Good Google Ads copy earns the click by being the most relevant and specific answer to what someone just searched. That's it. Not the cleverest, not the most persuasive, not the most enthusiastic, the most directly relevant. A searcher who typed "emergency electrician Wrexham" wants to see exactly that reflected back at them in the headline, alongside a clear signal that you can help right now.
Most businesses write ad copy that's too generic, too focused on their own story, or too padded with aspirational language that doesn't say anything concrete. Here's what actually works.
I rewrote the ad copy for a family solicitor in North Wales last year. Their previous ads led with "Experienced, Caring Legal Advice" across every ad group, the same headline whether someone was searching for conveyancing, divorce, or probate. We rebuilt the ad groups so each one had copy matched to the specific search intent. CTR went from 3.1% to 6.8% within a month. The ad spend didn't change. The ads just became the most relevant thing on the page for each search.
The received wisdom on ad copy is to focus on benefits, not features. That's reasonable as a starting point, but in Google Ads specifically, the headline that mirrors the search query tends to outperform the headline that tries to be clever. People scanning a search results page are looking for confirmation they've found what they searched for, not a reason to be curious.
Start with what the searcher already wants
The headline of a Google ad isn't the place to educate someone or introduce them to your brand. They've already told you what they want. They searched for it. Your job is to confirm that you have it.
For a search like "solicitor conveyancing Llandudno," a headline that reads "Experienced Solicitors North Wales" is adequate but generic. A headline that reads "Conveyancing Solicitor Llandudno" is exactly what they searched for. The second gets a higher click-through rate, which improves Quality Score, which reduces your cost-per-click. Relevance is both a creative principle and an economic one in Google Ads.
This is why tight ad group structure matters: each ad group should contain keywords with the same core intent, and the ad copy should be written to match that specific intent. One set of copy trying to serve 20 different intents will underperform across all of them. Poor ad group structure is also one of the fastest ways to damage your Quality Score: understanding how the ad auction actually works explains exactly why relevance at the keyword and ad level translates directly into CPC savings.
Write headlines that earn their characters
Each responsive search ad headline is 30 characters. That's not much. Make every one count.
The best headlines do one of three things: mirror the search query (high relevance signal), state a specific benefit or differentiator (reason to click over competitors), or include a call to action (what to do next). Across 15 available headlines, aim for a mix of all three.
Avoid generic filler like "Quality Service" or "The Best Choice". These say nothing distinctive and waste the available space. Instead:
- Name the specific service and location: "Roof Repairs Bangor, Free Quote"
- State a concrete differentiator: "No Call-Out Fee, 24/7 Emergency Cover"
- Include trust signals: "1,000+ Jobs Completed in North Wales"
- Use a clear action: "Book Online Today, 2-Hour Response"
Each headline should work independently because Google will not always show them together. Write them so they make sense in isolation.
Descriptions give you space to earn the conversion
Your two descriptions (90 characters each in standard responsive search ads) are where you can add more substance. Use them to address the question the searcher is implicitly asking: "Why should I choose you over everyone else on this page?"
Be specific. "Over 20 years of experience, fully insured, and available evenings and weekends" is more convincing than "Experienced and professional service." The first gives the searcher actual information they can use to make a decision. The second is a claim without evidence.
Common elements worth including in descriptions: turnaround times, geographic coverage, specific qualifications or accreditations, money-back guarantees, free assessments or quotes, response times, years in business.
Match the ad to the landing page
The ad makes a promise. The landing page must keep it. If your ad says "Same Day Boiler Repair Conwy" and the landing page is a general boiler services page without any mention of same-day service or Conwy, the conversion rate will suffer regardless of how good the ad copy is.
This is the most underappreciated aspect of ad copy: it creates an expectation. The entire user journey from click to conversion depends on that expectation being met or exceeded at every step. Writing ad copy that aligns with a specific landing page, and then ensuring the landing page delivers on what the ad promised, is the difference between an acceptable conversion rate and a genuinely high-performing one. The landing page side of this equation is covered in detail in Improving Your Google Ads Quality Score with Landing Page Keywords.
Testing ad copy properly
Google Ads shows you asset-level performance ratings (Best, Good, Low) for each headline and description in a responsive search ad. Use these as a guide, but don't over-rely on them, as the ratings reflect impressions and clicks, not conversions. A headline rated "Best" that drives traffic that doesn't convert is not actually your best headline.
Use the Experiments feature (Campaigns > Experiments) to run proper controlled tests between ad variations. Define the test, set a 50/50 traffic split, run it for at least four weeks (longer for lower-traffic campaigns), and evaluate on conversion rate, not CTR alone.
Replace "Low" rated assets every month or so. Over time, as you accumulate test data, the asset pool improves and the ad group performs better across the range of searches it's being shown for.
What generic ad copy costs you
An ad with a 2% click-through rate and a 5% conversion rate produces half the leads of an ad with a 4% click-through rate and a 5% conversion rate, at the same spend. Ad copy is the first conversion point in a paid search campaign, not the last. Getting it right reduces effective CPA without any change to bids or budget.
Google Ads management in North Wales: if you'd like a review of your current ad copy and recommendations for improvement, get in touch.
