How the retirement of expanded text ads impacts marketing landscape for e-commerce

What were extended search ads

Expanded Text Ads were ads containing twice as long text as those available in the previous generation of ads. At the same time, the text was tailored to the needs of mobile devices, thanks to which even more content could be displayed on smaller screens without the risk of being unreadable.

Ads of this type were visible on all devices, including desktops, TVs and mobile devices, and the text automatically adjusted to the size of the display.

Why Google has retired Expanded Text Ads

The challenge faced by the Californian search giant (and the advertising network it controls) is primarily a change in the way the search engine itself is used. At the moment, 15 percent. all searches are new queries that the search engine did not record before.

According to a statement published by the company, the way to successfully answer this challenge is by automating ad creation. Thanks to this, the content will be better suited to previously unknown queries and will be able to be displayed when the customer enters a fresh phrase, but the search engine's automation is able to connect it with the advertiser.

The result of the company's work are Responsive Search Ads, present in Google's offer as a separate form, alternative to Expanded Text Ads.

What are Responsive Search ADS

Responsive Search Ad is an advertisement in which the advertiser prepares as many text versions of a given advertisement as possible (for example 15 different creatives) and on their basis the Google algorithm selects and creates target messages that will be displayed to users.

The purpose of this action is to display different versions of the ad to users so that its content is better suited to the context resulting from the query, and thus, it sells the product more effectively.

As of June 30, 2022, this is the only form of advertising available on Google.

Should e-commerce stores be concerned?

From the perspective of most online stores, the change does not make much difference, and can bring significant benefits. The e-commerce industry, even without responsive advertising formats, conducts many experiments and tests, which means that the number of advertising formats created is huge. Adding another layer of automation to this process will increase the number of creatives tested.

Departure from the current advertising model may be important for entities operating on regulated markets, such as banking, legal services or healthcare. In some cases, the content of advertisements must be controlled by the legal team to ensure that it does not violate the standards imposed by the legislator.

In the case of Expanded Text Ads, the advertiser retained full control over the text displayed on the ad. When switching to Responsive Search Ads, such control is reduced, which may result in displaying advertisements that do not comply with legal regulations, or even without the advertiser's knowledge.

However, from the perspective of the vast majority of online stores and businesses, the transition to the new format will have benefits, not a handicap.

Advantages of Responsive Search Ads

Responsive Search Ads are a newer and more modern format in the Google offer, thanks to which they have an advantage over the older format, and reaching for them is associated with many benefits.

Personalization

Responsive Search Ads are made from the existing creations proposed by the advertiser for the needs of a given user and his specific query. These ads are created based on the search history, clicks on previous ads and the term entered in the search engine. Additional factors that the system may consider when creating a message are the user's location, their travel habits, and the distance from the company where the ad is to be displayed.

This level of personalization is completely unachievable for human-generated ads without the involvement of automation.

At the same time, up to 90 percent. consumers indicate that personalization is important to them and encourage shopping.

Optimization for the user's device

Automating the creative allows you to more effectively adjust the text on the ad to the size of the user's device. Currently, there are thousands of different phones, tablets, computers and other electronic devices on the market, and their screens are of various sizes.

In the case of Responsive Search Ads, the Google automated system will take over the responsibility of adjusting the message to the screen size.

A / B testing made easy

The fact that Google automatically tests the creatives created for each impression means that the giant also takes the effort related to the A / B tests of the solution.

According to the data published by Google, the mere implementation of the advertising format, which is Responsive Search Ads, results in an increase in clicks by 6 percent and CTR by 5 percent.

More auctions and exhibition venues available

By increasing the number of available creatives, your ads can appear in new places and contexts, which will allow you to more effectively reach users. It is this increase in reach that is mentioned as one of the most important advantages of the new advertising format.

Responsive search ads - how to get the best results

In practice, the disappearance of Expanded Text Ads will bring more benefits than difficulties, and from the perspective of users, it will be an easier and more friendly advertising format. However, that doesn't mean it won't require any service or commitment to get the best results.

Write as many descriptions and titles as possible to increase the number of possible combinations

The more headlines and descriptions are provided, the more choice the machine that creates the ads has. On the other hand, the more choices they have, the more likely they are to create an exceptionally effective advertising creative, and thus achieve exceptional results.

You can also experiment with the length of the headers and the CTAs contained in them so that users on different devices have a message tailored to each other. The Google tool also works on descriptions of items, which means that in search of the most attractive advertisement, you can check various benefits or features of the product that the system should emphasize.

Create a variety of offers for users

In addition to descriptions and titles, it is also worth testing rebates, discounts or other types of promotions in order to catch the ones most effectively reaching users. Phrases like "free shipping" or "don't pay full price" are worth trying and Google's slot machine can find interesting combinations for them.

Use the ads that worked before

The data collected when using other advertising formats remains valid. Responsive Search Ads can (and should) use the best-working headlines and descriptions from existing advertising campaigns.

Thanks to the use of optimization algorithms, there is a high probability that even better results will be achieved.

Use multiple keywords to emphasize the benefits of the product

Keyword research is still the basis for Google to create ads and adjust the displayed content to the user's needs. It is on their basis that Google decides to display specific content to a given user.

This means that even with a high level of automation of the displayed content, keywords remain an important element of the advertising strategy.

Summary

From the perspective of the vast majority of companies and stores, the departure from Expanded Text Ads in favor of Responsive Search Ads is a change for the better that can bring almost only benefits. However, companies that operate in markets or industries that have to take into account restrictive legal regulations will have to be very careful and strictly control the prepared creations.