A reminder to all Google Ads advertisers — there’s three months left to utilize expanded text ads before they go away.
Google announced last August that standard expanded text ads would be sunset for Search campaigns.
Starting July 1, 2022, responsive search ads will be the only ad type for Search campaigns moving forward.
What Does This Mean For Advertisers?
After the June 30th deadline, you will not be able to create or edit any expanded text ads.
If you already have expanded text ads created, they will still be able to serve alongside responsive search ads. You also can pause or enable them at any time in the future.
How Do You Prepare?
Google provides some useful options to prepare your campaigns for this change.
#1: Repurpose high-performing content
It’s a great time to analyze your existing expanded text ad performance to find the best-performing assets. Once you’ve identified those, create new responsive search ads with that content.
The goal is to focus on reaching the “Good” or “Excellent” ad strength.
#2: Check your Recommendations page
If you’re looking for additional ideas, the Recommendations page has custom insights for your responsive search ads.
As with any recommendation from Google, always make sure they align and make sense with your goals.
#3: Utilize the Pin feature
With responsive search ads, you can pin headlines and descriptions to certain positions of the ad.
This feature is useful if there is certain information you always need to showcase in your ad.
If using the pin feature, Google recommends pinning at least 2-3 options to a designated position.
Pro tip: If you are in a regulated industry and need to have ads approved by your legal team, you can essentially create a responsive search ad in the exact format of expanded text ads. Simply pin each headline and description to each designated spot.
#4: Use Ad Variations
Now is the perfect time to test and refine your ad messaging. Utilizing the ad variations feature allows you to test different versions of your assets at scale. With faster scaling, you can implement changes and optimize your campaigns faster.
#5: Review Assets By Performance
This recommendation is if you’re already using responsive search ads. Each asset in responsive search ads has an indicator from “Low” to “Best” performing. Review each asset to identify what type of messaging resonates most with your customers.
#6: Evaluate Incremental Lift
Because responsive search ads are more qualified to participate in auctions, you’ll want to pay attention to conversions at the ad group and campaign level.
Looking at the ad level alone won’t give you a full picture of performance. If you only look at that level, you may end up discounting certain asset that may actually be contributing to success as a whole.
Summary
Google gives you plenty of time to get your accounts and campaigns ready for this monumental change. By following the steps above, as well as 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
