Best Way To Write Google Ads Headlines (incl. examples)

Summary

Google Search ad headlines are a high-leverage part of the sales funnel. They attract attention, influence click-through rate (CTR), and can help prepare prospects to convert later. The presenter argues that improving headlines is often easier than making large gains in downstream conversion rates. New headline angles can also help counter ad and offer fatigue.

Nine headline-writing techniques

1. Use AI as a starting point, not a substitute for judgment

   • Try ChatGPT or Google’s suggested headlines, then review, reject, and revise them.
   • Iterate with AI: ask for more options in a preferred style or tone, or request a different angle.
   • Before campaign data is available, use business knowledge and intuition. Don’t wait for data to make every decision.
   • Avoid generic AI copy that makes your ad sound like competitors’ ads.

2. Highlight what is unique to your business

   • Identify true, specific claims competitors cannot readily make, such as experience, certifications, distinctive services, a strong track record, or customer-review volume.
   • For example, Heath says he uses his status as a Meta “megaphone partner”—a distinction he says is rare globally and unique in the UK—to differentiate his agency.
   • Make sure the claim is also explained on the landing page.

3. Make clear who you serve

   • Write for your ideal customer rather than trying to appeal to everyone.
   • Qualifying prospects in the headline may reduce clicks from poor-fit prospects, but those who do click may be more likely to convert.
   • Examples include “5k+ Monthly Ad Budget,” “Need More Dental Leads,” and “We Scale Ecom Businesses.”
   • State who you serve positively and clearly; avoid wording that sounds rude or dismissive.

4. Address different customer-awareness stages

   • Use Eugene Schwartz’s awareness ladder: problem-aware, solution-aware, product-aware, and most-aware. The presenter says unaware audiences generally aren’t relevant to search ads because they aren’t searching for a relevant solution.
   • For a marketing agency, example headlines could include:
     • Problem-aware: “Struggling to Generate Leads”
     • Solution-aware: “Our Service = Better Ad Results”
     • Product-aware: “150+ Million in Ad Spend” or “Trusted by 3,000+ Brands”
   • Don’t restrict advertising to people already comparing providers. Headlines can also speak to prospects earlier in their decision process.

5. Use relevant special offers

   • Tie an offer to a credible occasion or reason, such as a seasonal sale, company anniversary, or holiday.
   • Offers can create urgency and help ads stand out, especially in service or local-business categories where promotions may be less common.
   • A special offer doesn’t have to be a discount. Consider adding a complimentary extra to protect premium positioning and margins.
   • Keep the landing page consistent with the offer shown in the ad.

6. Ladder up from features to deeper benefits

   • Don’t lead with service features—such as audits or keyword research—when customers care about the result.
   • Move from features to practical benefits (“more leads” or “more sales”), then to broader outcomes such as business growth, family security, or status.
   • Example headline angles include “Scale Your Business,” “Explode Your Revenue,” “Crush It This Year,” or, for a consumer product, “Make Your Friends Jealous.”
   • Keep Google’s headline character limits in mind.

7. Give people a reason to act now

   • Use urgency (a time limit) and scarcity (limited stock, appointments, or client capacity).
   • For example, pair an offer that ends at the end of May with a genuine limit on available client slots.
   • Be truthful and enforce the deadline or capacity limit. Don’t invent scarcity.

8. State the next step explicitly

   • Tell prospects what to do rather than expecting them to infer it.
   • Example calls to action include “Click Here to Book a Call” and “Book a Free Strategy Session.”

9. Keep the language simple

   • Searchers often scan ads quickly. Avoid jargon, acronyms, and complicated wording that takes effort to understand.
   • Write for the prospect’s familiarity with the topic, not the advertiser’s.

Metrics and measurement

• The presenter says stronger headlines can move CTR from roughly 1–2% to 4–8% in an extreme case—up to five times as many clicks from the same number of impressions. In his experience, even improving an already decent headline may double CTR.
• He compares a hypothetical increase in CTR from 2% to 8% with raising a sales-call close rate from 20% to 80% to illustrate the potential leverage of an early-funnel improvement. He notes that such a close-rate increase is generally unrealistic; improving a close rate from 20% to 30%, or possibly 40% with a strong system, is more plausible.
• In a tracking example for a branded search campaign over May 21–27, the presenter reports 75 clicks, 30% CTR, and six leads in Hyros, at a cost per lead of just over £15. Google Ads showed the same clicks and CTR but only three conversions. He says his backend data supported Hyros’ six-lead count and uses the discrepancy to argue for verifying conversion tracking before making optimization decisions.

Practical takeaway

Build a varied set of headlines covering differentiation, ideal-customer fit, awareness stage, benefits, offers, urgency or scarcity, and a clear next step. Test and revise them over time, verify conversion tracking, and ensure ad claims and offers match the landing page.

Presenter and sources mentioned: Ben Heath; ChatGPT; Google’s ad headline suggestions; Hyros (tracking and attribution software).