A trick we use to make competitors’ ads look worse than they really are

Whenever I search for a product on Google, I ignore most of the ads.

But every now and then, one of them grabs my attention.

There’s always something about it that feels right.

It matches what I’m looking for while also making a strong case that it’s the best option on the page.

And when I reverse-engineer what makes those ads work, I notice one thing:

They make every other listing look inferior by comparison.

They’re not just “good ads” with pretty images or strong titles.

It’s the way they position themselves to be clearly better than everything else on the page.

That’s the kind of edge you want when shoppers make a decision in a split second.

If your ads can do that, if they can make the rest look like a “bad” option…

You almost guarantee to win the click.

I know that sounds a bit abstract, so let me show you what it looks like in practice.

Then, we’ll also look at a few ideas on how you can apply this to your brand.

Here we go…

Take a look at the Shopping results when we search for “cold sore pen.”

(The ads we ran for our client are highlighted in the red box.)

Do you notice how our ads make the other look a little underwhelming here?

Let’s start with the most obvious point.

We took up 60% of the Shopping real estate on that page.

More importantly, these are the top 3 positions.

They’re the first ads that most people look at. And they usually get the lion's share of clicks. 

Next: The product images.

While other ads just show the box, our ads highlight the product.

Shoppers can instantly visualize what they’re getting.

And if you look closely, we also rotate in different creative styles by changing up the angles, background colors, and scenes.

This visual contrast instantly separates our ads from competitors.

Now, those 2 things already gave our client a clear edge over the competition.

But this is what took it to the next level:

The first two ads feature a 5-star rating with over 2,000 reviews.

Compare that to the other listings, which have little to no social proof at all.

This sends a subtle message to customers:

They can choose something thousands of people trust…

Or gamble their money on an unknown, unproven alternative.

This enormous gap in trust gives the ads an unbeatable edge.

This is especially powerful in searches like this, where buyers don’t recognize any of the brands.

Because in those cases, trust becomes the deciding factor.

So for anyone interested in this product, our ads are far more likely to win their click (even when we’re much more expensive).

Now, there’s a useful insight here that you can apply directly to your ads.

Before we worked with this brand, the reviews weren’t there.

And during our research, we noticed their competitors barely had any reviews showing up either.

So we helped build their entire review system from scratch.

Which resulted in a visible gap between our ad and everyone else’s.

This is key for any brand running Shopping Ads:

You have to actively find where you can beat your competitors and make their ads look inferior.

And from my experience… once you start looking closely at your competitors’ ads, you’ll spot plenty of opportunities to beat them.

The majority of them barely get the basics right.

Which means it doesn’t take much to pull ahead

You can gain an edge with simple things like more placements, better reviews, stronger offers, better shipping & return policy, etc.

Shopping Ads are a comparative platform.

When someone searches for your product, your ads sit right next to half a dozen others.

And in that environment, just “standing out” isn’t enough.

Your product needs to feel like the best choice.

In other words, your job is to make every other ad look inferior by comparison.

When your ads visibly outperform everything else, like ours did, you OWN that query.

And because Google rewards high-quality ads with lower costs and better placement…

You kick off a flywheel where your ads just get more clicks and more profitable over time.

Jackson

Founder and CEO of Echelonn

How we can help:

• Get a free Google ads audit: For brands spending more than $20k/mo. or making over 1 million annually, we’ll identify the key bottlenecks in your account, and turn it into a free 90-day scaling plan. Click here.

• Get our E-commerce Growth Toolkit: Get access to our free resources and tools including the Product Feed & GMC Optimization Checklist, YouTube Shorts Ads Playbook, and 12 Plug-and-Play Dashboards. Click here.

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