Maximize Your Search Engine Marketing (SEM) with Responsive Search Ads
YRV Dynamics developed the following responsive search ads (RSA) overview for SEM buyers. This article is for anyone aiming to understand RSAs more thoroughly. While the setup for Google ads has been discussed in previous content, this article highlights how responsive search ads work and how to use them to their full potential.
Expanded Text vs RSA
Expanded text ads have far more limitations. Google Ads no longer supports expanded text ads unless used within your account years ago. I expect these to be no longer used in the US by next year. The great thing about RSA is the options and dynamic keyword insertion, which now includes a countdown and location callouts. Lastly, including AI allows users to get key hints from the algorithm on what to include for KW relevancy. While the expanded text ads are considered the “sniper effect” to snipe KWs with concentrated ad copy, RSA allows that same opportunity but with 5x the options, combined with double the long-form description hand-raising.
Display Path: The Option Never Chosen
Most people do not use a display path in their RSA tool belt. Here, you can amend your display path based on what is shown in the display URL. Please include relevance to KWs and the landing page that may be considered in both. This is a way to boost engagement and click-through for your landing page. When you think of terms to include here, think of ways to boost hand-raising for your URL. Also, notice each path is 15 characters long.
Headlines: the First Step in Ad Relevancy
For creating headlines, use the AI recommendations. Also, use popular KWs to boost your ad relevancy. This is the connection between your ads and the KWs you target. The closer they are, the better your quality score. Quality score is a key factor in your ad rank. YRV Dynamics recommends taking it further and including those terms within your landing page to boost your overall quality score and ad rank. KWs are 30 characters in length.
Dynamic Keyword Insertion: Keyword, Countdown and Location
RSAs can include dynamics keyword insertion. Most buyers are familiar with KW insertion, but most are not familiar with countdown or location-based KW insertion.
- Location: Best for location-based businesses. However, you may need to create separate campaigns to maintain the budget between locations. Otherwise, it may skew spending to a few or one location. This was incorporated recently.
- Keyword: Most common, highly recommend to include those KWs on the landing pages as well
- Countdown: Great with urgency-based content such as a limited sale or limited use for the promo code.
- Combination: You can use these in combinations with each other. In this case, you would list it as “Only [Countdown] left for the [Location] Store Opening Sale!”
This is a menu to decide what works best for the campaign. Out of this list, I would prioritize the following:
- Business Name and Logo: This is added to highlight the business name above the search URL. The logo is the adjacent picture where you can add the brand logo
- Site links: Very helpful and useful for driving up click-thru rate. They can be used to develop key sales content/ specials, social media, YouTube content, or any content worth highlighting within your paid media. They also help expand the real estate of the ad on the SERP (search engine results page).
- Prices: Consider prioritizing shopping campaigns over the search option. I recommend combining these with Google Shopping promotions for optimal results. Shopping campaigns outperform standalone Search promotions. If you’re without a merchant center shopping campaign, these can be effective, yet shopping campaigns typically yield stronger performance than Search promotions.
Snippets vs. Callouts
- Snippets: Structured in various categories such as brands, courses, destinations, etc… These are chosen in terms of category. Users can enter corresponding items within each category. For instance, destinations would be Hawaii, California, and NY. Courses would be: which e-bike is best, e-bike maintenance, or riding tips.
- Callouts: These are unique sales and product differentiations for higher engagement to make your content stand out. These include. Made in the USA, No dropshipping, Labor Day Sale, Free Shipping, 30-Day Returns.
Additional Tips for RSA Content
- Examine KWs in the planner: This will be discussed in a later Medium article. However, the planner tool is a great place to examine the popularity and scale of KWs.
- Craft compelling headline, full 15 and 4 descriptions: I recommend using the 15 headlines and 4 descriptions in full. This gives the algorithm enough lee-way to mix and match to the optimal event.
- Use two to three creative options per ad set
- Ad extensions/ promotions: allows ownership of the SERP
- Dynamic KW insertion
- Stay away from makeshift shopping ads in RSA, and do real shopping campaigns. These do not perform well.
- Again, use your URL display path. Most users do not use the URL display path as it helps with the click-thru rate.
Click here to follow the conversation on YouTube with our video labeled “Maximize Your SEM Success with Responsive Search Ads.” We also have a podcast for all of our PPC content- click here to see all our podcast content. Please click the play button below to listen to the podcast version of this Medium article.
Yousaf Yunes is the CEO/ Lead Founder / Principal at YRV Dynamics, with more than 15 years of expertise in the advertising industry. He’s garnered a Top Rated Plus status on Upwork, earning a perfect job satisfaction score of 100% with twenty-one 5-star reviews from his Upwork clients. Yousaf earned certifications in Google Search and YouTube/Video and holds dual Blueprint certifications in Meta’s planning and buying. Yousaf has also won the Monty McKinney Award for the Institute of Advanced Advertising Studies (IAAS).
During his downtime, Yousaf is the lead moderator for the largest Meta group focused on Blueprint, known as “Facebook Blueprint Certification Prep,” which boasts a membership of over 30,000 individuals.
