Google Has Expanded Search Ads Even Further
Back in May, Google’s announced new Responsive Search Ads that could show 2 headlines and expanded descriptions. This was obviously good news and advertisers rejoiced at the extra space (twice the size at a total of 140 characters of ad copy space!) at no added cost.
Source: Google
Well now your expanded text ad options are even better!
Advertisers as of now have up to 3 headlines (each 30 characters), up to two descriptions, and a total of up to 300 characters per ad. These ads are more optimized for mobile than ever, a big deal when you consider that more than half of searches are made on mobile these days.
How does Google decide how much to show?
It depends on the device. For smaller screens, when there is not enough space to show the 200 characters in your ad copy, the third headline or second description may be hidden by Google. However, you can be sure that your first and second headlines as well as first description will automatically show, no matter the device.
But because they may get shortened, it is a good idea to make sure that the abbreviated version for small devices also reads well ;)
Like ETAs, these will also show up to 3 headlines and 2 descriptions, with a maximum of 300 characters. These will be mixed and matched between up to 15 different headlines and 4 descriptions which means... 43,680 different ad possibilities! That said, advertisers will have the option to “pin” headlines and descriptions to specific positions, for ads that you need a little more control over. So when only one headline or description is pinned to a position, that will be the only copy that will be shown in that exact place.
But keep in mind that if you want to have fuller control over how your ads are dished out, you're better off going with ETAs, as these show as you want, and in the order you want, every time. That said, machine learning, as much as we hate to admit it sometimes, is very smart. And, your ad groups will be able to to compete in more auctions with more keywords to trigger your ads. Maybe it's time to give up some control ;)
How Responsive Search Ads look:
Source: Google
You can now check the efficacy of your Google ad in a new column called the Ad Strength Indicator! As of now, Google ads is showing in the ad creation interface for responsive search ads, and, they say it will also be available for responsive display ads within the next months. Reporting is also reflecting these changes, by showing statistics for the top combinations, headlines and descriptions.
Google is now recommending that every ad group should have a minimum of three ads, including responsive search ads.
Source: Google
What will happen to my old ads?
No need to fret, Google has no plans to stop serving your old ads. But it is definitely a good time to start revising your old ad sets: there is no reason to not make use of this new opportunity!