PPC ad copy character limits have been one of the most challenging components of Pay per Click. Google AdWords has announced/released Expanded Text Ads (ETA). While this new update to the Ad format gives advertisers more characters to use, does it make this challenge any easier?
The new Ads increase the character limit on the Headline, add an additional new Headline, and combine the two description lines into a longer single block of text. Here are the specific details:
| Old (Traditional) Ad Format | New Expanded Text Ads (ETA) | |
| Headline 1 |
25 Characters |
30 Characters |
| Headline 2 |
N/A |
30 Characters |
| Description Line(s) |
35 + 35 Characters |
80 Characters |
| Display URL |
35 Characters |
Your URL + 15 + 15 Characters |
| Total |
130 Characters |
170 + Your URL |
While ETAs are available now, October 26th January 31, 2017 (Google just gave you more time) is when Expanded Text Ads will be the default text ad format shown when you conduct a search on Google or create a new Ad Copy in AdWords.
This change furthers Google’s attempt to align a user’s experience on all devices (desktop, tablet, and mobile). In addition to a consistent user experience, Google is reporting that the testing of Expanded Text Ads has boosted Click-through rates (CTR) as much as 10-20%. These additional clicks bring more visitors to your site and offer more opportunities for new leads, online sales, and revenue.
All Ad Extension (Location, Call, Sitelinks, Callouts, Review, and more) will continue to work with Expanded Text Ads. However, if your Ad Copy and Ad Extensions are duplicates of each other, then they will be less likely to be shown.
Along with Ad Extensions, Dynamic Keyword Insertion (DKI) and Ad Customizers will continue to work within Expanded Text Ads. With the increase in character limits, not only will these features work, but they are easier to fit into your Ads.
I am very excited for this change! More characters mean we can communicate more features, benefits, and unique selling propositions. As I am writing new Ads in the Expanded Text Ad format, I am working on utilizing DKI and Ad Customizers. I look forward to improved Quality Score, higher CTRs, and lower Cost per Click. More importantly for our clients, these new ads should result in more Conversions (Leads and Sales) at a lower Cost per Acquisition (CPA), and higher Return on Ad Spend (ROAS). Larger character limits may not make Ad Copywriting easier, but it will be interesting to see how advertisers use them. How are you planning on utilizing the additional characters in your PPC Ads?