How to Gain Traffic and Grow Leads with Responsive Search Ads

RSAs vs. ETAs Ad Performance Comparison

When compared with expanded text ads , responsive search ads:

• drew an 11.7% higher cost per click

• pulled traffic that bounced 4.9% less

• had an 8.7% higher cost per acquisition

• had a 26.3% higher CTR and better engagement

Overall, responsive ads have a higher click-through rate, convert more frequently, and attract traffic that bounces less often. While they have a slightly higher CPC, their CPA decreases over time.

Pros of Responsive Google Ads

• More flexibility than a traditional text ad.

• No need to go through the redundant task of testing your ad copies for multiple broad match keywords

• Use cross campaign asset reporting to help you analyse your campaign's performance

• Pinning headlines functionality – If you want to include specific headlines or certain text elements – such as your brand name – you can pin them to specific positions. This ensures that while several versions of your ad are displayed, they all carry the message you want to communicate.

In all, RSAs offer more flexibility, testing capabilities, and a broader wider reach.

Cons of Responsive Ad Format

• More time consuming to set up than ETAs, as you need to create numerous headlines and description lines

• Less control over how your Google ads are shown, and you have to rely on Google's algorithm

These drawbacks make responsive search ads less favourable for a gradual ad campaign structure.

1. Responsive Search Ads Perform Best with Multiple Headlines & Descriptions

As mentioned, RSAs allow you to include numerous best headlines and descriptions. Utilise that feature! You don't have to come up with 15 headlines and four descriptions for each asset but aim for at least ten headlines and three descriptions. The more combinations you try, the better chances you have of appearing in a user's search.

2. For Best Performance, Highlight Something Different in Each Headline & Description

Make sure that you don't create multiple headings and descriptions just for the sake of doing that. The headline and description line variants should be different. The chances are that Google won't even show your ad if the headlines and descriptions use similar phrases.

Of course, this step requires creativity. Try working around different value propositions, calls to action, and offers.

Suppose you’re selling gym shoes. You can create one ad highlighting the comfort and another ad outlining their durability and performance.

Working with a dedicated PPC agency will be helpful, as they have expert copywriters to help you with multiple effective headlines and descriptions.

Finally, have headlines and descriptions of different lengths. Avoid similar messages and try to offer a unique experience to the consumers with each ad.

3. You Can Pin Specific Keywords and Phrases in Headlines and Descriptions.

Leverage the "Pin to position" feature to make your Google ads more relevant. RSAs give you the option to pin certain keywords and phrases that you always want to appear in your headlines and descriptions.

This ensures that even though Google will show different headline-description combinations, the core message of the ad will remain the same.

For instance, suppose you're offering a flat 40% off on all your products. You might want to highlight that message in all your headlines and descriptions. Hence, you can pin "40% off," and Google will show it in all your Google ads.

4. Pin Very Sparingly!

While text pinning is an excellent feature of responsive search ads, please don't abuse it. If you pin headlines or descriptions too often, it restricts Google from automatically testing multiple variants of your ad.

In fact, pinning text in just one headline reduces the scope for testing by 75%. Therefore, it's always a good idea to use pinning sparingly.

5. You Can Keep Your Expanded Text Ads

If you want to use responsive text ads, that doesn't mean you have to get rid of your expanded text ad campaigns. If your active ETAs are performing well, you can keep them running while testing new RSAs.

Google also encouraged businesses to keep running at least one ETA in each ad group alongside new responsive ads. By running ETAs and RSAs simultaneously, you can ensure that your Google ads appear in multiple searches and reach more potential customers.

6. Test Only One Responsive Search Ad Per Ad Group

Testing the ad group performance of multiple ad groups can be tempting. Google automatically tests various elements of your ads, so it isn't essential to include multiple ads and ad extensions in the same ad group. Limit yourself to trying only one responsive search ad in each group, as doing more can affect the optimisation of your ads. When you test more ads for a single audience group, it can lead to inconsistent data.

7. Use Your Top-Performing Static Google Ads to Come Up with RSA Assets

Remember we discussed that you shouldn't get rid of your text ads? You can use them as a base for your responsive text ads. Examine the ad performance of your static ads and identify the top-performing ads.

Then, pick elements for headlines and descriptions from those Google ads and use them in your responsive ads. Pick value propositions, calls to action, and offers that are working for your text ads, and try using them for your responsive search ad campaigns.