We outlined the basics of Expanded Text Ads (ETA) and Responsive Search Ads (RSA) in this article: https://blog.adoptics.com/search-ad-formats-rsa-eta/
Today, we will let you know which ad format is better for your needs. Let's take quick look at the benefits vs. drawbacks for each here.
Responsive Search Ads (RSA Google Ads)
Pros:
- Will have higher impressions
- Will likely have higher clicks
- Better for ad groups targeting many keywords (Non-STAG/SKAG)
- Most able to "set and forget" (poor strategy)
- Lower Quality Score
- Good for new campaigns
Cons:
- Can't be tested easily
- Messaging can get confused due to ad element mixed placements
Expanded Text Ads (ETA Google Ads)
Pros:
- Will have higher conversion rate
- Higher conversion value per impression
- Can be tightly aligned with keyword targeting
- Higher keyword Quality Score in STAG/SKAG
- Easily split tested for improved performance over time
- Ideal for maximizing value
Cons:
- Lower impression and clicks
Use One RSA and Two ETA Per Ad Group
RSA Ads are a great solution for getting something in place and running quickly that should allow an advertiser to see if a campaign will work. It is a good initial strategy to use RSA to get a baseline of your ad text performance. Once you have enough data to generate the Ad Asset results for your RSA, you can then craft highly optimized Google ETA Ads to drive better conversion performance.
Google suggests in their help documents that advertisers should be running one RSA and two ETA per ad group. This allows you to capture a wide number of searches using the RSA, while simultaneously testing the performance of two ETA which should have better conversion performance for searches where they are shown.
A/B Testing Makes ETA the Best Choice for Advertisers Looking to Maximize Conversions
If you are an advertiser looking to maximize the conversion performance vs your ad spend, then Expanded Text Ads are the clear winner when combined with a comprehensive A/B testing strategy. A/B testing ETAs allows you to incrementally, over time make changes that increase performance. It is common for initial A/B tests to result in 100% conversion improvement performance. Even the subsequent batch of tests can still yield 20-40% conversion improvement. Multiplying that performance over time will dramatically change your ad account's performance. Use an automated ad A/B testing service like AdOptics to improve your ETA using split testing.