Aaron Young argues that keyword-stuffed, AI-generated ad headlines fail because they ignore what searchers actually want: solutions to problems or ways to achieve goals. Human-written copy that addresses these motivations outperforms generic ads, even with minimal extra effort.
Business owners and anyone who's running Google Ads, can we all make a commitment that today we will stop writing boring ad copy? One of the biggest things that annoy me about Google Ads is people who just write these keyword-focused ad copy in the headlines and actually forget that the role of the ad inside of Google Ads is to really focus on the user's pain points. So, remember, anyone who's completing any type of Google search, they're they've got two main drivers. One, they've got a problem they're trying to solve or a pain they're trying to get away with. Or two, they've got something that they want to achieve. So they've got a goal or desire that they're wanting to achieve. And too many businesses and even agencies just focus on these keyword-focused, soft, weak messaging. Now the great thing for business owners who are prepared to put in just a little bit of effort, doesn't have to be too much, just a little bit of effort, you can get so much better results with Google Ads just by always remembering that core marketing foundation. When people are completing a search for your products or services, they've got a problem they're looking to solve, or they've got a desire or a goal they're looking to achieve. Write to that. And especially in the age of AI, let's not forget that humans are the best at communicating to other humans. So please, let's do away with this AI slop generated headlines. Take the time to really think about your users' pain, problems, goals, and desires, and write ad copy that speaks direct to that.
