Like most tech companies, Google is constantly updating and refining their services to make them more useful to business owners. Whether it’s updating their algorithm, creating opportunities for local businesses or setting up new ad types, there is always something happening at Google that marketers should be aware of. But sometimes, new features don’t get the attention Google wants. To get more people to try their newest ad format, Google is offering some juicy incentives.
A few months ago, Google launched new “Responsive Ads”. The system allows advertisers to create an ad set several headlines and descriptions, which Google’s algorithm will mix and match to create various incarnations of an ad. The feature was originally only available to a few advertisers, but it will be available to almost everyone in the near future.
There are many benefits to this kind of setup. Google can dynamically create more ads for auction, which gives the content more of a chance to show up in auctions and appear in more search results. And the automated nature of these ads make them quicker than making an equally large number by hand or through A/B testing.
Google plans to begin rolling out its responsive search ads to more accounts in English, French, German and Spanish starting during September. To get more people on board in the meantime, Google is increasing the lengths of Text Ads which can prepare people for using the responsive ads in the near future.
“While we work on improving responsive search ads across languages, it’s important to extend that same advantage to your existing text ads. That’s why, starting in late August, you’ll be able to add a third headline and second description to your text ads,” Google explained in a blog post last week.
Besides the extra space for ads with longer headlines, there are a lot of benefits for using the new ad format. For example, you can more effectively target three keywords with one ad because the Google Ads algorithm can switch the order of the headlines to place the most relevant one first.
It’s pretty easy to start taking advantage of the new space. Google recommends adding a third headline and a second description to your existing text ads. “For example, if you’re a retailer using two headlines that show your brand name and official site, you can add a third headline showing shipping details or special offers.”
Though there is something to be said over the loss of control of the exact way your ad looks, if using responsive ads produces better click through rates and a higher return on investment for ads, there’s no reason not to use it. However, you may want to explain to clients how responsive ads work, otherwise, they might think the ads got jumbled somehow.
Responsive ads are another step in Google’s increased use of machine learning and algorithms to produce better ad results for marketers. The product may need some more refining, but responsive ads should become a part of a Google Ads marketing strategy. And in the meantime, there’s no reason not to use the extended content for Text Ads.
For more information about recent updates to Google, read this article about the algorithm update that has affected rankings across the web.