Whether in paid search or more specifically in Google Ads, this ecosystem evolves quickly and brings its share of innovations, including Responsive Search Ads (RSA).
After 6 years of service, Google announced that it will no longer be possible to create ETAs, leaving RSAs as the only option.
Responsive Search Ads
RSAs are a dynamic ad format offered by Google for advertising on the Google Search Network.
When creating an RSA ad, you can provide up to 15 headlines and 4 descriptions, which allows for a large number of combinations. More specifically, here are the character limits set by Google:
- Headlines: 30 characters
- Descriptions: 90 characters
- Paths: 15 characters
How RSAs Work
Once an RSA is created, it runs on the Search Network like any standard ad. The difference is that Google handles generating the combinations between ad elements: up to 3 headlines and 2 descriptions (plus any ad extensions you've added). It's also important to maintain consistency between your headlines and descriptions.
Through Machine Learning, Google is able to identify the best-performing combinations and optimize ad performance accordingly.
In some situations, even though Google's algorithm is effective, it makes sense to retain some control over how an RSA is displayed. You can pin specific headlines or descriptions to a certain position, for example, to always show your brand name at the beginning of the ad. Just be careful not to overdo it, as too many pins can lower ad quality and negatively impact its ranking.
Ad Extensions for RSAs
If you want to effectively optimize your RSA ads, using ad extensions is essential. Extensions help you gain relevance and visibility, as they significantly increase the size of your ad.
Ad extensions let you provide users with additional information when they see your ad: a phone number, your product or service pricing, images, and more.
Of course, some extensions will be more or less relevant depending on the advertiser. That said, here are the essential extensions we recommend:
- Callout extensions (e.g., Online booking, Free delivery, Pay in 3 installments...)
- Sitelink extensions
- Structured snippet extensions (highlighting specific aspects of your products or services)
Benefits of RSA Ads
Time savings:
Responsive Search Ads save you valuable time. You no longer need to create dozens of ETA ads to run A/B tests and optimize them manually. The combinations of your headlines and descriptions are handled and optimized autonomously by Google.
Ad personalization:
To effectively optimize the different combinations, Google takes various factors into account: browsing and click history, screen size, and more. All of these factors are managed in real time to serve a personalized ad based on the user.
Conclusion
In general, how Responsive Search Ads work opens up many opportunities that were not available with standard ETAs. These innovations are part of the natural evolution of online advertising platforms, which are placing automation at the heart of campaign creation, whether with Performance Max or even Advantage+ by Meta.
Want support with your digital marketing strategy? Don't hesitate to get in touch!
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