February 18, 2025
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Most businesses approach ad creation with assumptions that feel logical but don't match reality. They emphasize features, company history, and credentials. They use professional language that sounds polished and legitimate. They avoid seeming too salesy or pushy. These instincts make sense from a business perspective, but they often produce ads that get ignored.
The disconnect happens because businesses think about ads as marketing assets while users experience them as interruptions. Someone searching Google for "emergency plumber" doesn't care about a company's 25 years of experience or commitment to excellence. They care about whether someone can show up today and fix their leaking pipe. The mental state of the person seeing the ad determines what makes them click, not what the business wants to emphasize.
Understanding this gap between business priorities and user behavior is what separates effective advertising from expensive noise. The ads that get clicked aren't necessarily the most professional or comprehensive. They're the ones that connect with what the person actually needs at that specific moment.
People make decisions about ads incredibly fast. Studies suggest users evaluate search ads in under two seconds before deciding whether to click or keep scrolling. Two seconds isn't enough time to carefully read every word or thoughtfully compare options. Instead, people scan for signals that an ad matches what they want.
This creates a filtering problem. The ad needs to pass several quick tests in rapid succession. Does it match the search terms? Does it address the specific problem? Does it offer something relevant? Is there a reason to click this one instead of the others? Fail any of these tests, and the person moves on.
Most businesses write ads as if people will read every word carefully and appreciate the nuance. They pack in multiple benefits, several features, qualifications, and calls to action. The result is ads that contain good information but don't communicate anything clearly in the two seconds that actually matter.
The ads that work strip away everything except what directly answers the user's immediate question. "Emergency plumber - 2 hour response - call now" beats "Full-service plumbing company with 25 years of experience offering emergency repairs, maintenance, installations, and inspections for residential and commercial properties." The second ad isn't wrong, it's just too much for someone who needs a fast answer to a simple question.
Here's something most businesses get backward. They think broad appeals reach more people, so they write ads that could apply to almost anyone. "We help businesses grow", or "Quality service at affordable prices", or "Your trusted partner for all your needs." These phrases sound professional but mean nothing.
Users respond to specificity because it signals relevance. An ad that says "PPC management for e-commerce stores doing $100K-$1M annual revenue" will get clicked by the exact businesses it describes, even though it excludes everyone else. The generic version "digital marketing services for businesses" might not get clicked by anyone because nobody feels specifically addressed.
This applies to everything in the ad. Specific numbers beat vague claims. "Next-day delivery" beats "fast shipping." "$89" beats "affordable pricing." "15-minute phone consultation" beats "contact us to learn more." Each specific detail helps the person evaluate whether the offer matches what they want.
The fear businesses have is that being specific means missing potential customers. Someone looking for emergency plumbing might also need regular maintenance eventually, so why not mention both? But trying to appeal to everyone in a single ad means connecting strongly with no one. Better to create separate ads for different needs than to dilute the message, hoping to catch everyone.
Advertising research and testing data reveal patterns in what drives clicks. Direct benefits beat features almost universally. Time savings and convenience outperform quality claims. Risk reduction matters more than credentials. Price clarity generates more engagement than vague value propositions.
People click on ads that promise to solve immediate problems. "Fix your leaking faucet today" gets more clicks than "comprehensive plumbing services." They respond to offers that reduce friction. "Free quote in 24 hours" works better than "contact us for pricing." They want to know exactly what happens next. "Schedule your appointment" is clearer than "learn more."
The language that performs well often feels too simple or obvious to business owners. It doesn't showcase the company's sophistication or full capabilities. It might sound almost childish compared to the polished copy on the company website. But ads aren't about impressing people with vocabulary or demonstrating expertise. They're about matching what someone wants quickly enough to earn a click.
Professional Google Ads copy focuses on this user psychology rather than what businesses think sounds good. The difference between copy that performs and copy that sits there comes down to understanding what actually motivates clicks in those critical first two seconds.
