While ad copy may not be the most exciting part of your Google Ads, it’s very important to ensure your copy is strong… as it’s usually the first time customers will interact with your business. Google has rolled out Responsive Search Ads, which allows you to provide multiple headlines and descriptions that Google mixes and matches for you. So, based on search queries and other proprietary data, Google is making calculated efforts to serve the most effective ads to users. This type of ad gives advertisers quite a bit of flexibility, it can be tricky to navigate. Luckily, we’ve taken a bit of the guesswork out of how to write really solid RSAs for you!
What makes a good responsive search ad?
We talked the “why,” So now let’s get into a little bit of the “how,” starting with the restrictions. Each responsive search ad has room for up to 15 headlines and 4 descriptions we can fill. That is a ton of different combinations available! We recommend using as many of these as possible as mentioned above consumers like ads tailored to their interests or habits. In utilizing the maximum amount of headlines & descriptions possible, you have a far better chance of serving the right ads to the right person at the right time.
But what makes a good headline? Or descriptions?
I can’t stress my reply enough. Keep it simple. It is very easy to overthink what is being put into your ad copy. And I get that your brand is sacred and you want to make sure messaging 100% aligns with your goals. However, using simple ad copy doesn’t mean you have to be generic. More-so, I encourage you to be specific to the services/products you offer, call out deals or specials, and pay mind to the keywords you are targeting (with priority given to headlines). See an example of a couple of ads that show for “corporate web design” below:
Good: | Not As Good: |
While both ads are solid, only the first ad speaks to the user’s intent behind their query. You can see how including “corporate website design” makes the first ad stand out as the headline directly links to the keyword being searched.
Best Practices
TLDR; the changes in how Google serves our ads may lead to a bit of a knee-jerk shock, but as long as we are diligent in monitoring, optimizing, and testing new variations the engagement from these ads should far outweigh the engagement from the older extended text ad format. Now that we know the basics of “why” and “how,” it’s time to roll up our sleeves and do some testing. There is still a ton of nuance to heed when it comes to responsive search ads. And if you need help, or don’t want to do it at all? Well that’s what we’re here for!
Trust the experts. Drop us a line and we can chat.