Expanded text ads present more information about your products and services and get people to click your ads. While optimized for mobile screens, the appearance of an expanded text ad on desktop browsers is similar to the mobile display.
What's different about expanded text ads
- Mobile preferred device preference eliminated. When you create expanded text ads, you no longer set a mobile preferred device preference. In this mobile first world, the ads will display on mobile and desktop computers.
- Display URL is automatically created (except in Yahoo! Gemini campaigns). You don’t specify a display URL. Instead, the display URL is automatically created from the destination URL and paths that you specify in expanded text ads.
- More characters allowed in each ad. You can specify 3 headlines and 2 descriptions to convey more information about your product or service.
- New columns for expanded text ads in bulksheets. You can use bulksheets to upload or edit expanded text ads.
Other ad properties, such as URL templates, remain unchanged.
End of support for creating new standard text ads
Some engines continue to support creating standard text ads, while others require all new ads to be expanded text ads. In all engines, you don't need to migrate standard text ads to expanded text ads. Existing standard text ads continue to serve alongside any expanded text ads you create, and you can still target, pause, resume, and report on existing standard text ads.
See the following table for details:
| No new standard text ads after | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| Google Ads | You can no longer create standard text ads (January 31, 2017 was the last day) |
Learn more about expanded text ads in Google Ads Help. |
| Yahoo! Japan |
You can no longer create standard text ads (March 22, 2017 was the last day) |
Learn more about expanded text ads in the Yahoo! Japan help center. |
| Yahoo! Gemini | Date not announced by Yahoo! Gemini. You can create standard text ads and expanded text ads, from Yahoo! Gemini and from Search Ads 360. | Learn more about expanded text ads in the Yahoo! Gemini help center. |
| Microsoft Advertising |
You can no longer create standard text ads (July 31, 2017 was the last day). To create expanded text ads from Microsoft Advertising and Search Ads 360, you're required to migrate to Upgraded URLs. |
Migration to Upgraded URLs required. Learn more about expanded text ads in the Microsoft Advertising help center. |
Microsoft Advertising: Migration to Upgraded URLs required
Only Microsoft Advertising engine accounts that have migrated to Upgraded URLs can create expanded text ads from Search Ads 360.
If you haven't migrated your account to Upgraded URLs, you can sign into Microsoft Advertising and create expanded text ads (or import them from Google Ads), but note the following limitations in Search Ads 360:
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Managing campaigns: Expanded text ads won't appear in Search Ads 360, and won't be copied if you copy campaigns in Search Ads 360.
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Measuring results: Engine and conversion metrics for expanded text ads are attributed to the correct keyword in Search Ads 360. Reports at the ad group level and higher will include metrics from expanded text ads.
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Automated bidding: Just as with standard text ads, clicks on expanded text ads contribute to the performance history that a bid strategy analyzes. Similarly, bid strategies adjust bids for keywords even if an ad group contains only expanded text ads.
You can only create and edit expanded text ads in your Microsoft Advertising accounts if they've been migrated to Upgraded URLs.
Google Ads, Yahoo! Japan, and Microsoft Advertising: Migrate inventory ad templates
In Google Ads, Yahoo! Japan, and Microsoft Advertising engine accounts, inventory campaigns and manual campaigns with inventory rules need to migrate inventory ad templates to start creating expanded text ads. Standard ad templates in the accounts no longer generate ads.
Copying campaigns with expanded text ads
When you copy campaigns that contain expanded text ads, Search Ads 360 copies the expanded text ads into the destination account (except for Baidu accounts, which don't support expanded text ads).
When an engine type stops supporting new standard text ads, Search Ads 360 will no longer copy standard text ads into the destination account. Only expanded text ads will be copied. Standard text ads will be ignored.
Ad copy tests and expanded text ads
You can't test expanded text ads in a mobile-only ad copy test. In an all-device ad copy test, metrics are collected for expanded text ads along with other ads in the ad group.
- All-device ads and expanded text ads. If the ad group contains mobile-preferred ads, the expanded text ads won't be included in the test.
- At least two expanded text ads and mobile-preferred ads. The ad group shouldn't contain other ad types.
In all engines except Yahoo! Gemini, Search Ads 360 generates a preview of the display URL. Some of these preview URLs might not match the display URL shown in engine itself.
This will not affect ad serving, quality score, or approvals.
Ready to get started?
- Create expanded text ads.
- Report on expanded text ads and standard text ads by clicking the Ads tab.