People use Google across different devices in all sorts of contexts. This guide to Search ads will help you create messaging that reflects your brand.
Note
Get started with creating responsive search ads by reviewing the “Add responsive search ads” recommendation.
Create ad text that appeals to users across devices
We’ve found that a compelling call to action on one device tends to be compelling on other devices as well. Your ad text should highlight why you have what a user is looking for. Find what’s most compelling about your business and build your ads around that insight.
Customizing the experience for mobile users can still be a good thing, though. Direct them to pages of your site that deliver a great experience through mobile-specific URLs.
Focus on your headlines
Your headlines are the clickable space on your Search ads. What you put into that space will be a big indicator of how enticing your ad text is — big blue headlines are more prominent than your description text. The content and quality of your headlines matters and will determine how well your ads perform.
Your headlines should receive the majority of your testing attention. As you go about instituting and testing your ads, focus on writing the best headline possible. Implementing great headlines has the most potential to make a big difference to performance.
Your headline fields raise another question about ad text - where should you place your call to action? It’s a great question, and exactly the type of thing that you should test as you optimize your creative messages. If you’re taking advantage of responsive search ads you don’t have to worry about that. Add great options for your headlines and let the system decide the ideal order. Keep in mind, though, that you should include any sensitive or mandatory info in headline 1, headline 2, or description 1. Your third headline or second description might not always show.
Note
Be sure to check out our headline policies.
Try headlines of varying lengths
You have 30-character headlines, 90-character descriptions, and 15-character URL path fields. Use that space creatively. Include messaging that focuses on what you and your users care about. Longer headlines increase the clickable space of your Search ads, but try to create headlines that are a variety of lengths. You might find that shorter headlines perform better for people already searching for your brand. And it’s more likely that you’ll show all three possible headlines if a headline or two are shorter than the limits. Test what works for your account along with different types of keywords within your account.
Don’t underestimate the value of your path fields. The URL that’s visible in a responsive search ad is an important indication of where a user should expect to end up. Adding descriptive path fields gives a user confidence that they'll find what they're looking for when they arrive at your site.
Note
Your URL paths don’t have to match the exact language that is present in your final URL. The URL paths should simply be relevant content to help the user understand what to expect from your landing page.
Consider using Dynamic Search Ads to save even more time
If your business sells a lot of products with well-developed websites, consider using Dynamic Search Ads to easily create ads that reach customers searching for exactly what you offer. Based on content from your site, Dynamic Search Ads automatically generate headlines for you and show your ads to people searching for your products. All you need to do is provide your site’s domain and ad descriptions. Just make sure the content on your site is descriptive and clear, especially page titles. Those titles are often incorporated into your automated headlines.
Next: Set up your ads for success