Google Ads allows users to write not only standard expanded text ads (ETA) but also responsive search ads (RSA). Although these ads are still available only in a beta version, Google made them accessible to most accounts and recommends that they are used together with ETA in the ratio of 1:2. Let’s take a look at RSA and learn to create them in Dotidot.
The option to create responsive ads is available in the search campaign settings, specifically under the “Ad Texts” tab.
The RSA generator doesn’t differ significantly from generators of standard ad texts or DSA.
Most things apply to all generators. Like the first section, for example.
First, give the generator a name (1.). The name serves information purposes only. The goal is to make the app easier to navigate; it isn’t copied into the ad text, unlike all the other parts which either are or affect the text in another way.
Using variables, choose the landing page (2.) for your ad texts. You can also set Path 1 and Path 2. This is solely about what the ad’s address will look like; paths have no effect on which page users are redirected to.
Onto the parts which are specific to RSA! First, headlines.
A single responsive ad can have 15 headlines at most. You can pin them to first, second, or third position—this tells the system what must be where and what you don’t want to experiment with. You can remove excess headline boxes by clicking on the bin icon, or add new ones by clicking “Add more”.
The same goes for descriptions. The only difference is that you can pin them only to the first and second positions and that there can be 4 of them at most.
In RSA, you can routinely use all types of variables—text, numerical, condition, and variable fields. Currently, Google doesn’t allow for ad customizers to be utilized with this type of ad, meaning that the price or discount isn’t copied dynamically, rather that a new ad is sent to Google Ads after each change.
The right part of the generator shows a real-time overview of ad texts which were created for individual items of a particular campaign.
RSA create many variations out of headlines and descriptions; Google Ads uses machine learning to find an ideal version of the ad. It’s easy to get lost in a large number of variations. That’s why Dotidot’s Preview, which you can find on the right, has an assistant for each RSA; it shows you the number of available variations and recommends headlines/description to be added, removed, or pinned.
As soon as all the headlines and descriptions are written, you move to other settings. You already know this part from other generators, namely conditions and time restriction. Conditions allow you to choose the products for which particular responsive search ads are or aren’t generated.
Conditions are shown in the branching of ad texts in the left part of the generator.
Time restriction is the generator’s final feature which allows you to set the period of time when ad texts are or aren’t generated.
Then, simply save the generator. You can of course always come back and edit it.
If you’d like to have more detailed information on what makes RSA so useful, how they work, or how to get as much out of them as possible, read our blog. :)