Guides · Google Ads
How to Write Google Ads Copy That Gets Clicked
By Josh Croom · October 27, 2026 · 12 min read
To write Google Ads copy that gets clicked, write to the search instead of writing about yourself. Name the problem in the searcher's own words, describe what you offer in plain terms, give one clear next step, and then let each line's own numbers tell you which ones deserve to stay.
A stuck garage door and two ads
7:10 AM. Her car is parked inside, the garage door won't open, and she has a meeting across town at 8. She searches on her phone and sees two ads near the top of the results. The first one opens with a company name, then says the company has served the area for decades and offers quality you can trust. The second one asks whether her garage door won't open and offers a repair visit today.
She taps the second ad without thinking much about it, because it answered the question she typed and the first one only talked about the company. When people keep passing over an ad, Google learns that it isn't worth showing, so each click can cost more and the ad appears less often.
garage door wont open
How a Google search ad is put together
A Google search ad is a collection of parts, and Google picks which parts to show every time the ad runs. You write up to 15 headlines of up to 30 characters each, along with up to 4 descriptions of up to 90 characters each.
Google shows up to 3 headlines and 2 descriptions at a time, and it tries them in different combinations and orders. Over time, it learns which combinations people click on different kinds of searches. That's why each headline has to read well next to any other one. A line that only makes sense after another particular line will sometimes appear without it, and then it confuses the reader instead of helping.
The display path is the end of the short web address shown in the ad, and each of its two fields holds up to 15 characters. Use it to repeat the topic, like garage-door and repair, so the person can see where the click will take them.
- 15headlines in one adup to 30 characters each
- 4descriptions in one adup to 90 characters each
- 3headlines shown at a timewith up to 2 descriptions
How to write Google Ads copy in six steps
Work through these steps in order for every ad group you write. The first step does most of the work, because one clear theme makes every line after it easier to write.
Step 1
Give each ad group one theme
Every keyword in the group should want the same answer, so one ad can speak to all of them. When a group mixes repairs with new installations, the ad ends up vague for both kinds of searches, and people rarely click a vague ad.
Step 2
Lead with the problem
Write most of your headlines about what the person searched, in ordinary words, like a broken spring or a door that won't close. Your name and history come second, because someone searching at 7 AM doesn't care who you are until they believe you can fix it.
Step 3
Echo the keyword once
Put the keyword's own words into one headline, and leave that headline unpinned. Google grades how well your ad matches the search, and repeating the keyword's own words helps that grade.
Step 4
Say the offer plainly
Same-day visits, licensed technicians, Saturday hours or an estimate that costs nothing: if it's true and it matters to your customers, put it in a headline. Use the plain word your customers would use for it, because a clever word makes a reader stop and decode it.
Step 5
Add your town, proof and a next step
Mix in your town or service area, one line of proof you can back up, and a clear next step like call today, book online or plan a visit. The next step tells the reader exactly what happens after they click.
Step 6
Fill every slot
Write all 15 headlines and all 4 descriptions before the ad goes live. Google tests the combinations and learns which lines people click, and every empty slot leaves it fewer choices.
A full set of 15 headlines, written out
Here's a sample set for a garage door repair ad group. Most of the lines name the problem or the offer, one line repeats the keyword, and only a few describe the business itself.
None of these headlines is pinned, and each one reads as a complete thought, so any three of them can appear together and still make sense. The set describes the same problem several ways, because different people describe a broken garage door in different words.
| Headline | Characters | Its job |
|---|---|---|
| Garage Door Won't Open? | 23 | The problem, in their words |
| Garage Door Repair Today | 24 | The keyword's own words, unpinned |
| Broken Spring? We Fix It | 24 | A second way to name the problem |
| Door Off the Track? | 19 | A third way to name the problem |
| Same-Day Repair Visits | 22 | The offer |
| No-Cost Repair Estimates | 24 | The offer |
| Upfront Price Before Work | 25 | The offer |
| Local, Licensed Techs | 21 | Proof you can back up |
| Garage Repair in (Your Town) | Under 30 | Your town or area |
| Springs, Openers and Cables | 27 | What you fix |
| Most Major Brands Repaired | 26 | What you fix |
| Open Saturdays | 14 | The offer |
| Call Now for a Time Today | 25 | The next step |
| Book Your Repair Online | 23 | The next step |
| Licensed and Insured | 20 | Proof you can back up |
Four descriptions that stand on their own
The four descriptions follow the same rule, because Google pairs any two of them with any three headlines. Each one adds a different detail, so the pair a searcher sees always tells them something useful.
| Description | Characters |
|---|---|
| Stuck door or broken spring? Call now and book a repair visit for today. | 72 |
| You get the price before any work starts, and the tech explains the fix first. | 78 |
| Springs, cables, openers and off-track doors, repaired on most major brands. | 76 |
| Call now for a time today, or book online. We text you when the tech is on the way. | 83 |
Plain offers get clicked
We checked this in the accounts we run. We compared headlines inside the same ad, so the same searches stood behind both kinds of headline.
- 70%of ads where the no-charge headline wona higher click rate than the ad's other headlines
- 30 daysof results comparedto October 11, 2026
In 70% of those ads, the unpinned headlines that offered something at no charge earned a higher click rate than the ad's other unpinned headlines. If your estimate, first visit or guide costs nothing, say so in the plainest word you have, and put it in a headline where Google can test it.
