Google’s Responsive Search Ads Now Default Ad Type

Google recently announced that they have made their Responsive Search Ads the default ad type for all advertisers. This marks a continued emphasis on automated, machine-learning advertising for the tech giant. 

Lets dig a little deeper into Responsive Search Ads and why this decision was made.

Responsive Search Ads Refresh

Launched nearly three years ago, Responsive Search Ads have changed the way Google’s search ads are structured and served. 

Traditionally, ad assets like headlines and body copy would be fixed to each other. You could launch multiple ads each with specific assets and then Google would help you track their performance. You could then select an optimization option so that Google would give preference to your best performing ads. 

Responsive Search Ads expand on that idea by offering greater automation and the ability to rearrange individual assets. 

Each headline you create is tested in combination with each description. Google’s technology then identifies which combinations perform best.

They’re a great option because:

1. You save time by not having to do extensive A/B testing to determine what ad copy combos work best. 
2. Your audience is more likely to be served an ad that best suits them. 

The following image illustrates how Google’s ad optimization works: 

Why the Change?

The reason for Google making Responsive Search Ads the new default ad type is simple: They perform better than standard search ads. Therefore, it’s understandable that the company wants its advertisers using its most effective option.

Google provided additional reasoning for the change within their announcement: 

“Using machine learning, responsive search ads automatically identify the best combination of headlines and descriptions to deliver the right ad to the right person. In fact, we’ve seen advertisers that add responsive search ads in their ad groups achieve up to 10% more clicks and conversions.”

– Google

Other statistics provide further evidence that they indeed perform better, with one study showing that click-through rates alone improving 5-15% over regular search ads.

What does this mean?

If you’re already using Google ads, Responsive Search Ads becoming the default ad type won’t really affect you. You can still choose to launch standard search ads. 

However, this does show that Google is continuing to place more importance on advertising that learns from itself. It’s likely that this is a trend that will only continue to evolve over time, providing advertisers with less guessing and better performance.

If you use Google ads as a form of search traffic but have yet to try Responsive Search Ads, we highly recommend you do so. Just ensure that each headline and description make sense with each other. By doing so, you ensure each combination Google is testing has potential to be your top performer.