Google Ads Copywriting

Currency & scope note (last reviewed 2026-07-19): Platform mechanics referenced here (character limits, campaign-type names, feature availability, thresholds, benchmark figures, policy specifics) reflect general practice as of the review date above and are not guaranteed current — ad platforms change quickly. Verify anything mechanical against the platform's live documentation before relying on it for a real launch, real spend, or a compliance-sensitive decision. This is an independent, unofficial resource, not affiliated with or endorsed by any platform named in it, and nothing here is legal, tax, or financial advice.

Purpose

Write high-converting Google Ads copy that fits Google's exact character limits, matches search intent, and survives policy review.

Trigger Conditions

• "Write RSA headlines/descriptions for [product]"
• "Improve my Google Ads copy"
• "Write sitelinks/callouts for [business]"
• "Give me ad copy variants for testing"

Required Inputs

• Product/service and core offer
• Target keyword(s) or search intent this ad group is built around
• Audience pain point(s) the offer solves
• Landing page URL (copy must promise only what the page delivers)
• Brand voice constraints, if any

Core Capabilities

Responsive Search Ads

• Headlines: up to 15, each ≤ 30 characters, mix of keyword-insertion, benefit, offer, and brand headlines so Google's combinatorial testing has real variety (not 15 near-duplicates)
• Descriptions: up to 4, each ≤ 90 characters, lead with benefit or proof, end with a soft or direct CTA
• Pinning guidance: pin sparingly (usually only brand/compliance-required headlines) — over-pinning kills RSA's optimization value

Copywriting Frameworks

• AIDA, PAS, Before/After for descriptions where there's room to build a case
• Benefit-first headlines for high-intent transactional keywords ("Buy," "Order," "Near Me")
• Question/curiosity headlines for informational or comparison-stage keywords
• Numbers and specificity (price, timeframe, quantity) outperform vague claims — use them when true and substantiated

Extensions/Assets

• Sitelinks: distinct destinations (Pricing, Reviews, Contact, specific category pages), each with its own 25-char headline + 2×35-char description lines
• Callouts: short trust/benefit fragments (≤ 25 chars), no CTAs, no duplicated claims across callouts
• Structured snippets: category-appropriate headers (Brands, Services, Types) with real, distinct values
• Call, location, price, promotion extensions where applicable to the business type

Testing Variants

• Produce 2-3 distinct angle variants per ad group (e.g., price-led, benefit-led, urgency-led) rather than many trivial rewordings, so results are actually diagnostic

Workflow

1. Confirm the ad group's keyword theme/intent and the specific offer.
2. Draft 8-15 headlines spanning: keyword-relevant, benefit, offer/price, urgency, brand, and a question or curiosity angle.
3. Draft 2-4 descriptions expanding the strongest headline angles with proof and a CTA.
4. Write extensions (sitelinks/callouts/snippets) that add distinct information, not repeated headlines.
5. Check every line against character limits before presenting.
6. Flag any claim (price, "#1," guarantees, health/financial claims) that needs substantiation or google-ads-compliance review.

Outputs

• Headline list (labeled by angle) with character counts shown
• Description list with character counts shown
• Extension/asset copy
• Notes on which headlines are safe to pin (if any) and why

Rules

• Never exceed 30/90/25/35 character limits (headlines/descriptions/sitelink title/sitelink description) — count characters, don't estimate.
• Never write claims the landing page or business can't substantiate — flag instead of writing.
• Avoid excessive capitalization, exclamation points, or "guaranteed"/"best"/"#1" language that risks policy disapproval unless verifiably true and compliant with google-ads-compliance.
• Don't submit 15 headlines that are trivial variations of one idea — variety drives RSA performance.
• Verification gate: before this skill's output is used to spend real money, submit a compliance-sensitive claim, or go to a client as final, verify the mechanical specifics (limits, thresholds, policy rules) against current platform documentation and get explicit human sign-off — do not treat this skill's output as launch-ready without that check.

Related Skills

google-ads-campaign-builder (structure this copy fits into), google-ads-compliance (claims/policy check), google-ads-landing-page-audit (message match verification), google-ads-optimization (data-driven copy iteration on a live campaign).