Standard Text Ads Are No More: See How We Handled It

Standard Text Ads Are No More: See How We Handled It

Cause Inspired Media strives to stay ahead of the curve with changes and updates that affect our clients, particularly in the ever-changing world of Google. Early in Quarter Three of last year, Google began rolling out longer versions of their regular, standard text ads called expanded text ads. Of course, as soon as it was available, we began to roll this out across all of our accounts. Here are some differences that expanded text ads (ETAs) offer:

  • Two headline fields (up to 30 characters each)
  • A single, expanded description field (up to 80 characters)
  • A display URL that uses your final URL’s domain
  • Two optional “Path”fields, used in the ads display URL (up to 15 characters each)

What does this mean for you,the client? Itmeans that we have more of an opportunity to present a cohesive, thoughtful ad. More importantly, when February 1st rolls around, your ads will continue to run, looking and performing better than ever! Last month, I gave a training for the operations team for best practices for the new ETA ads. Here were some of the key takeaways:

  • Testing headlines and ad copy, and creating 3-5 ads in each ad group to test
  • Having a cohesive thought in the ad copy description that mimics organic search results
  • Avoiding “Franken-Ads”: occurs when trying to turn a standard text ad into an ETA, resulting in choppy and overall, bad copy
  • Being aware of any repetitiveness among ad copy, headlines, and display paths
  • Making sure overall tone and copy perfectly represents the organization we are writing for

Along with the training, we’ve gathered some data about how the ads have been performing across all of our accounts since we’ve integrated more ETAs. Here is what we’ve found:

  • 22.86% improvement in click-through rate
  • 71.58% increase in clicks
  • 39.66% increase in impressions

In conclusion, there is solid data to let us know that expanded text ads are a good format that Google has chosen to switch to, providing a cohesive experience across all devices, leading to better performing ads for your organization.

Have any questions about how your ads are performing? Contact your account strategist. 

Looking to have a Google Ad Grant account managed for your organization by Cause Inspired Media? Contact us today.

By: Cause Inspired Media