Earlier this year Google officially announced they were retiring their old style of AdWords text ads in favour of a newer generation of Expanded Text Ads (ETA’s). ETA’s are designed to give advertisers the opportunity to better describe their offerings, and optimise performance on mobile devices to better reach potential customers on the go. Starting January 31st 2017, AdWords will no longer support standard text ads. The deadline is here!
10 things you need to know about ETA’s:
- ETA’s now have two headlines instead of one. Both headlines are separated by a hyphen “-“. This may wrap beyond the first line in a mobile view.
- Headlines are now 30 characters each (60 total). Standard text ads had only a single 25-character headline. You now have 35 extra characters to play with!
- There is now only one description line. Standard text ads had two description lines but they’ve now been merged into one.
- The new description line is now 80 characters. Standard text ads had only 70 characters combined so you have an extra 10 characters to use in a single description line.
- The domain of the display URL is now based on the final URL. The final URL is your landing page – ETA’s will now automatically display this below the headline and above the description.
- ETA’s are already mobile optimised. You no longer need to create separate mobile ads – ETA’s have been designed to be much more flexible based on the user’s device.
- ETA’s still support ad extensions. Ad extensions still work in the same way as before.
- This is an opportunity to rethink your messaging – and so will your competitors! As the description lines have been consolidated, you now have much more space to work with. The more descriptive your offer, the more attractive it is to your customers.
- All previous AdWords editorial policies still apply. It’s important to note that editorial policies still apply – so you still need keep those unnecessary exclamation marks to a minimum!!!
- You have until the end of January 2017. January 31st 2017 marks the date in which AdWords will officially no longer support the creation or editing of standard text ads.
Upperdog always stay ahead of the curve – that’s why our clients never have to worry about these sorts of things! Need some expert advice on Google AdWords? Get in touch with the Upperdog team today, we specialise in PPC services and are an official Google Partner. Call us on 01202 798 820 or email hello@upperdog.co.uk.