Google Adwords now gives you 5 more characters in the headline and 10 more in the description. This could mean thousands more in revenue. Find out why. All right, so Google made some new changes. At least this time, they’re not taking away your search rankings! Instead, you get a positive change. And if you take advantage, you can grow your business quite nicely…
For now, they’re increasing the character count of their Adwords ads. And this is how they’re doing it, according to a simple graphic from Search Engine Land:
So, you get 5 more characters to work with in the headline, and 10 more in the description line.
Doesn’t sound like a lot, does it?
But, a professional Adwords ad writer can make big things happen with the extra space.
Writing Headlines for More Sales 101
Now, the truth of it is that writing headlines is a profession all its own you can spend a lifetime learning. Copywriters with 30+ years of experience spend their time writing headlines designed to evoke emotions and buying action. So, it’s just like any other profession in that sense.
Today, 3 main headline analysis tools exist on the web:
- Hemingway Headline Analyzer by Sharethrough
- EMV Headline Analyzer by the Advanced Marketing Institute
- CoSchedule’s Headline Analyzer
Which of the 3 should you trust the most?
In my opinion, CoSchedule’s Headline Analyzer because it’s designed specifically for web headlines. They studied web headlines in-depth to see what works best.
In general, if you score a 70 or higher, you’ve got an awesome headline ready to sell. A score of 60-70 is pretty decent, and doesn’t take much time to write. And you have absolutely no reason to go with a score any lower than that.
The Hemingway Headline Analyzer is built on neuroscience and advertising research in general. And, the EMV Headline Analyzer makes no mention of what’s been done to test headlines. However, it has a strong reputation.
I also consider a good score on all 3 to be a strong indicator of an effective headline.
Take a Look at a Couple Demo Headlines
I searched for “Milwaukee auto repair.” These 3 headlines came up. Their score is indicated at the end of each:
- Automotive Engine Repair – BridgeAutomotive.com (Hemingway: 62/average EMV: 0%/not good at all CoSchedule: 33/C-)
- Milwaukee Auto Repairs – Save On Auto Repairs With Us (Hemingway: 65/average EMV: 40.00% CoSchedule: 57/B+)
- Auto Repair – Milwaukee – GoodHopeServiceWI.com (Hemingway: 62/average EMV: 16.67%/not good at all CoSchedule: 33/C-)
So, you can see headline #2 is the clear winner. Of all these headlines, if you looked at which one converted at the best rate, you’d expect #2 to win by far. That assumes all other factors stay the same, like the landing page or ad extensions, for example.
Now, let’s take that headline and make it even stronger. We’ll change it from:
Milwaukee Auto Repairs – Save On Auto Repairs With Us
To:
Milwaukee Auto Repairs – Save Money on Your Auto Repairs
Every writer knows “you/your” is the most powerful word in advertising. And, who doesn’t want to hear about “money?”
That results in a score like this:
Hemingway: 65/average EMV: 50%/great CoSchedule: 63/B+
I’d expect this headline to help that company convert even more than the current one. It would be interesting to actually see the final difference that makes.
Putting It All Together
So yeah, 5 more characters in your headline and 10 more in your description doesn’t sound like a lot.
But, it could easily add up to thousands of dollars in more profit throughout the year. Then, if your customers just love you, you could earn much more off the longer relationship and referrals made.
The best businesses always do the small things write right (like that?).
Keep this sneaky trick in your digital marketing arsenal so you can beat the competition before they know what’s going on.
