Google loves experimenting, and AdWords has undergone a number of changes over the last few months. One of the biggest changes saw the abolishment of side ads so that now all ads are shown above and below the organic results.
But now Google has made yet more changes.
This time, it has changed the format of the ads themselves. New Expanded Text Ads are here, so here’s what you need to know.
What’s Changing?
The Expanded Text Ads are exactly what the name suggests: ads that have a larger text limit.
The current limit is 25 characters for the headline and 35 for both description lines. That’s now going to change to two headlines with a limit of 30 characters each, and one description line with a limit of 80 characters.
That’s a big change, and it will make the ads more noticeable in the search results – and that should be a good thing for your campaigns.
Why Is This Happening?
Google is moving towards a mobile-first approach. We live in a mobile world, and Google wants its ads to work as well as they can on mobile devices.
The original ads have not changed much in over a decade, and a lot has happened in that time. Mobiles have taken over, being used for millions of searches every day.
Google’s testing has shown that this new format for text ads can help to increase CTR across devices, and that’s good news for advertisers.
What Do You Have to Do?
You should start creating new ads now! There is no way around this, and if you have a lot of ads, that is going to mean a lot of work rewriting the ads to the new format.
But use this as an opportunity to look at your campaign in detail. Have you left it alone for too long? Take some time to look at which ads are performing well, and get in touch if you’d like us to carry out a more detailed AdWords review.
Other Changes to Keep in Mind
Expanded text ads are not the only changes on the horizon: Google also announced that it will be changing its display ads. These will soon become responsive, which means they will resize automatically and take on the appearance of the sites they show up on, which will hopefully generate more clicks.
Local ads will also undergo some changes. If you use location extensions in your ads, your location will now display more clearly in search and in Google Maps. This could help drive more customers to your store.
You will also have more control over your bidding for devices, allowing to you focus more on mobile for specific ads and use different multipliers for tablets and desktops.
Get Ready for the Changes
We keep on top of all the changes Google makes to AdWords so we can ensure our clients our prepared. Now is a great time to start preparing for the changes, especially the new text ad formats – and if you need some help making the switch, we’d love to hear from you.
As a specialist digital marketing agency consisting of a number of highly experienced digital consultants, Web Results Direct is expertly placed to support its clients with advanced, and strategic, digital marketing consulting services. To learn more contact us – call us now on 01483 429222.
