All you need to know about Google RSAs

What are Responsive Search Ads (RSAs)?

Responsive Search Ads (RSAs) are the current search advert format on Google Ads. These will contain your ad copy and content for your search ads, consisting of up to 15 headlines and 4 descriptions. Headlines have a character limit of 30, whereas you can go further in depth with descriptions, which sit at a character limit of 90. Ads that are served to users will include up to 3 headlines and 2 descriptions.

Once created, Google will provide ad strength feedback, ranging from poor to excellent. It’s best to aim for a “Good” or “Excellent” ranking - with Google providing recommendations on how to boost this score. These include adding more headlines and including chosen keywords into headlines. 

How do RSAs work?

Google will test these submitted headlines and descriptions in different combinations, automatically collecting data on which combination performs best over time, depending on the search term entered by the user.

This means that the most relevant combinations will be presented based on different queries, increasing the relevance of the ad. Simply put, you provide the assets (headlines and descriptions) and Google builds the ad using their AI technology, sending the best-scoring combinations to the auction.

If you are wanting more control over the appearance of your ad, Google has provided the user with the ‘pin’ tool. You can pin a headline or description into a certain position, guaranteeing that this pinned asset is always shown into this specified slot. You might want to use this feature if you have a promotion or strong USP you want to push out.

How to create a Successful RSA

1. Provide at least 8-10 headlines

Google recommends providing multiple headline options as this gives more opportunities ‘to serve ads that more closely match your potential customers’ search queries, which can improve your ad performance.’

The more headlines provided, the more variants Google can test. Make the most out of those 15 available headlines!

2. Provide a wide variety of copy

Take the opportunity to highlight a range of features, benefits and promotions. Think about what makes your business stand out against competitors - what would make a user click on your ad over another company?

You also have plenty of opportunities to test out a range of CTAs, from more urgent ‘buy now’ messaging, to ‘browse our collection’. 

Remember your headlines can show in any order, so it's important to not be overly repetitive. If your headlines or descriptions are too similar, Google won’t even show your search ad.

3. Only pin when necessary 

Pinning can be a great tool when there's a specific message or promotion you want to highlight, but it's important to use it sparingly. By pinning just one headline, you are already decreasing the amount of testing run by Google on the RSA by 75%!

Use performance data to experiment with using pinned and unpinned copy to see what works best for you.

4. Use the asset report to update copy

Google will provide a ranking and number of impressions of each headline and description in the asset report. This is found under the RSA in the ads tab.

Use these to weed out low ranking/low impression keywords and replace them with fresh new copy. Next to this report is the combination report, where you can see the combinations in which Google has placed your headlines and descriptions. This will help you understand what works best together. 

How to Monitor the Performance of RSAs

Monitoring the performance of RSAs couldn’t be easier! Google ads provide you with data on a wide variation of key metrics, including clicks, impressions, CTR, conversions and CPL. Here’s some important metrics you should keep an eye on to guaranteed RSA success:

CTR: CTR stands for ‘click through rate’. Click through rate is a strong indicator of the relevance of your ad. A high CTR rate shows your audience is engaged with your ads. A low CTR highlights improvement can be made, with users likely more enticed by your competitors offering over yours.

Conversion Rate: Conversion rate is another metric that provides you insight into the relevancy of your ad with the users being served your RSA. This tracks the percentage of clicks which turned into a conversion/lead. A low conversion rate likely means that the final destination does not match with what the user was searching for. Try using a different final URL or revising your keywords.

ROAS & CPCs: ROAS stands for return on ad spend and CPC stands for cost per click. These indicate the financial position of the ad and give you an insight into how cost-effective the campaign is. You want to make sure these sit at an efficient level. 

For support with your Google Ads, get in touch now!