Google Expands Your Search Ads AGAIN! What You Need to Know

When Google first released Expanded Text Ads in 2016, advertisers rejoiced. Overnight, ads grew 50% in size and the possibilities for new ad copy seemed endless. On average, advertisers saw their ads’ click-through rates (CTR) increase by 20% after making this change.

But over the past two years, so much has changed. Our devices have become larger. We search more often, for more specific answers, and need more information. 140 characters wasn’t enough for Twitter, and Google realized the same thing.

That’s why, starting very soon, Google is improving your Expanded Text Ads by making them even larger – by adding an extra headline and description to all your expanded text ads!

We don’t know exactly when these options will become available in the Google Ads UI, but Google has said “late August,” so it could be any day now.

Let’s review what’s actually changing and what you need to do about it.

What Changes Are Happening to Your Ads?

Today’s improvements to your Expanded Text Ads will give you even more space and opportunity to differentiate yourself from competitors on the SERP. You’ll now be able to have three 30-character headlines (compared to just two headlines available previously).

In addition, Google is adding a second description line and expanding both descriptions to contain 90 characters (compared to just one 80-character description). These improvements mean your ads can now be nearly twice as large, with up to 300 total characters

Are My Old Ads Going Away?

No! The ads you were running yesterday will not go away or stop serving. Google has no plans to stop serving the smaller ETA format or even the older Standard Text Ads in the foreseeable future.

Of course, these older and smaller ad formats will become relics of the past as your competitors start using these giant Expanded Search Ads, so now may be a great time to update your ads to take advantage of this new ad format!

How Do Google’s New & Improved Expanded Text Ads Perform?

Google found these larger ads received 15% more clicks than other ad formats. This is similar to what Google said when they first released Expanded Text Ads in 2016. During that transition, we saw that advertisers increased their ad CTR by an average of 20% after making the change.

Although ETAs were successful in the end, many people struggled with migration. One in three advertisers discovered that bigger ads didn’t always lead to better results. Don’t rush to pause your older ads. Run tests with your new larger ads next to your old ones, track how they perform, and adjust your ads until you’re sure they work better than your previous ones.

Will My New ETAs Always Show All 3 Headlines & 2 Descriptions?

No! On smaller screens, if there is not enough space for a 300-character ad, your ad may show without the third headline or second description. However, your first and second headlines and first description will always show, just like they currently do.

With that in mind, make sure to write your ads so that they’re still great with just 2 headlines and 1 description. Use the third headline and second description to enhance and reinforce your messaging, but include any critical information in these fields, as they may not show!

What’s the Difference Between Improved ETAs & Responsive Search Ads?

Google also recently announced that Responsive Search Ads would be coming out of beta very soon. Just like the improved ETAs, Responsive Search Ads also show up to 3 headlines and 2 descriptions, totaling up to 300 maximum characters.

Unlike Responsive Search Ads, though, Google’s improved ETAs offer full control over how your ads will show on the SERP. Responsive Search Ads will mix and match up to 15 different headlines and 4 descriptions and can be arranged in any number of 43,680 different ad permutations.

While this could be an exciting chance, it might also scare some advertisers who are concerned about managing their brand’s message or want more understanding of how to enhance their ads. Google’s new extra-large ETAs will consistently display the same messages in the same order, giving you greater control over how your ads show up on the search results page.

Want to Get the Most Out of Your New & Improved ETAs?

We’re excited to start testing these new and improved ETAs and will be learning a lot over the next few weeks. If you want to be the first to learn how to make the most out of the largest ads on the SERP, join us for a special webinar on Wednesday, September 12 at 2 pm Eastern.