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Google’s brand new Expanded Text Ads (ETAs) are here.
ETAs weren’t expected to come out of beta until mid-September, so most advertisers were completely unprepared to wake up Tuesday morning, log in to their accounts, and discover that they are indeed live.
The rollout is followed by the availability of device bidding and responsive display ads, all of which were announced at Google Performance Summit in May.
Expanded Text Ads
Longer Ad Lines And Descriptions
The biggest AdWords update in 16 years, expanded text ads include two headlines, each with up to 30 characters and a description of up to 80 characters. That’s almost 50% more ad text for businesses to highlight products and services. Kirk Williams shared his excitement on Twitter:
Take Advantage of This Unique Situation While You Can
Although it came as a shock, advertisers must seize the advantages of expanded text ads as soon as possible. Back to school and the holidays are rapidly approaching, both of which are major shopping seasons.
Additionally, for the next few months, SERPs will display both old and new (ETA) ads. Google announced that as of October 26, 2016, advertisers will no longer be able to create or upload standard text ads. While there’s no official date, standard ads will eventually be phased out from the search results page entirely.
Now, imagine seeing these two ads alongside one another on the SERP. Search Engine Land published this comparison of the old and new ads. The ETA is basically the standard ad on steroids. Who wouldn’t be more drawn to it?
Of course, ETAs were designed to perform better than standard ads in general, but will the difference be this noticeable when all ads look the same? Probably not. Take advantage of this while you can!
How Can We Make The Most Out Of ETA?
Directly from White Shark Media, we offer you the best practice guide to adjust to the new ad format:
1) Use the extra space to add value to your ad.
Don’t just add a second headline, use the extra characters to supplement important information about your business. This gives you more opportunities to connect with a user.
2) But always remember: Headline #1 is more influential than headline #2.
The content and quality of your headlines will determine how well your ads perform.
3) Test your old ads before pausing them all at once.
If you find that shorter versions are performing better, compare them with your new ads. Learn from what’s working and expand on that with your extra space.
Responsive Ads For Display
Consistent Quality Look Across All Devices
In today’s world, users switch between devices several times a day, which is why Google released responsive ads for display. Responsive ads automatically adjust their size, appearance, and format to fit just about any available ad space.
Just enter your information—including headlines, images, and your landing page and AdWords will automatically generate the ads people see in the appropriate format.
Device Bid Adjustments
More Ad Control And Flexibility
Google also launched individual bid adjustments for device types. This used to be possible, but then “Enhanced Campaigns” were launched and you could no longer set individual bids for tablets or mobile. Now, it is once again possible!
This gives advertisers the opportunity to optimize with more precision. Automated smart bidding will also be available to “set more informed bids” by factoring in contextual factors like location, time of day, and audience. Google has listed it’s recommended best practices for this new setting.
Ready Or Not
The world has changed drastically and AdWords has changed with it. Mobile has finally become the dominant search platform. Google has rebuilt AdWords from the ground up, offering new features like this to help usher in this new era of advertising.
