Updated: May 4, 2022
Moving a step closer to near-total PPC automation, Google Ads announced that starting from July 2022, Responsive Search Ads (RSAs) will be the only search ad type in standard search campaigns.
Starting June 30, 2022, responsive search ads will be the only Search ad type that can be created or edited in standard Search campaigns. (Existing expanded text ads will still serve.)
— Google Ads (@GoogleAds) August 31, 2021
Learn more about this update and how to set up your ads for success → https://t.co/tvWACbq42d pic.twitter.com/lTgmfDPAbC
Expanded Text Ads (ETAs) are comfortable and offer more control over what ad text you want to show to your audience. But Responsive Search Ads do improve ad performance when combined with human optimization and creativity.
Since none of us can force Google to roll back their announcement, the best thing to do is adapt to RSAs.
Here’s how Optmyzr can help you build good Responsive Search Ads.
How Optmyzr helps you craft high-quality Responsive Search Ads
We’ve been handing PPC experts control of their advertising destiny for a while, so it’s no surprise that the Optmyzr platform comes with several tools to manage and optimize Responsive Search Ads. Here are some of the things you can do.
1. Find winning components in the Ad Text Optimization tool
The Ad Text Optimization tool lets you find the best-performing headlines, descriptions, and other components from your current text ads. Use these winning components in the next step to craft RSAs using ad text that’s been proven to win you clicks and conversions.
We’re working on adding Responsive Search Ad support for the Ad Text Optimization tool so you can start tracking the performance of your RSAs more closely.
2. Create new RSAs in the Responsive Search Ads Utility
Our Responsive Search Ads Utility is an easy solution to create RSAs in your ad groups that don’t currently have any. It offers suggestions for headlines and descriptions, making the process faster and easier.
Use the winning ad text components from your ETAs here, but be sure to account for the RSA behavior of mixing and matching headlines and descriptions. You’ll want to tweak your ad text so that each component can stand on its own as well as be part of a larger message.
If your advertising vertical demands that you pin certain messages, now’s the time to do that. Even otherwise, you can pin minimally if something really demands to be seen in a certain position. Just don’t go overboard.
Watch our latest walkthrough of the Responsive Search Ads Utility:
And learn more about how to create RSAs using Optmyzr here.
3. Find and fix underperforming Responsive Search Ads
Most search ads that run on Google are poorly crafted, which is why even a basic copywriting effort will usually lead to good performance. But when you have up to 15 headlines and 4 descriptions, a Responsive Search Ad containing weak ad text tends to underperform on an even larger scale.
Fortunately, we created a handy RSA guide a while back. In it, you’ll find information on how to create a good Responsive Search Ad, how to improve your RSA ad strength, and how to audit and fix underperforming RSAs using Optmyzr.
The audit section, which is usually one of the more challenging parts, is easier thanks to our rule-based (if x, then y) strategy that you can run and automate using our powerful Rule Engine.
So what now for PPC pros who rely on Expanded Text Ads?
Expanded Text Ads are comfortable, reliable, and offer you more control over what messages get shown when. Responsive Search Ads can improve performance when combined with human optimization and creativity.
The best solution is to use both, but since we can’t force Google to roll back their announcement, the next best thing is to use the 10-month runway ahead of us to adapt.
Building good RSAs takes time and patience, so don’t give up. Test, test, and then test some more. All great campaigns are built on exhaustive experimentation!
Start a 2-week free trial of Optmyzr and see for yourself how much easier it is to create solid RSAs – among other things!
