No more Expanded Text Ads? Here is everything you need to know about Google’s upcoming changes.

It has been proven time and again that google likes to keep us businesses on our toes. Recently, it was announced that by June 2022, Responsive Search Ads will be the only Search Ad type that can be created or edited in standard search campaigns. You may be wondering what this will mean for your business, or how big of an impact this change will have. Here at Thunderbolt digital, we are experts in marketing, and we are here to help with your queries.

 

What is happening?

Don’t worry, Expanded Text Ads aren’t suddenly disappearing (not yet!), and they will still perform as they should – after all it is still recommended as the ideal by Google to have two Expanded Text Ads and one Responsive Search Ad per ad group. What essentially is going to happen is that when you click to make a new ad, there will now only be two options; Responsive Search Ads or Call Ads, making Responsive Search Ads the new default. 

For now there is still the option to return to text ads and create Expanded Text Ads, but who can say if this is here to stay…

 

Shifting towards automation

Google seems to be shifting further and further towards automation, believing that machines will be able to improve upon campaign performance in order to generate more clicks and conversions, despite some worries that this will reduce advertisers control. Whilst this is still new territory, Responsive Search Ads definitely have a much higher level of flexibility which has been proven to be needed in times such as the CoronaVirus Pandemic, that saw market trends changing.  The more advertisers that use these Responsive Search Ads, the more optimised they will become as Google’s machine learning mechanisms have more to work with. 

 

How can this change benefit your business?

Make the most of the opportunity to use your Responsive Search Ads to test and update multiple versions of your ads. It is hard to make a habit out of creating a couple of different versions of your ads for copy testing, and using Responsive Search Ads can change the game entirely. RSA’s will be able to do this for you, testing a diverse range of messages, taking the headline and the description of the ad and creating different versions.  This can streamline your testing and account management a whole deal.

You can also utilise Google’s tools to create strong Responsive Search Ads, particularly the Ad Strength Tool. This is a tool which will allow you to see a ‘score’ on how well your ad will perform based on the quality, relevance and accuracy of the ad copy, and then make suggestions for you to improve upon the ad. 

RSA’s can have many benefits and help optimise your ads to convert even more clicks than you have had before if done effectively.

 

Don’t give up on Expanded Text Ads

Don’t throw in the towel on ETA’s just yet, there is still much use for them. While RSA’s seem to be the best way to gain optimum results due to heightened testing, unsurprisingly Expanded Text Ads often can do better than Responsive Search Ads due to their hand-written nature. To get the most out of your campaign, you should definitely still include a few Expanded Text Ads per ad group alongside your RSA’s.

 

Get in contact with us – digital marketing agency

If you are unsure about your ads, or what is best for your campaign, we would always recommend working with a specialist in marketing and advertising to make sure that your ads are performing the best they can.

Thunderbolt digital is a leading digital marketing agency based in Surrey, with an array of experience under our belt and the solution to your marketing needs. If you are interested in working with us or have any enquiries, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. For more information give us a call on 01252 413 757 or email us at howdy@wearethunderbolt.com – we are always happy to help.