Pin as little as you can
Pinning locks a line into one position, so Google can't move it or test it against the others. Pin only the first position, and only when the first line must match the search.
Pinned everywhere
- All three headline spots are pinned.
- Google shows the same three lines on every search.
- Google has nothing to test, so the ad never improves.
- New lines never get a fair chance to show.
Pinned once or not at all
- Only the first spot is pinned, and only when it must match.
- Google mixes the other lines on each search.
- Each line's numbers show whether it earns its place.
- New lines go in unpinned, so they get tested too.
Use keyword insertion with care
Keyword insertion drops the searched keyword into your headline automatically. It can fit one headline to many different searches, but it needs strong backup text for the searches it can't fit, because a long or awkward keyword turns into a long or awkward headline.
We never use it on sensitive health searches, and our system swaps it out automatically if it ever shows up there.
Where to find the words your customers use
Your best headlines often come from your search terms report, which lists what people actually typed before they saw your ad.
Read that report once a week, because new searches appear in it all the time. You'll see the problem described in your customers' own words, like a door that's off the track or a spring that snapped, and those words belong in your headlines. Our search terms study shows what that report can teach you about your customers.
Check every line before it runs
Run every headline and description through the same checks before the ad goes live. Your ticks stay on this device.
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Let each line's numbers decide what stays
Older guides tell you to look for a Best, Good or Low label next to each headline. Google has retired that label. Its asset report now shows each headline's own numbers instead, including its showings, its clicks and the conversions that followed.
Read those numbers once the ad has run for about a month. Replace the lines that showed often but drew the fewest clicks first, because they take showings away from lines that might do better. Google calls one line's click rate a pointer rather than a final grade, so use it to choose what to rewrite. Add your new lines to the ad that's already running instead of starting a brand new ad. Then copy the strongest lines from other ads in the same ad group, since the same searches stand behind them.
Give each change enough time to work, because a line that's only a week old hasn't shown often enough to judge.
Test ad copy the right way
Two ads side by side in one ad group isn't a fair test, because Google doesn't split the showings between them evenly.
For a true test, run a campaign experiment, which splits the traffic in half so that each version gets the same kind of searches. We run each test for at least 14 days and wait for at least 100 clicks on each side before we call a winner, because a few days of clicks mostly measures luck.
Ads for churches, ministries and recovery programs
When someone searches about a personal struggle, the ad should name the struggle itself, like betting losses or eating you can't stop.
Keep faith quiet in the ad itself. Use one gentle mention at most, and never write a headline that opens with God, Jesus or Christ. The person searching is in the middle of something hard, and the ad's first job is to show that you understand it.
A church's local ads follow the same rules as any other ad: name what the person typed, add your town and give a clear next step like plan a visit. Our church page shows how we run ads for churches.
Ad copy on a Google Ad Grant
On a Google Ad Grant, we keep two or more ads in every ad group. When a group has only one, our system can add a second ad built from that group's own approved lines.
We leave an approved Grant ad as it is, because any edit sends it back to Google for review. New ideas go into a new ad beside it. The one edit we make to an approved ad is a single unpinned headline with the keyword's own words, which helps the ad match the search.
We launch new ads and let Google decide, instead of holding an ad back on a guess that it might get turned down. Our Google Ad Grants guide covers the rest of running a Grant account.
Check an ad you're running now
Open one of your live ads and answer these five questions about it.
Do most of its headlines name the problem the person searched?
Does one unpinned headline use the keyword's own words?
Are all 15 headlines and all 4 descriptions filled in?
Is nothing pinned, or only the first spot?
Have you replaced your weakest lines in the last month?
You built this ad the way we'd build it. Keep adding new lines as old ones fall behind, because the searches people make shift with the seasons.
You're close to a well-built ad. Fix the first question you answered No, and start with the headlines, since they carry most of what a searcher reads.
Start with one theme for the ad group, then write 15 headlines that lead with the problem. An hour of careful writing here reaches every search the ad shows for.
How we write ads in the accounts we run
We follow these steps in every account we manage. When AI drafts a line, a second AI check scores it for match, detail, policy risk and fit with your brand. We drop any line that scores under our bar. A person approves every ad with new words before it runs.
If you'd like a second set of eyes on your ads, book a call with Miguel. He'll look at how your ads read today and talk through what he would change first.
Questions people ask
How many headlines should a Google ad have?
Fill all 15 headlines and all 4 descriptions. Headlines hold up to 30 characters and descriptions hold up to 90. Google shows a few at a time and learns which ones people click, so more good lines give it more combinations to test.
Should I pin headlines in Google Ads?
Pin as little as you can. Pin only the first position, and only when the first line must match the search, because every pin takes a line out of Google's testing.
What should the first headline of a Google ad say?
Name the problem the person searched, in their own words. Information about your company can come later in the ad, once the reader believes you can help.
How do I know which Google Ads headlines work?
Google's asset report shows how often each headline showed, how often people clicked it and the conversions that followed. After about a month, replace the lines that showed often but drew the fewest clicks. To test two versions against each other, run a campaign experiment that splits traffic in half for at least 14 days and 100 clicks per side.
See how we write and test ads in the accounts we run
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