May 18, 2016 | 2 minute read

New “Expanded Text Ads” in Testing on Google

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By: Ginny H.

Online marketing experts are excited about a new expanded text ads format for Google AdWords that is currently in testing. The revised layout allows for longer headlines, longer display URLs, and more flexibility when it comes to ad copy. Termed “Expanded Text Ads”, this new format became possible when Google did away with right-column ads, moving all ads to the much wider mainline of its search results.

longer-headlines-currently-possible-–-with-a-catch">Longer Headlines Currently Possible – With a Catch

The test is not a total surprise, as Google has been displaying ads with longer headlines for a while already. The issue – as any online marketing expert will tell you – is how those headlines are formed.

Instead of giving marketers control over longer headlines, Google currently assembles expanded headlines itself. It does this by taking the first line of your ad’s copy and adding it onto the end of your headline. This reduces the amount of copy in your ad, and is viewed by many online marketing professionals as a lost opportunity since it robs marketers of the chance to create their own expanded headlines.

Tested Format a Win-Win-Win for Online Marketing

With the new format, all of these issues are taken care of, and online marketing teams have greater freedom when creating new ads than ever before. Many consider the Expanded Text Ad format to be a “win-win-win” for online marketing.

• Headlines under the new tested format are now allowed to be up to 70 characters, with no risk of Google “Frankenstein-ing” your headline together for you.
• The updated layout also condenses both lines of ad copy into a single field, meaning you can write your copy without having to worry about your first line being just a character too long.
• Finally, the new format allows for a second path or directory in your display URL. For instance, a display URL that previously ended with “/Laptops” can now end with “/Laptops/OneDaySale”.

No Word on Timeline for Rollout

As with many of its online marketing tests, Google has been tight-lipped about Expanded Text Ads. The new ad format is currently in closed beta, and Google is not saying when new participants will be invited to the program or what the timeline for a rollout would look like.

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