Writing for Overture PPC Ads

With Overture, writing the perfect ad is slightly different than with AdWords. Overture only allows you to create one ad per keyword, so this takes away the option of trying out various ads and going with the winner, however, the basis for creating your initial ad remains virtually the same.

PPC writing in terms of Click Throughs and Branding:

Click Through Writing Mindset --
Do not include any words not directly related to the keyword in your title. The additional words you want to add to this type of keyword title are those that will entice people to click on your ad. This could be a call to action or related to the keywords which makes the pay per click listing seem more appealing.

Several search engines highlight the keywords searched for on the results page, so inputting the exact keywords in your description will lead to a higher CTR rate. For some keywords, Overture uses keyword matching. This means that the keyword "travel packages Mexico" and "Mexico travel packages" are the same keyword. Since either search will show your keyword, you cannot always input the keyword into your description exactly as they were searched for. In these cases, go with the most naturally read. In the above, it would be Mexico travel packages. This type of description is not about branding, that is achieved with the title. Every word you use should be about inducing people to click on your ad.

Brand Writing Mindset --
If your main concern is branding, then you want to include your company name in the title.

Descriptions get read by many people who never click on an ad or reach your site on their first exposure to your company name. However, if your company name is seen over and over again, people will start to remember and associate it with an ideal that it has a lot of internet visibility, and will be more likely to visit you in the future.

You can also end up focusing on both. It really comes down to what keywords in what ad group or category are you writing for? The psychology of search behavior is what makes SEM so successful, in that not only can you behaviorally target your customers, but you can measure the effectiveness of your writing as well.