Say Goodbye to ETAs as RSAs Become the Default Search Ad
The time has come. It is time to say goodbye to ETAs and embrace RSAs as the new default search ad. Google will be sunsetting ETAs after 30th June 2022 whilst Microsoft have pushed their migration back to the 29th August 2022.
What are ETAs
For years, Expanded Text Ads (ETAs) have been the most widely used ads in paid search. They originally allowed two headlines and two 80-character descriptions but were later upgraded to provide a third headline and two 90-character descriptions. A considerable step up from their predecessors, the Standard Text Ads, which consisted of one 25-character headline and two 35-character description lines.
What are RSAs
Responsive search ads (RSAs) adapt to show more relevant messages to your customers. RSAs allow you to create up to fifteen headlines and four 90-character descriptions. Google and Microsoft then optimise your ad in each search by using their machine learning to select which headlines and descriptions are shown to each user. The idea being that by adapting your ad’s content to more closely match potential customers’ search terms, responsive search ads may improve your campaign’s performance.
Pros and Cons of RSAs
One of the main advantages of RSAs is also one of the key areas for concern. The automation provided by these ads allows you to test multiple headlines and descriptions within one ad, but you have to give up a degree of control to do it.
As mentioned earlier, when you create an RSA, you provide assets including up to fifteen headlines and four descriptions. Each time the ad is served a maximum of three headlines and two descriptions will show. These assets are chosen by Google’s and Microsoft’s algorithms and can be shown in any order. This is what we mean by giving up control.
The response to this is an option that allows you to pin assets to particular positions. So, if you want your brand to always appear as the first headline you would need to pin it to that position. This option to pin assets increases your control over the ad but lowers the ad’s testing capabilities
Why is this happening?
Both Google and Microsoft are saying that the move to RSAs will help improve performance.
This change will help simplify the way you create Search ads and make it easier for you to drive performance with our automated tools … This means that you can drive incremental conversions and create fewer ads—all while spending more time on strategic initiatives for your business.
“Making it easier to show the right message on Search” Google Ads Help, August 31, 2021
https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/11031467?hl=en
But some marketers are worried that this just gives more power to Google’s and Microsoft’s algorithms. Something that Microsoft have stated will help the collective.
We’ve found that more advertisers in the marketplace using RSAs is better for collective advertiser performance as it improves the intelligence of our machine learning models. With that, we are confident this migration will help continue to boost your ROI and future-proof your campaigns while giving you back some precious time. Migrating to embrace the power of automation with RSAs will help you easily produce highly customized ad copy to reach customers with the most potential to convert once on your website.
“Deadline for migration to Responsive Search Ads extended to August 29, 2022” Microsoft Advertising Blog, April 20, 2022
https://about.ads.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/post/april-2022/deadline-for-migration-to-responsive-search-ads-extended-to-august-29-2022
What should you do?
Whether you have your doubts over giving up control or are already embracing the power of machine learning, this change is happening. So, what can you do?
Firstly, remember that at this time ETAs have not gone completely. Any ETAs you currently use will continue to serve and you’ll still see reports on their performance. However, you will be limited to altering their status. This means that you will be able to pause, resume or remove the ads but you will not be able to edit the copy or create new ones.
Next, use this time to review your accounts, get used to creating RSAs and test them out. Check that each ad group has at least one RSA running whilst you still have the safety net that your current ETAs provide. Given previous changes made to ads we expect that at some time in the near future ETAs will be removed entirely, so it is best to be prepared.