Everyone with even a passing interest in marketing knows the power of Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising. However, not all types of PPC advertising are the same. Google offers a variety of different search ads for companies to use. One of the most effective types is Expanded Text Ads. In this blog, we’re going to take a look at everything you need to know about marketing through ETA, including what they are, why you might use them, and how they compare with Responsive Search Ads.
What Are Expanded Text Ads?
When it comes to expanded text ads, it’s all in the name. These are ads that have, well, an expanded quantity of text. They’re twice as big as the old types of Google ads and appear on search results pages. There’s a lot more space for text -- indeed, an ETA will include an extra-long headline and more extensive description, allowing companies to get more information about their products and services to potential customers. In total, there’s space for three headlines, a display URL, and two descriptions. That’s a lot of info!
Benefits of Expanded Text Ads
Marketers love using expanded text ads, and with good reasons. They bring plenty of benefits! So what can you expect if you begin using them yourself? Let’s take a look.
More Space for Text
The first benefit is pretty obvious: they provide plenty more space for text! Compared with the ads they replaced, expanded text ads allow for up to 45 more characters. That might not sound like a lot, but it is. When you have only a limited amount of space, every character counts. You’ll still need to think carefully about the words that you’re using -- no space can go to waste -- but the boost in space means you can get a lot more crucial info out there.
Increased CTR
Google introduced this change to help increase the CTR (clickthrough rate) of their advertisements. And guess what? It worked. If you follow the expanded text ads best practices, then you should notice an increase in the number of clicks that you receive. And the reason why is pretty clear. You’re able to say more about your products/services/website, which means you’ll have more potential to convince people to click through. The more information that people have, the more likely it is that they’ll want to know more.
Expanded Text Ads v Responsive Search Ads
So how do expanded text ads stack up against responsive search ads? When you use an ETA, you’re in control of everything. Every character that appears in your ad is your choice. That’s not the case with RSA. You’ll be in control of all the text, but not which portions of the text appear in the results. That makes things slightly trickier since all facets of the text have to make sense on their own (since not all the info will appear). For what it’s worth, the CTR of expanded text ads has been shown to be slightly better than RSA.
However, it’s good to play around and find which ones work for you!