Businesses often try to build trust through credentials, years in business, certifications, and awards. These things matter eventually, but they're not usually what makes someone click an ad. Trust at the ad stage is about reducing perceived risk, not proving legitimacy.
Simple trust signals work better in ads than impressive credentials. "Free consultation" reduces risk by letting people test the service before committing. "No obligation quote" removes pressure. "Cancel anytime" addresses commitment fears. "Money-back guarantee" transfers risk from customer to business. These signals matter more than "BBB accredited" or "20 years in business" for getting that initial click.
Reviews and ratings provide social proof faster than any credential. An ad showing "4.9 stars from 200+ customers" communicates trustworthiness more effectively than paragraphs about the company's history. The number of reviews matters as much as the rating because it shows real people chose this business repeatedly.
Location signals build trust for local businesses. "Based in [neighborhood]" or "Serving [city] since 2010" reassures people they're dealing with an actual local company, not a national lead generation service that will sell their information. This local specificity often outperforms broader trust signals for service businesses.
More than half of ad clicks happen on mobile devices, where the evaluation process is even faster and more constrained. People scrolling on phones make even quicker decisions with less information visible at once. This makes clarity and directness even more critical.
Long headlines get cut off on mobile. Multiple description lines might not display. Extensions that show on desktop often don't appear on phones. The ad that looks comprehensive on a desktop screen might communicate almost nothing on mobile. Testing how ads actually appear on phones catches problems that desktop-only review misses.
Mobile users also have different intent patterns. They're more likely to be looking for immediate solutions - finding nearby businesses, getting quick answers, making calls directly from search results. Ads that work well on mobile emphasize speed, convenience, and easy next steps. Click-to-call functionality matters more than driving people to websites.
The businesses that ignore mobile optimization are leaving money on the table. Their ads might technically appear on phones, but if the experience doesn't match how people use mobile devices, the clicks don't happen.
The only way to really know what makes people click is testing variations and measuring results. Assumptions about what should work often prove wrong when real data comes in. An ad that the marketing team loved might bomb while a version that seemed too simple crushes it.
Testing reveals which benefits resonate most with the actual audience. Does "save time" drive more clicks than "save money" for this service? Do people respond better to question headlines or statement headlines? Does mentioning a specific timeline increase engagement? The answers vary by industry, audience, and even specific keywords.
Small changes can produce surprising differences. Adding a single word, changing the order of benefits, or adjusting the call to action might shift click-through rates significantly. These optimizations compound over time, turning okay performing ads into strong performers through iteration.
The businesses getting the best results treat ads as experiments rather than finished products. They test regularly, retire what doesn't work, and scale what does. This data-driven approach beats assumptions every time.
Understanding what makes people click requires shifting perspective from what businesses want to communicate to what users want to know. It means accepting that effective ads often feel too simple, too direct, or too narrow compared to what seems professionally appropriate.
The ads that work address specific needs clearly, reduce perceived risk quickly, and make the next step obvious. They prioritize user psychology over business priorities. They embrace testing over assumptions. And they're optimized for the two-second evaluation that determines whether anyone clicks at all.
Your ads might feel professional to you but come across as interruptions to users. People decide in under two seconds, so they respond to ads that solve an immediate problem directly, not ads filled with corporate jargon or company history.
It is always better to be specific. A broad ad that tries to appeal to everyone often connects with no one. A specific ad, for example, “PPC management for e-commerce stores,” will attract the right audience by showing you understand their exact needs.
The most important element is a clear, direct benefit that solves the user's immediate problem. Focus on what they gain, like “Fix your leaking faucet today,” rather than on your company's features. Reducing friction with offers like a “free quote” is also highly effective.
Build trust by reducing the user's perceived risk. Simple signals like “no obligation quote,” “cancel anytime,” or showing a high star rating with many reviews work better than listing formal credentials. These elements make the decision to click feel safer.
Yes, significantly. Mobile users are even faster to judge ads and are often looking for immediate, on-the-go solutions. Your mobile ads must be shorter, more direct, and ideally include easy actions like a click-to-call button. What looks good on a desktop might be ineffective on a phone.
