Expanded Text Ads vs Responsive Search Ads – What’s the difference?

New Google Responsive Search Ads will show 90% more and feature higher relevancy.

PPC (Pay Per Click) ad campaigns have become increasingly popular in recent years. A lot of businesses are adding paid searches to their digital marketing campaigns in a bid to improve brand visibility.

Google ads have been a dominant consideration in most online activity. If you’re looking to get started with an effective PPC campaign, consult with one of the leading PPC advertising companies in India. Now with options such as expanded text ads and Google’s revolutionary idea – Responsive Search Ads, several businesses are left wondering which is better.

Here, we take a look at the difference between the two ad formats.

Expanded text ads

Expanded Text Ads can increase CTR by as much as 20 percent according to early reports.

Expanded text ads are similar to traditional text ads but with some key additions. The main characteristics of this ad format are as follows:

Three headline fields: Along with the two required headline fields, expanded text ads have a third which is optional. The extra headline field allows you to include additional text in your ads.

Two description fields: Expanded text ads also have two 90-character description fields, giving you more control over your ad’s messaging.

Display URL: The display URL can include two optional “Path” fields. You can combine your display URL with up to two new optional ‘Path’ fields. These fields are added to the display URL after your website’s domain, so you can add text that will help people who see your ad get a better sense of where they’ll be taken when they click it.

Mobile-optimized solutions: Expanded text ads are mobile-optimized. A preview of your ad in both desktop and mobile format is generated for you while you’re creating your expanded text ad.

Expanded text ads are available on both the Google Search Network and the Google Display Network. Ad extensions (both automatic and manual) are fully compatible with expanded text ads, too.

Responsive Search Ads

Responsive Search Ads have a 5 – 15% higher CTR compared to standard search ads.

Responsive search ads allow you to take your ad experience a step further by moving from single ads to multiple options. With this ad format, you can create an ad that adapts to show more text—and more relevant messages—to your customers.

Businesses can enter multiple headlines and descriptions when creating a responsive search ad, and over time, Google Ads will automatically test different combinations and learn which combinations perform best. By adapting your ad’s content to more closely match potential customers’ search terms, responsive search ads may improve your campaign’s performance. To know more about creating an effective PPC campaign, be sure to look for the best PPC services in India.

The main characteristics of this ad format are as follows:

Improved ad performance: The more headlines and descriptions you enter, the more opportunities Google Ads has to serve ads that more closely match your potential customers’ search queries, which can improve your ad performance.

Multiple ad combinations: You can provide up to 15 headlines and 4 descriptions for a single responsive search ad. After you enter headlines and descriptions, Google Ads assembles the text into multiple ad combinations in a way that avoids redundancy, different from expanded text ads.

Headline options: In any given ad, a maximum of 3 headlines and 2 descriptions will be selected to show in different combinations and orders. Over time, Google Ads will test the most promising ad combinations, and learn which combinations are the most relevant for different queries

Thus expanded text ads allow businesses to share a description of their products using their description fields and headlines. However, for businesses with multiple offerings and keywords, responsive search ads allow for different descriptions that cater to a wider search.

Some believe that responsive search ads are the most revolutionary tool for businesses to get noticed by consumers. However, for others, the content of the Ad – headline, description and keywords – form the most important aspect.

Both ads can offer brands several benefits in boosting awareness and increasing visibility. To know which format works best for your business, get in touch with the top PPC management services in India.