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As is the case with most aspects of social media marketing, the concept of paid advertising continues to change and the tools used keep evolving, making it easier for businesses to reach their target audience and generate sales.

In 2018, Google launched responsive search ads (RSAs) as a way to “automatically identify the best combination of headlines and descriptions to deliver the right ad to the right person.” RSAs were an upgrade from expanded text ads (ETAs) which were launched in 2016 and, up until the debut of RSAs, were the default search ad type.

Today, we’ll break down the difference between ETAs and RSAs and offer up 4 tips you can use to create effective RSAs that will benefit your business.

The Difference Between ETAs and RSAs

ESAs have gone through a few iterations before settling on the most recent format familiar to marketers which included:

• Up to three 30-character headlines (though only two are required)
• Up to two 90-character description lines (only one is required)

This created a standard text ad that worked just fine until Google introduced RSAs.

The RSA format is expansive, allowing:

• Up to 15 30-character headlines
• Up to four 90-character description lines

Google then determines the best combination of headline and description for each ad and the frequency at which the ad will appear. This translates to thousands of unique iterations of your ad that can be used to target specific audiences depending on the keyword they search for, browsing behavior, and other metrics.

Tips For Writing Remarkable RSAs

1. Take Advantage of the Robust RSA Format

American football player JJ Watt once said, “If you do the bare minimum, expect the bare minimum results” and this certainly applies when creating RSAs.

It’s true that you’re only required to have three headlines and two descriptions…but why stop there when you’re allowed up to 15 headlines and four descriptions? Make the most of the format and create the max allowable headlines and descriptions if possible.

2. Don’t Be Afraid to Pull from Old Ads

You’ve likely got loads of data stored indicating how old ad campaigns performed…why not use that to create new RSAs?

Review what worked well in your top-performing ETAs. Perhaps you had a killer call to action. Maybe there was one offer in particular that compelled readers to click through. If it was effective when part of your ETAs, the odds are high it will perform even better as part of your RSAs.

3. Vary Headline Lengths

What works for one reader won’t necessarily work for another. That’s why it’s important to write some headlines that are short and sweet and others that use the maximum character count.

And here’s a tip—it’s important to remember that your headlines can appear in any order, so each headline should be able to stand alone and make sense when read apart from the others.

4. Don’t Forget Those Keywords

We know it’s important to include at least one keyword in any traditional headline you create. But RSAs afford you the unique ability to enter multiple keywords into a headline which Google will then use to tailor your ad based on what customers searched for.

For example, let’s imagine you own a company selling beauty products. If someone is searching for a new makeup line to try, they may search “best beauty products”, so you would want to include that phrase in one of your headlines. But others may be looking for help getting that runway-ready professional look when applying makeup. Their search might include the phrase “beauty product tutorial”, so it would be wise to craft a headline including this angle.

The more keywords you use, the easier it will be for the search engine to customise your ad based on specific searches.

Benefits of Using RSAs

There are so many benefits to using RSAs, but here are some of our favorites:

• They’re more responsive – We know, we know…we’re sort of belaboring this point, but it bears repeating. RSAs are immediately modified based on a user’s search history, past clicks, and keywords. This creates a personalised experience for users that increase the likelihood that they’ll interact with your ad.
• They’re optimised – Laptops are no longer the device of choice when searching online. As much as 60% of current online searches now happen on a mobile device. When using RSAs, shorter headlines and descriptions can be allocated for use with mobile devices…which means mobile users enjoy the same experience as those searching from a laptop.
• They’re more competitive – Having the ability to create multiple headlines and descriptions means your ads will match more searches, increasing your reach and getting your product/services in front of more potential customers.

Incorporating RSAs into your current marketing strategy is just good business. If you’d like a little help getting started, contact us at Digital Canteen.