AdWords Just Got Bigger
AdWords ads just got bigger. Google announced earlier this year that they were creating the option to have extended text ads in AdWords. The longer ads are now rolling out to users. Instead of being confined to a mere 25 characters in your headline, you now have a 30-character limit for two headlines and an 80 character description. More space means more opportunity.
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What to Do With All That Space?
When Google removed the ads from the right-hand side of the search engine results page earlier this year, it opened up some extra space to play with. This space is now being filled with glossy new ad text. A Google spokesperson told Search Engine Land in April that extended text ads came out of testing “different ad formats with the goal of providing useful information to users and driven even better results for advertisers.” According to the tests, it’s no surprise that consumers want more information before deciding to click on an ad or not. With more text space, advertisers have more space to entice would-be purchasers.
With search behavior evolving, Google released extended text ads to help advertisers succeed (and grow ad revenue). The new ad interface looks something like this:
As you can see, the layout has changed slightly with the final URL now at the top. Advertisers are now given a split ‘path’ section in which you can put a more detailed display URL of up to 30 characters.
Extended Text Ads Are Right on Time
However, the big news is the extended headline and ad text. You are now given two 30-character headlines, and an 80 character description. Which gives you 140 characters compared to the previous 95.
To take advantage, advertisers should create totally new ads, rather than trying to stretch out old ads. As with all forms of PPC, the key is trial and error. We are going to start running the new longer-form ads in conjunction with our existing ads and see how they perform, testing two ads of each type, side by side. We’ll share our results, once we’ve collected enough data, in a future article.
The hope is that giving businesses more time to explain themselves will lead to higher click-through-rates (CTRs). Google continues to support the smaller ads. So you can directly compare the performance of your existing campaigns against the new longer format. As of yet, they have not said if they will be phasing out the smaller ads in the future.
So, it’s time refresh your old ads and start writing! How will you take advantage of extended text ads?
How can we help?
Could extended text ads give your PPC a boost? Are you on top of your ad optimization?
We are Spectrum Group Online, and we offer strategic and tactical consulting so you can monetize your online presence. Call us for a complimentary 30-minute consultation to discuss your website’s user experience and translate that into sales.
Photo credit – Top: Joe the Goat Farmer
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