How Does Google Ads Generate Responsive Search Ads? 10 Tips
Google Responsive Search Ads, as discussed over at runrex.com and guttulus.com, have now officially replaced the old static expanded search ads as the new default format on Google Display Network. Unlike traditional search ads requiring you to write headlines and descriptions together to create 1 static ad text, you can now write up to 15 different headlines and up to 4 different descriptions when writing a Responsive Search Ad. Given that these headlines can be collectively arranged in 43,680 different permutations, then it means that the ad testing possibilities are almost endless. Google will then move to automatically test different combinations of headlines and descriptions to learn which combinations perform best. Responsive Search Ads generate a statistical report that will show all the ad combinations using the headlines and descriptions you entered for each responsive search ad. Now that you have an idea of how Google Ads generate Responsive Search Ads, here are 10 tips designed to help you create the most effective Responsive Search Ads.
Create at least 5 unique Responsive Ad headlines
From discussions on the same over at runrex.com and guttulus.com, Responsive Search Ads allow for up to 3 headlines per ad. However, it is important to note that the more headlines you provide, the more headline-description combinations Google’s machine learning can assemble and test. While you can create up to 15 headlines using Google’s Responsive Ad Search tool, 8 to 10 headlines should be enough to create a diverse set of assets. An important tip to help you create effective Responsive Search Ads is to make sure that you create at least 5 unique headlines, which don’t repeat key phrases found in the other headlines.
Have headlines of different lengths
Responsive Search Ads have a 30-character headline limit, as is revealed over at runrex.com. However, an important tip is to try and create headlines of varying lengths, making sure you don’t write to this limit every time. This will allow Google’s machine learning model to test which ones work best, providing you with valuable insights for future campaigns. This will also increase the chances of your Responsive Search Ads achieving the third headline in a search.
Provide three or four headlines without your target keywords
According to the subject matter experts over at guttulus.com, while it is important to include your target keywords in at least two of your headlines, you should provide 3 or 4 headlines without your target keywords. This is an important tip as it will ensure that your ads are not repetitive, which is something you need to avoid given how Google abhors redundancy in text.
Be creative with your headline and description copy
As is discussed over at runrex.com, you should also avoid making headlines and descriptions too similar, as this will lead to Google not showing your ad. Try ad test different headlines and descriptions, mixing up the length and language within each headline and description, getting creative, to give Google’s machine learning model more options as it aims to generate the best combination.
Use your descriptions well and always incorporate a call-to-action
As revealed in discussions on the same over at guttulus.com, in Responsive Search Ads you get 2 descriptions to run and not one, and each description can be up to 90 characters. An important tip is making sure that you use your descriptions well, which means using them to solve problems for your customer as well as to highlight value propositions like discounts or free shipping. You should also make sure that you always incorporate a call-to-action in your descriptions to encourage your customers to take action.
Leverage the Ad Strength tool
As pointed out in discussions on the same over at runrex.com, Google provides a tool known as Ad Strength which lets you rate your ads as you create them. The tool allows you to measure the quality, diversity, and relevance of the content in your Responsive Search ad, and can even advise you on how to improve your campaign, like say, if you should craft more headlines for your campaign, if you forgot to add the final URL if you don’t have enough keywords, and so forth. If you want to make the most out of your Responsive Search Ads campaign, make sure you are making use of this tool.
Know when to pin headlines and descriptions
According to the subject matter experts over at guttulus.com, if you have a phrase that must appear in every ad, like a coupon expiration date or disclaimer, you can make sure it appears in the desired position in every ad by pinning it in the ad using the Pin icon. While this is a useful tool, it also leads to fewer headlines or descriptions being matched to each search. This is why you should use it sparingly, while also mixing things up by pinning text in different positions within the ad to make sure that the various combinations will appear.
Use combinations that were successful in your expanded search ads
The gurus over at runrex.com also recommend that you try and use headline-description combinations that have were successful in your expanded text ads for search. This is because of a certain description or headline worked well in the previous format, chances are that it will perform well in a Responsive Search Ad, maybe even better. You should also keep on running expanded search ads even while you are running Responsive Search Ads campaigns.
Avoid using the same call-to-action
As mentioned above, and covered in detail over at guttulus.com, it is important to incorporate calls-to-action into your descriptions. However, it is worth pointing out that a good Responsive Search Ad contains a lot of unique messages that can be combined which is why you should avoid using the same call-to-action in your descriptions.
Test only one Responsive Search Ad per ad group
Given that, as explained over at runrex.com, Google will automatically test the different elements of your Responsive Search Ads against one another, there is no reason to include multiple Responsive Search Ads in the same ad group. This is because testing more than one Responsive Search Ad can prevent your ads from testing different variants of your ads, slowing down the optimization of your Responsive Search Ads.
As always, if you are looking for more information or help with your Responsive Search Ads campaign, then look no further than the highly-rated runrex.com and guttulus.com.