Business owners running PPC in Rochester don’t want to miss this breakdown of Google’s Responsive Search Ads (RSAs). Are they better or worse than the old Extended Text Ads? What are the best features?
Here’s everything you need to know if you’re running your own Google Ads campaigns under the new format. And like always, if you don’t want to bother understanding the difference (because who has time for that if you’re not in SEM), feel free to reach out to the professionals at Full Circle SEM to get started with PPC services.
What’s The Difference Between Expanded Text Ads and Responsive Search Ads?
In the previous format, known as Expanded Text Ads, you could create three headlines with a maximum of thirty characters each. To support these, you could also create up to two descriptions with a max of ninety characters to accompany the display URL.
Although these Expanded Text Ads (ETAs) will still run after Jun 30, 2022, Google says you can no longer modify them or create new ones. They can be turned on or off at will, but Google “strongly encourages” their advertising partners to fully transition to Responsive Search Ads.
In this new format, RSAs allow you to create as many as fifteen different headlines and four separate description lines. The Google AI will automatically create different combinations and test each one against viewer responsiveness.
As the AI learns what combinations are the top performers, it will devote more attention to the winning ads. Matching your ad copy to keywords and search terms would also enhance the performance of your campaign.
Are Responsive Search Ads Better or Worse?
ETAs are a static form of advertising with the same format being served to the same viewer each time. This format offers little to no variation in what your targets see.
With RSAs, Google’s machine learning will prove which copy and creative is more successful with your target audience by continuing to promote the winning combinations. This reduces the need to run manual A/B tests for ad headlines and descriptions.
Overall, RSAs are a winning strategy for PPC campaigns. They give you more flexibility in immediate copy testing, save you time without wasting money on ads that don’t perform, and with continuous optimization, ads are more likely to perform better universally.
Best Practices For Running PPC, Rochester Businesses!
With so many options to fulfill, it’s easy to just do the bare minimum and hope the AI just figures it out. Unfortunately, that isn’t how it works best. The algorithm feeds off of information. The more you give it, the more successful its responsive learning will be.
Say something unique and different with each headline. Try variations in phrasing and use targeted keywords in most headlines. Reserve a few headlines to focus on benefits and features.
There is the ability to pin specific headlines and descriptions if there is one message that should always be displayed. In every other circumstance, each headline will not always be paired with the same description. Make sure one is not dependent on the other.
Headlines are not required to hit the max character limit. Experiment with variations of short and long-form headlines. Test different calls to action in descriptions as well as headlines to see which one viewers respond to most.
If you have Expanded Text Ads already at play and they’re performing well, don’t turn them off. Keeping these up will continue to educate the algorithm, and you will still receive reporting and analytics on their performance.
Let your winning ETAs inform your Responsive Search Ads. Leverage the popular ETA copy and spin it into your RSA campaigns and see how the AI develops a new combination.
Keep an eye on your campaign alerts from Google related to your selected settings. You may have issues that result in lower performance or that could reject ad publication altogether.
Google’s algorithm is already testing the different elements of your ads against each other. You only need one RSA set per ad group. More could slow down the overall performance of your ads and increase spending unnecessarily.
Looking For Innovative PPC Rochester? Call Full Circle!
In addition to developing a comprehensive marketing strategy, a qualified and skilled PPC agency will relieve the burden of ad management from your already full plate. We’re always up to date on the latest changes in tech and software and are ready to make it work for your business. Reach out to our team today and win at PPC, Rochester!
