When someone asks you to describe yourself in 5 or fewer words would you be able to do that? Ain’t easy right. The fewer the words the more difficult it will be to describe. The same applies to advertisers. Now imagine a brand whose identity and services have to be summarized in only 35-40 characters. Exactly right. I am talking about text ads.
Google paid text ads have now become “Expanded text ads.” This change will be implemented with effect from 31st January 2017. Expanded text ads are the advanced version of what we are seeing Google Adwords standard text ads right now. This is overwhelming news to advertisers since PPC (Pay Per Click) depends on the text ads.
Major Changes in Google Adwords Text Ads
- There will be 2 headlines and 30 character text in each headline
- Instead of two 35 character text in two description boxes, there will be a single 80 character description.
- Customized URL path and automatically generated from the final’s URL domain.
What are Expandable Text Ads & How are they Different From Google Adwords Standard Text Ads?
Google expanded text ads let you write your text regarding products or services almost double what it is right now. You will get 2 headlines in which you are allowed to write 30 character text in each headline. In this new format, the two headlines are separated by a hyphen. For desktop users, there won’t be much change but for smartphone users, the headlines shall cover to a second line.
Right now there are 2 description boxes, soon it will be merged into one and you will be able to write about 80 character text in the description box. With a lengthy description box, you will have the ability to write a clearer message for your target audience. They are also making some changes to make the display URL friendlier.
Standard Text Ads Vs Expanded Text Ads
The new expanded text ads are almost twice the size of existing standard text ads. With the bigger headline, long description, and customized URL serves two main purposes of advertisers.
1. Better online presence and performance
2. Works across all devices and 100% responsive
|
Standard Text Ads |
Expanded Text Ads |
|
|
Title |
25 characters |
Two 30 character titles |
|
Ad Text |
71 characters |
80 characters |
|
Display URL |
35 characters |
URL automatically generated from your final URL and also provides two optional “Path fields.” |
Better Targeting – Viewers will be directed to the exact page
The new Google Adwords expanded text ad has a better customizable URL path. Advertisers will have two path fields with 15 characters each. Unlike in standard text ads, viewers will be directed to the relevant landing page instead of the root website.
To be more precise, in standard text ads through the advertiser gives the specific landing page of his/her website (services page, products page, etc.) in display URL, it will take the viewer to the main landing page of the website. But in the new expanded text ads, the viewer will be directed to the relevant landing page of the website. This gives advertisers the ability to be more focused while targeting customers.
Why change now suddenly?
Well, since the usage of the smartphone has been drastically increased over the past decade, with mobile representing nearly 70% of all digital media time. Every business needs to connect with their target audience wherever they go and advertisers are no different. Our favorite search engine, Google, very well knows that its advertisers are always looking for ways to deliver mobile-friendly text ads to their customers.
Earlier this year, Google changed SERP (Search engine results page); removed right-hand side ads of desktop and very soon it going to productively use the space for expanded text ads. Designed for smartphone users, these expanded text ads are information-rich and give advertisers more chance of better visibility.
Improved PPC Copywriting With Expandable Text Ads
Expandable text ads give you better PPC copywriting to attract your customers. With lengthy descriptions and two headlines, you can include discounts, offers, rates, and a lot more what you couldn’t in a standard text ad. It is a great opportunity for businesses to experiment with a persuasive call to action to enhance their PPC.
Expanded Text Ads Effects on SERP (Search engine results page)
Since Google removed its right-hand side text ads, it would be pretty tough to distinguish between organic listings and paid ads. Earlier, it was easy to find out which links were sponsored because of the right-side text ads. With expanded text ads, organic listings and paid ads going to look similar.
Here’s what you can do
Expanded ad means more space. More space means a bigger message. The Bigger message means higher visibility. Higher visibility gives you a greater chance of viewers noticing your ad. So make the most out of expanded text ads by making your ad look better.
There is a hell of a lot of great techniques for diminishing casual clicks and optimizing your conversions. With expanded text ads, businesses can convey about what their services or products are in a detailed way, thus reducing the chance of casual clicks. Only those viewers will click on your ad who are really interested, hence gives you a high click to conversion ratio.
Final Thoughts
In order to grow with your smartphone audience, you need to keep up with the times. With nearly 50% increased text ad size, advertisers have to make sure to take advantage of the expanded text ads. The new, improved version of text ads will assist you in driving more potential leads since you have more space to add and describe things about your business. Your new format should have a flow with the content.
Make use of every little thing that expanded text ads is giving you. Also, closely observe your new campaigns and experiment with different permutations and combinations of content to see how it affects your text ad’s random clicks and conversion rates.
We wish you all the luck for your new expanded text ads campaign.