If you rely on Google Ads to promote your brand online, then you should know about Google’s responsive search ads.
In this article, I’ll go over what you need to know about the responsive search ads and how you should be taking advantage of them.
What We’ll Cover:
- What RSAs are
- How automatic testing works
- RSAs best practices
- RSAs and automated marketing
- Headlines and RSAs
- How to reach more customers
- The drawbacks of RSAs
- Examples
- Frequently Asked Questions
As the name implies, they’re perfectly suitable for all devices. They’ll look great on a laptop, desktop, tablet, smartphone, or tablet.
But there’s quite a bit more to the new responsive search ads template that you’ll also appreciate. That’s especially the case if you’re a firm believer in the wonders of marketing automation.
What Are Responsive Search Ads (RSAs)?
Responsive search ads don’t just give you an opportunity to advertise to your target market on any platform. They also enable you to put additional text in your ads.
That means you can create relevant marketing messages without worrying about the constraints of other AdWords ad formats.
Let me explain the differences:
- You can write as many as 15 headlines with RSAs. Normally, you’re limited to just two headlines.
- You can write four 90-character descriptions with RSAs. By comparison, expanded text ads limit you to a single 80-character description.
- With a grand total of 300 characters, they are double the length of expanded search ads.
Basically, responsive search ads templates are different than conventional ad templates.
They can show up to 3 headlines with 30-characters, a display URL with two path fields of 15-characters, and two description fields with a max of 90-characters each.
So if you’re catering to a market that you think will read a little more than what’s offered in a typical Google Ads advertisement, you should consider using them.
Creating an RSA in Google Ads
There’s another selling point, though. And it’s a big one.
Automated Testing With Responsive Search Ads
Although they will look great on any device, that’s not the reason they’re called Google responsive search ads.
They’re called that because they’ll respond to user engagement by showing people the ad copy that’s most likely to get clicks.
How does it do that? It starts by allowing you to enter multiple headlines and descriptions.
Then, Google Ads will test different headline/description combinations to determine which one is the winner
Dang, Eugene Schwartz would have loved this technology!
Now, you’ll have to carry on his advertising legacy by coming up with multiple ad copy variants that you think will get people to your landing page. Then, you can just let Google do the heavy lifting in terms of testing.
For each one, you can create the following:
Follow This Rule When Using Responsive Search Ads
Now before you go crazy dreaming up an award-winning headline with the aid of Words That Sell and Ogilvy on Advertising, keep in mind one very important rule:
Each of your headlines must work well with each of your descriptions.
In fact, it’s stricter than that. Remember, AdWords might show as many as three headlines and two descriptions.
RSA headline setup
So your headlines all need to work with each other and your descriptions also need to work with each other.
For example, let’s say that you create two headlines to sell cutting boards:
- “This is the last cutting board you’ll ever buy”
- “Our hottest cutting boards are now 50% off!”
So your first headline appeals to people who might not even think they need your cutting board but are tired of buying a new one every few years. Your second headline appeals to people familiar with your brand but probably thought your price was too high in the past.
Those are both good headlines for a specific segment. Now, let’s say you created these two descriptions in your Google search ad:
- “Our breakthrough scientific technology has created a cutting board that’s impenetrable by the sharpest knives!”
- “We’re slashing our regular price of $49.99 down to $24.99!”
As you can see, the first headline works perfectly with the first description. The second headline works perfectly with the second description.
But you can’t really use them interchangeably. They appeal to different market segments.
In other words, that’s not what you want to do when you create one. Instead, create several headlines and several descriptions that all work together and target the same audience.
There is a way that you can “cheat,” though. Google says that if you want specific text included in every ad, you should pin it to headline position 1, headline position 2, or description position 1.
Keep in mind: when you “pin” a headline or description, it will appear there for every ad. That gives Google less opportunity to test various combinations.
It’s often the case that marketers pin descriptions if they need to include a disclaimer in their Google search ads.
Finally, remember that headlines can appear in any order. In other words, don’t assume that just because you enter one headline ahead of another one, that they will always appear in that order on the ad. Google might flip them around to see which combo works best.
Yes, Using Responsive Search Ads Is Automated Marketing
In case it wasn’t clear from the previous two sections, Google is doing your split-testing for you. This is one of the many benefits of them.
That means you won’t have to go through the trouble of setting up your own tests, gathering a sample size, checking analytics, and determining which of your Google Ads advertisements is giving you the best bang for your buck.
Google Ads is handling it all under the covers. It will pay attention to the click-through rate (CTR) of different headline/description combinations and make a ruling as to which one is the “winner.”
Then, it will run that ad the most often.
That gives you more time to work on more important things, like building your business.
The More the Merrier When it Comes to Responsive Search Ads
If you want to take full advantage of RSAs, you’ll need to enter more than one headline. In fact, you’ll need to write multiple headlines.
Google advises you to write no less than five headlines that don’t use the same or similar phrases. That’s the minimum, but 8-10 headlines is recommended.
