy Now
Orders Above $99 Free Delivery
Afterpay & Zippay Now Available
Pay With Afterpay Or Zippay
Big Savings. Buy Online Now
Save Big On [Product Name]
Up-To 50% On [Product Name]
Top 20 Headlines – Services
In the service industry, we found that a consistently dominant factor for people was the speed of response & service. For example, in one industry the headline “Same-Day Service In Perth” generated had CTR’s of between 20% all the way up to a whopping 62.5%
Speed, location of service
Onsite Service In [Your Location]
Same-Day Service In [Your Location]
[Your Location] Based Technicians
We Service All Of [Your Location]
Value based headlines
Free Consultation. Call Now
1st Session/Class Free
We’ll Beat Any Quote. Call Us
Call Now For A Free Quote
Free Measure & Quote
All Brands, All Size Jobs
No Job Too Big or Small
14-Day Free Trial. Start Today
Trust & Expertise
Free Expert Advice
[Brand Name] Specialists (People want to know you can be trusted)
Only Experienced Technicians
Experts In [Brand/Product/Service]
Trusted By The Experts
Over 10,000 Clients Helped
Family Owned Since 1901
Full Trained & Certified Staff
Wrap up
Before you start playing around with headlines make sure you are happy with the rest of the ad copy too. ALWAYS test 3 or more ads in each ad group (make sure ads are set to rotate evenly, so they compete equally).
Remember: you won’t get more clicks if your budget isn’t high enough. So check up on that, make sure bids are high enough that you are appearing above the search results.
And finally, for a true test you need to ensure ceteris paribus (all else is equal). Test, test and test again and I guarantee you will see an improvement in results.
If you want to find out how else to improve your Google Ads, see some of our other blogs:
Facebook Ads Or Google Ads? Where Should You Spend Your Money?
Google’s Phrase Match To Eat Up Most Of Broad Match Modifier’s Traffic
The Secret Behind Getting Unlimited Clicks With Google Ads
Or get a Free Google Ads Audit here from a trusted Melbourne Google Ads Agency
