On this page
- 01How a search ad is built
- 02Example of a full campaign structure
- 03Keywords in three match types
- 04Assets that make the difference
- 05Mistakes we see in example ads
- 06Examples for sectors with rules
- 07Example list of negative keywords
- 08Example of a Shopping ad
- 09Example of a seasonal ad
- 10When an ad is good
A Google Ads example only helps if you can see why it works. This page holds six search ads for six kinds of business, each with the search it was written for, the headlines, the descriptions and the assets. Below them is a full campaign structure, a list of negative keywords, and the mistakes we see most.
All business names are made up. The structure you can take over: put your own headlines into the responsive search ad preview and see straight away how Google shows them.
How a search ad is built
A responsive search ad has up to fifteen headlines of 30 characters and four descriptions of 90 characters. Google shows two or three headlines and one or two descriptions at a time, in the combination it expects to fit the search best. Below that come assets: sitelinks, a phone number, your address, callouts.
| Part | Maximum | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Headline | 15 of 30 characters | repeat the search, give a reason, a next step |
| Description | 4 of 90 characters | explanation, proof, what happens after the click |
| Display path | 2 parts of 15 characters | shows where the click lands |
| Sitelinks | at least 2, ideally 4 | other pages: prices, contact, services |
| Callouts | short lines of 25 characters | "Free delivery", "Gas Safe registered" |
| Call asset | one number | a call button on mobile |
Six ads and why they work
Each ad belongs to a search. Made-up names, real structure.
- Plumber, search "emergency plumber bristol"Headlines: Plumber In Bristol | Out Today | Call For A Fast Visit. Description: Leak, blockage or broken boiler? Fixed call-out charge, Saturdays too. Why: the city and the urgency come first, the call button does the rest.
- Bike shop, "buy e-bike norwich"Headlines: E-Bikes In Norwich | Test Ride In Store | Servicing With Us. Description: Over 80 e-bikes to try. Advice to fit you, including cycle to work schemes. Why: the shop is the argument, not the price.
- Accountant, "accountant for sole traders"Headlines: Accountant For Sole Traders | Fixed Monthly Fee | Online And In Person. Description: Your tax return, your bookkeeping and one named contact. Book an intro call. Why: the audience sits in the first headline.
- Online shop, "aluminium garden chair"Here Shopping beats a text ad: the photo and the price come from your feed. See Google Shopping vs Performance Max.
- B2B software, "haulage planning software"Headlines: Planning For Hauliers | 30 Minute Demo | Links To Your Accounts. Description: Runs, drivers and invoices on one screen. Why: the sector filters the clicks.
- Charity, "youth volunteering leeds"Headlines: Volunteer With Young People | In Leeds And Nearby | Open Evening On Tuesday. Why: a concrete step with a date earns the click rate Ad Grants asks for.
Example of a full campaign structure
An ad never stands alone. It sits in an ad group with keywords, and that group sits in a campaign with a budget and an area. This is the structure for a made-up bike shop in Norwich.
| Campaign | Ad group | Keywords | Lands on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Brand name | "wheelhouse cycles" | home page |
| Sales | E-bikes | "buy e-bike norwich", "electric bike norwich" | e-bikes |
| Sales | Cargo bikes | "buy cargo bike", "cargo bike test ride" | cargo bikes |
| Service | Servicing | "bike service norwich", "bike mechanic norwich" | servicing with booking |
| Service | Repairs | "puncture repair", "bike repair" | repairs |
Every ad group has its own ad and its own page. Someone searching "cargo bike" reads an ad about cargo bikes and lands on the cargo bikes, not on the home page. Exclude the words of the other groups in each group, so Google does not pick the wrong ad. How to build such a campaign step by step is in how to set up Google Ads.
Keywords in three match types
| Match type | Written as | Shows for | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broad | buy e-bike | related searches too | only with smart bidding and good tracking |
| Phrase | "buy e-bike" | searches with that meaning | the default for most small businesses |
| Exact | [buy e-bike] | the same meaning | your most important words |
Assets that make the difference
An ad with four sitelinks, callouts and a phone number takes up more space and gets clicked more often. Since call-only ads are being retired, calls run through the call asset on an ordinary ad. Choose sitelinks that give a second reason to click: prices, a free test ride, your opening hours.
Mistakes we see in example ads
- Fifteen headlines that say the sameGoogle then has nothing to combine. Write headlines with a different job each: the search, a reason, proof, a step.
- The business name in every headlineYour name is already in the URL. Once is enough.
- Pinning headlinesA pinned headline gives Google fewer options; pin only what the law or your brand requires.
- Promises the page does not keep"Free delivery" in the ad and delivery costs at checkout: the customer leaves and Google notices.
- Claims without proof"Number one in the UK" gets rejected or is misleading under the advertising codes.
Examples for sectors with rules
Not every sector may advertise like a bike shop. A dental practice keeps to practice information: "Dental practice in Leeds, taking new NHS and private patients, book online", within the rules of the General Dental Council and the advertising codes. No "best dentist", no claims about results. What does work is in Google Ads for dentists. A charity on Google Ad Grants must reach a click rate of 5 percent, so it writes ads with a concrete step and a date, as in Google Ads for charities.
A job ad names the role, the place and what you offer, never an age or a sex. "Young, energetic team member" is discriminatory; "Warehouse operative in Doncaster, day shift, permanent" is not. More on that is in recruitment advertising.
Example list of negative keywords
A good campaign is as much about what you exclude. This list belongs to the made-up bike shop; every word attracts clicks from people who will not buy.
| Negative keyword | Why exclude it |
|---|---|
| second hand, used | the shop only sells new |
| free | looking for a giveaway, not a purchase |
| jobs, vacancy | looking for work, not a bike |
| diy, how to fix, manual | looking for instructions, not a repair |
| names of chain stores | looking for another shop |
Check the search terms report every week to see which searches actually got clicks, and add what does not fit to the list. A trade business adds "course", "apprenticeship" and "salary"; a plan for that is in Google Ads for plumbers and Google Ads for roofers.
Example of a Shopping ad
For an online shop you do not write headlines. The ad comes from your product feed: product name, price, photo and shop name. The work sits in the feed. A title like "Garden chair" loses to "Aluminium stacking garden chair anthracite", because Google uses the words in the title to choose which searches your product appears for.
Example of a seasonal ad
Many local businesses have a busy and a quiet season, and the ad should follow it. A made-up garden maintenance firm in Reading runs two sets of headlines. In March the headlines read "Garden Tidy Up In Reading", "Book Your Spring Visit" and "Hedges, Lawns And Borders". In October they read "Leaf Clearance In Reading", "Gutters Cleared Too" and "Book Before The Frost". The keywords change with them: "lawn care" and "hedge cutting" in spring, "leaf clearance" and "gutter cleaning" in autumn. Use ad scheduling or a simple calendar note to swap them, and keep last year's ads paused rather than deleted, so you can compare one season with the next.
| Season | Headline focus | Keywords | Sitelinks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | first visit of the year | lawn care, hedge cutting | prices, areas we cover |
| Summer | regular maintenance | garden maintenance contract | monthly plans, reviews |
| Autumn | clearance before winter | leaf clearance, gutter cleaning | booking, photos of work |
| Winter | planning and planting | garden design, tree surgeon | design service, contact |
When an ad is good
An ad is good when it brings a click for the right search from someone who then becomes a customer. You see that in the click rate and the conversion rate together. A high click rate with few enquiries means the ad promises something the page does not deliver. What a good click rate is, you read in what is a good CTR in Google Ads and at CTR. What a click costs, you work out with the Google Ads budget calculator.