Should You Abbreviate Words in Your Google AdWords Copy?
A HighRankings Forum thread has discussion around a topic I have never seen before. Should you ever consider using abbreviations in a title or description of your search ads? Here is the question from the advertiser:
I'm writing a PPC headline and would like to know about abbreviating a word in the title instead of spelling it out completely.For example; 'flr' instead of 'floor'...Reason is to save space in order to fit copy all on one line.
I would say that this would be a no no, in this case. But in some cases, you might be able to pull it off. Stock symbols work in many cases, some abbreviations are really well known, such as FYI.
The issue isn't with Google not allowing it but your CTR dropping due to people not understanding your ad. If your CTR drops, your quality score may drop and it may result in paying more for a ad position you would have otherwise paid less for. Plus, often, a lower CTR leads to less sales.
But as nethy said, it is something you can experiment with and see if it works for your campaigns. Just watch it carefully and be ready to pull the plug if you notice a drop in your metrics.
Forum discussion at HighRankings Forum.
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rustybrick in Google AdWords at February 12, 2009 9:23 AM
Comments (3)

Comments
Not crazy about the example mentioned above, but yes, there are definitely times you can abbreviate, which I feel confident in saying because of testing. Generally, it needs to be a really well known abbreviation and you shouldn't clunk up the ads with multiple abbreviations.
Posted by Justin Seibert at February 12, 2009 09:36