• Search Engine Land
  • Sections
    • SEO
    • SEM
    • Local
    • Retail
    • Google
    • Bing
    • Social
    • Resources
    • More
    • Home
  • Search Engine Land
  • SEO
  • SEM
  • Local
  • Retail
  • Google
  • Bing
  • Social
  • Resources
  • Live
  • More
  • Events
  • SUBSCRIBE

Search Engine Land

Search Engine Land
  • SEO
  • SEM
  • Local
  • Retail
  • Google
  • Bing
  • Social
  • Resources
  • More
  • Newsletters
  • Home
SEM

Tips on testing responsive search ads

Are the additional characters or RSAs generating better results or more problems?

Ginny Marvin on February 4, 2019 at 4:16 pm
  • More

Cara deBeer of Catalyst discussed ad testing at SMX West last week.

Have you been testing Google’s responsive search ads, but are still not sure what to make of them? You’re not alone.

Cara deBeer, paid search director at Catalyst, and Brad Geddes, co-founder of Adalysis, discussed what they’ve seen so far from testing responsive search ads (RSAs) against enhanced text ads (ETAs) in a session at SMX West last week.

In her presentation, deBeer discussed some of the limitations of RSAs (namely detailed reporting) and ways to evaluate how your RSAs are really doing. Looking at case studies from client accounts, deBeer showed test results at the aggregated account level that seemed to indicate mixed results — lower click-through rates (CTR), higher conversion rates (CVR) — for RSAs compared to ETAs. Looking at various segments, however, the data looked a bit different.

Label and segment for deeper insights

“We need to dig into various segments to see areas for opportunity, even if it looks like RSAs aren’t doing well,” said deBeer.

She showed results segmented by device, match type, brand and non-brand, at the product level by geographic market to identify pockets of insights.

Her parting advice was, “Everyone should test RSAs, but not everyone should test them all the time.”

If you’re in a regulated area like pharma or need to tightly control your ad copy, RSAs are not for you. But, deBeer said, if you want to take advantage of the additional real estate of RSAs, are able to label the different ad formats for analysis and have a handful of top, high volume ad groups that will allow you to use existing reporting and be able to segment your results, then she recommends testing RSAs.

Geddes presented data looking across thousands of accounts. This aggregated data suggested using RSAs “if you want high CTRs on broad matched keywords and aren’t conversion focused” and to use ETAs “if you are conversion focused.” On the whole, Geddes says they see RSAs driving higher CTR and lower CVR than enhanced text ads. In other words, RSA can function well for driving upper-funnel traffic.

Back to basics

Both deBeer and Geddes stressed that results will vary and everyone should run their own tests.

To truly have success with RSAs — or any text ad format — Geddes said, advertisers need to put thought into their ads and get back to basics of messaging benefits versus features. When ETAs first came on the scene, for example, Geddes said people complained they didn’t work, but often were just tacking on their first part of a description line into the second headline rather than revamping their creative approach to the new format.

That includes the understanding that your third headline may not show and that ads should engage people.

“Most web CTAs are terrible,” he noted, to an audience of nodding heads. Instead of “Subscribe to our newsletter,” Geddes suggested something more useful such as, “Subscribe to powerful marketing tips.”


Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.



About The Author

Ginny Marvin
Ginny Marvin was Third Door Media’s former Editor-in-Chief (October 2018 to December 2020), running the day to day editorial operations across all publications and overseeing paid media coverage. Ginny Marvin writes about paid digital advertising and analytics news and trends for Search Engine Land, Marketing Land and MarTech Today. With more than 15 years of marketing experience, Ginny has held both in-house and agency management positions. She can be found on Twitter as @ginnymarvin.

Related Topics

Channel: SEMSMX® - Search Marketing Expo & Conference Series

We're listening.

Have something to say about this article? Share it with us on Facebook, Twitter or our LinkedIn Group.

Get the daily newsletter search marketers rely on.

Processing...Please wait.

See terms.

ATTEND OUR EVENTS

Lorem ipsum doler this is promo text about SMX events.

April 13, 2021: SMX Create

May 18-19, 2021: SMX London

June 8-9, 2021: SMX Paris

June 15-16, 2021: SMX Advanced

June 21-22, 2021: SMX Advanced Europe

August 17, 2021: SMX Convert

November 9-10, 2021: SMX Next

December 14, 2021: SMX Code

Available On-Demand: SMX

Available On-Demand: SMX Report

×


Learn More About Our SMX Events

Discover actionable tactics that can help you overcome crucial marketing challenges. Our next conference will be held:

Next Event: Sept. 14-15, 2021

Available On-Demand: March 2021

Available On-Demand: October 2020

×

Attend MarTech - Click Here


Learn More About Our MarTech Events

White Papers

  • Gartner Magic Quadrant for Digital Experience Platforms
  • Selecting a Customer Data Platform For Your Organization: The 2020 Gartner Market Guide
  • The Complete Guide to Web Core Vitals
  • The New Era of Automation in SEO
  • Nielsen Annual Marketing Report: Era of Adaptation
See More Whitepapers

Webinars

  • Drive Customer Engagement with the Power of Personalization
  • 7 Use Cases That Prove Why You Should Implement DAM
  • Accelerate Your SEO & Content Marketing Program with 4 Key Milestones
See More Webinars

Research Reports

  • Local Marketing Solutions for Multi-Location Businesses
  • Enterprise Digital Asset Management Platforms
  • Identity Resolution Platforms
  • Customer Data Platforms
  • B2B Marketing Automation Platforms
  • Call Analytics Platforms
See More Research

Attend SMX For Only $149

h
Receive daily search news and analysis.

Channels

  • SEO
  • SEM
  • Local
  • Retail
  • Google
  • Bing
  • Social

Our Events

  • SMX
  • MarTech

Resources

  • White Papers
  • Research
  • Webinars

About

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Marketing Opportunities
  • Staff

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Newsletters
  • RSS
  • Youtube

© 2021 Third Door Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Your privacy means the world to us. We share your personal information only when you give us explicit permission to do so, and confirm we have your permission each time. Learn more by viewing our privacy policy.Ok