A reminder to all Google Ads advertisers – there are three months left to use Expanded Text Ads before they go away.
The Google announce Last August, standard expanded text ads for search campaigns would be discontinued.
Starting July 1, 2022, responsive search ads will be the only ad type for search campaigns going forward.
What does this mean for advertisers?
After the June 30 deadline, you won’t be able to create or edit any expanded text ads.
If you already have expanded text ads created, they can still display alongside responsive search ads. You can also pause or enable them at any time in the future.
How do you prepare?
Google provides some useful options for setting up your campaigns for this change.
No. 1: Repurpose high-performance content
It’s a great time to analyze your current expanded text ad performance to find the best performing assets. Once identified, create new responsive search ads with that content.
The goal is to focus on reaching “Good” or “Excellent” ad strength.
#2: Check your recommendations page
If you’re looking for additional ideas, the Recommendations page will have insights tailored to your responsive search ads.
As with any Google recommendation, always make sure it aligns with your goals and makes sense.
#3: Use the Pin feature
With responsive search ads, you can pin your titles and descriptions to specific ad positions.
This feature is useful if there is certain information that you always need to show in your ad.
If using the pin feature, Google recommends that you pin at least 2-3 options to a specific position.
Pro tip: If you’re in a regulated industry and need your legal team to approve ads, you can basically create a responsive search ad in the exact format of expanded text ads. Simply pin each title and description to each specified location.
#4: Use different ad formats
Now is the perfect time to test and improve your advertising messages. Using ad variations allows you to test different versions of your assets on a large scale. With rapid scaling, you can implement changes and improve your campaigns faster.
#5: Review assets by performance
This recommendation is if you are already using responsive search ads. Each responsive search ad asset has an index from “low” to “best” performing. Review each asset to determine what kind of messages resonate most with your customers.
Figure 6: Assessment of additional lift
Since responsive search ads are more eligible to participate in auctions, you’ll want to pay attention to conversions at the ad group and campaign level.
Looking at ad level alone won’t give you a complete picture of performance. If you look only at this level, you may end up discounting certain assets that may actually contribute to success as a whole.
summary
Google gives you plenty of time to prepare your accounts and campaigns for this massive change. Following the steps above, plus additional best practices, these tips can help ease the transition to responsive search ads.
Are you ready for this update? What else are you doing to prepare for responsive search ads?
Featured image: Wayhome Studio/Shutterstock
