Scroll through search ads for almost any local trade, and the same handful of phrases repeat across nearly every competitor: licensed and insured, free estimates, call today, satisfaction guaranteed. All true, none of it distinguishing, and a visitor scanning several nearly identical ads has no real reason to pick one over another based on the copy alone.
Lead with something specific, not a generic claim
Instead of "quality work, fair prices," a specific detail does more: an actual response time ("on-site within 2 hours for emergency calls"), a specific guarantee ("free re-treatment if pests return within 30 days"), or a concrete point of difference from how the business actually operates.
Use language customers actually search with
Ad copy that mirrors the exact phrasing a frustrated customer types into a search bar tends to feel more relevant than generic marketing language. See how to find the questions your customers are asking for how to research that phrasing.
Match the ad's promise to the landing page
Ad copy that oversells or promises something the landing page doesn't immediately reinforce creates a mismatch that increases bounce and can actually hurt the ad's own performance score over time. See what is a landing page, and why does ad traffic need one?
Test more than one version
Running two or more versions of an ad's headline and description against each other, and letting real click and conversion data decide, beats guessing which version sounds better in isolation.
Say the thing competitors are afraid to say
If most competitors' ads are vague about pricing, being specific and transparent about a starting price or a flat fee can genuinely stand out, especially in a category where customers are wary of hidden costs.
Questions
How long should ad copy be?
As long as it needs to be to say something specific, and no longer. Google Ads has fixed character limits per field, which naturally forces concision.
Should I mention price in the ad itself?
If the pricing is genuinely competitive or straightforward, mentioning it can pre-qualify clicks, filtering out people who were never going to be a good fit anyway. If pricing varies a lot by job, it's harder to state honestly upfront.
Is it worth hiring a copywriter for ad copy specifically?
For a business running a meaningful ad budget, it can be worth it, but a business owner who genuinely knows their customers' actual concerns and language can often write more authentic, specific copy than a generic template ever will.