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What are the drawbacks of responsive search ads? The downside of RSAs is that you have less control over the actual ad text as Google is in charge here – you’re not able to see the final ad copy before it’s served. RSAs are also not the best fit for a granular campaign structure, but rather better suited for generic campaigns. Let’s have a look at the following example to understand the reasoning behind this statement: Imagine, you’re a retailer wanting to promote your entire product catalog by taking a granular advertising approach. You create one ad group per product which includes the product title as the main keyword. Corresponding ETAs are in place and work well – you include the main keyword in the headline or description line, making these ads completely tailored to the advertised product. However, RSA became the new default ad type and you consider using them. But, are RSAs a good fit for you? When using RSAs, you need to make sure that each headline is unique and combinable with other text assets. Ideally, you use the product title once to avoid repetition. Also, this will ensure that each text asset can be mixed and matched. Without a doubt, these suggested key prerequisites make it more challenging to promote your products effectively. In other words, you have a lot to keep in mind when working with RSAs. And if you don’t stick to the suggested guidelines on how to use this ad type, you may lose potential customers by showing „irrelevant ads“ – e.g. When showing ads that don’t refer to the product because you don’t include the product title in the text ad at all. A possible workaround could be to pin content (product title) to specific positions. However, this would interfere with how the algorithm works. In short, RSA may not be the best fit if you have a granular campaign structure in place given it limits testing capabilities and the RSA functionality, which would result in no added value. Responsive search ads: tips, best practices, and examples Be smart about how you use the space you have to communicate your offering. Also, ensure to write content that makes sense as every asset of your ad can be assembled in any order. Using responsive search ads vs. expanded text ads: What you need to keep in mind According to Google, responsive search ads enable you to reach more potential customers with multiple headlines and descriptions which allow your ads to compete in more auctions and match more queries“. Therefore, it is highly likely that your ad group performance improves because responsive search ads attract more clicks and conversions. So far so good. In theory, it all seems reasonable. Here’s my take on it: There’s nothing wrong with using either responsive search ads or expanded text ads. Each ad type has its advantages and disadvantages and every advertiser has different needs to fulfill. Therefore, it’s really up to you to find the approach that works best for you and your business. Are responsive search ads a good fit for a granular campaign structure? RSAs are probably not the best fit for a granular campaign structure, particularly when it comes to a structure that consists of single keyword ad groups (SKAGs). The proven method, in this case, is to include the main keyword in the headline. However, RSAs don’t guarantee that because they’re assembled automatically, thus, leaving you without control over the actual text being displayed in the end. Yes, you have the option to pin content to include your main keyword in relevant places making sure it will be shown in your ad. Nevertheless, as already said, this interferes with the functionality of RSAs. To get a clearer picture of how RSAs might affect your performance results, testing them with pinned content and without pinned content in selected ad groups is something you should consider. Is responsive a better fit for generic campaigns or a less granular campaign structure? There are advantages to using responsive search ads for generic campaigns or a less granular campaign structure. This also applies if you have fewer ad groups with different keywords to manage. You need less time to create different ads tailored to each keyword. It is possible to use keyword insertion to display search queries in your ad texts. You can easily combine RSAs with smart bidding. My two cents: Smart bidding strategies need as much data as possible to function properly. Generally, the trend is to optimise your campaigns for smart bidding and have fewer campaigns with more ad groups containing different keywords. However, such a campaign structure might not be beneficial for every advertiser or campaign type. To sum it up shortly, both ad types are reasonable to use. It’s just a matter of finding what fits best to your campaign structure and enables you to pursue your goals. Final Word The online advertising universe is complex and offers numerous opportunities for retailers to promote their products. And Google plays an active role in this by continuously introducing new features and updates favouring automation at scale. Automation at scale: What it means for advertisers and performance results Thanks to automation you can reduce manual effort and allocate resources where it matters most. Particularly, you can focus on strategic matters and dedicate more time to monitoring performance results, driving test initiatives and optimise where you need to. The expectation that you achieve better results with less effort, however, is something there is no definite answer to. Performance depends on many factors including product and campaign types, campaign structure, industry trends, economic circumstances, etc. One thing is certain though: The more data you have, the better – because you learn where your performance is strong but also where to improve. Once you know where and what to optimise, you can act accordingly. One last tip: If you’d like to dig even deeper into the topic, make sure you check out our free webinar on RSAs vs. ETAs.