Unless you follow that advice, there’s a possibility that your ad won’t show at all. Apparently, that’s been a source of concern for many marketers because Google slapped a warning about it right at the top of the “About Responsive Search Ads” page.
Google also offers the following recommendations:
- Include a keyword in two headlines
- Add three headlines that don’t include a keyword
- Add at least two descriptions
- Avoid redundant descriptions
- Avoid using keyword insertion in too many headlines
- When you’re not using headlines, highlight brand benefits, a problem you’re solving, or other perks like free shipping
Reach More Customers With Responsive Search Ads
There’s another benefit beyond what I’ve already covered. RSAs give you the opportunity to reach more customers.
RSAs do that because you’re using multiple headlines and description combinations. That means you have the opportunity to compete in more auctions.
When you compete in additional auctions, that gives you the chance to put your ad in front of more people.
This is another reason to go for the limit on headlines. Remember, Google will try to find one of your headlines that matches the user query. If you provide plenty of headlines with different keywords, you’re more likely to match.
Just make sure that you optimize your overall campaign so that everybody who sees your ad is in your target market. Otherwise, you could end up wasting money on them.
Responsive Search Ads are Still in In Beta
Another thing you’ll want to keep in mind: as of this writing, this form of ads is in beta. That means Google isn’t done testing them yet.
The beta testers are Google Ads users. So, if you decide to run this kind of campaign, you’ll be one of several guinea pigs that Google will likely monitor.
That’s okay if you don’t mind being a guinea pig. If you do, feel free to wait until the new ad format is formally released to the public.
Also, while the program is in beta, you can only add responsive search ads to ad groups with existing text ads.
Google is still testing this form of ads
Multi-Language Support for Responsive Search Ads
If you’re catering to a global audience, you’ll be happy to know that Google doesn’t limit your search ad reach to people who speak English only. You can run ads in French, German, and Spanish as well.
Google says that it’s adding support for additional languages in the future.
The Drawbacks of Responsive Search Ads
I’ve covered plenty of the benefits. Unfortunately, it’s not all good news.
Here are some reasons you might not want to use them:
- No testing data visibility – As I mentioned above, Google does your split-testing for you. Unfortunately, though, it doesn’t share the data that it used to determine the optimal headline/description combination. So you’re sacrificing knowledge for automation. That might be worth your while if you’re just interested in saving time. But if you want to examine the raw data yourself so you can get a “feel” for what kind of messaging resonates with your target market, you’re out of luck.
- No consistent messaging – Since Google “assembles” your Google search ads for you, you can’t create a consistent message. If you want a headline 1/headline 2 combination that you think is dynamite for your audience, you really shouldn’t use them. Instead, run a typical Google search ad and optimize it for your keyword.
- Less support for ad customizers – If you’re an experienced Google Ads user, then you probably already know about ad customizers. They’re markup keywords that allow you to make text substitutions in your ad. As of now, responsive search ads only support the {Keyword} enhancer. That’s going to be a problem if you prefer to use other customizers like {IF} and {Countdowns}.
Some Examples of Responsive Search Ads
Lastly, I’ll go over a couple of examples that work and ones that don’t work. For the purposes of these examples, let’s assume you’re selling women’s hunting clothes.
Example 1: 7 Headlines
You create an RSA with these seven headlines:
- Women’s hunting clothes on sale
- Discount women’s hunting clothes
- Women’s hunting clothes at a bargain
- On sale now: women’s hunting clothes
- Wholesale women’s hunting clothes
- Shop women’s hunting clothes
- The best selection in women’s hunting clothes
That doesn’t work.
Why? Because the keyword (“women’s hunting clothes”) is used in all the headlines.
Remember: Google wants you to leave the keyword out of at least three of the headlines.
Also, although the number of headlines is more than five, keep in mind that Google recommends between 8 and 10 headlines.
Example 2: 8 Headlines
- Women’s hunting clothes on sale
- Hunter’s bargain basement!
- Everything for the outdoor girl
- Rock-bottom prices for hunting clothes
- Discount women’s hunting clothes
- Bag your next buck with our camouflage
- [The name of your store]
- Free shipping on all orders!
These are some examples that works.
Why? As you can see the headlines all work with each other.
Also, the keyword is used in only two of the headlines.
Finally, there are eight headlines included. That’s the number that Google recommends.
Responsive Search Ads FAQs
1. Are RSAs replacing expanded text ads?
No. As of now, Google has no plans to eliminate expanded test ads.
In fact, Google encourages its users to run both ETAs and RSAs alongside each other for optimized results.
2. How many RSAs per ad group can I test?
Only one at a time. Google is already doing the brunt work of testing them. There is no need to run multiple ad groups at the same time.
3. How well do RSAs perform?
On average, Google has recorded 5% to 15% higher CTR on RSAs than on other ad forms.
Your results may vary, but that is the collective average.
Wrapping Up RSAs
If you’re looking to save some time on your split-testing and create a marketing message that Google will optimize for results, take a look at responsive search ads.
They’ll give you more space to get the word out about your business and additional opportunities to reach potential customers.
