This year has brought a significant shakeup to the world of Google Ads: Expanded ads are being phased out, with responsive search ads replacing them as the new standard. For advertisers, this new format means additional opportunities to provide headlines and descriptions. It also means surrendering just a bit more control to Google and to its machine learning capabilities.

For those who need a quick refresher: Responsive search ads allow you to supply more headlines and descriptions than you were able to with expanded ads, without having to pre-assign positions or combinations. Google’s AI then tests different combinations of your text, assessing the combinations that perform best and showing search engine users the most relevant messaging.

Most advertisers are in agreement that responsive search ads represent an improvement over expanded ads, but to truly use them effectively takes careful strategy. In this post, we’ll highlight just a few strategic considerations that should inform your responsive search ad development.

Tips for Responsive Search Ads

Avoid Pinning Headlines

When you write headlines for your responsive search ads, Google will offer you the chance to “pin” some of those headlines, affixing them to a particular position. But is this actually something you should do?

Many advertisers will be tempted by the chance to exert a little more control over their responsive search ads, but keep in mind that when you use pins, Google actually docks your Quality Score. That’s because Google wants to have a range of creative combinations they can choose from as they try to provide the most optimal messaging to search engine users.

Statistically speaking, ads without pinned headlines almost always generate better click-throughs than ads that do have pinned headlines. In other words, it’s in your best interests to cede control, allowing Google as much leeway as possible to mix and match your creative content.

There are some instances where you might still need to use pins, and if you’re not quite ready to cede control or are still transitioning from expanded ads to responsive search ads, you may try a combination of pinned and unpinned headlines, with the intention of phasing out the pinned headlines over time. When deciding to make this transition, be careful to analyze not just CTR. Conversions are almost always more important.

Keep Quality Score in Perspective

We’ve mentioned Quality Score once already; let’s pause to consider exactly what this term means, and how it relates to your responsive search ad strategy.

Quality Score is a diagnostic tool that Google provides, allowing you to assess how well your ads perform against competitor ads for similar keywords. Google calculates Quality Score based on a number of factors, which include anticipated click-through rate, landing page experience, and ad relevance.

In theory, improving your Quality Score is one of the best things you can do to bolster the effectiveness of your responsive search ads. Think about it this way: A higher Quality Score means that, in Google’s estimation, your ad will provide a more relevant and valuable experience to the search engine user. As such, Google’s algorithms will be prone to positioning your ad above those of your competitors.

But in reality, is that how Quality Score plays out in practice? Not necessarily. In fact, there’s been a decent amount of research to demonstrate that a higher Quality Score is just tenuously connected to ad performance; often, the ads that perform the best don’t have the highest Quality Score at all.

So what’s the takeaway? Quality Score isn’t necessarily irrelevant, but neither is it something that you should fret about too much. Our advice is to focus on creating great creative copy that you feel really confident about, including excellent headlines and descriptions. If you’re confident in the excellence of your creative copy, then there’s really no need to tinker too much just for the sake of a higher Quality Score.

Summary: Best Practices for Improved Responsive Search Ads

So, with all of this said, how can advertisers ensure a smooth transition away from expanded ads, getting optimal performance from their responsive search ads? Just keep a couple of best practices in mind: First, make full use of the additional headline and description spaces that are available to you. Second, try to shift away from pinned headlines… though if you need to include a pinned headline in each ad set, at least for the time being, that’s fine. Finally, as you develop your headlines and descriptions, be sure to tweak and optimize them for performance, not necessarily for Quality Score alone.

At enCOMPASS Agency, we’ve been leading the way from the old ad format and into the exciting new world of responsive search ads. Thus far, we’ve been seeing noteworthy results. If you’re still trying to navigate this transition, or simply have questions about what the new ad format means for you, we’d love to chat. Reach out to our team any time you’d like to talk.