Like Me? Follow Me.
Google has changed the placement of the first description line for certain ads that appear above the organic search results.
“For some ads where each line appears to be a distinct sentence & ends in the proper punctuation, description line 1 will be moved to the headline & separated by a hyphen”.
Of course not all ads will be shown with the new longer headings. It only applies to the top 3 ads shown above the organic results – not ads shown on the right hand side of the page, meaning you must have a high enough bid, and indeed quality score, to be in the top positions. This again emphasises the importance of having a good quality score and a well optimised campaign.
Why is Google doing this?
This seems to be another step towards making the paid search results look more like organic listings, blurring the lines between the two and potentially confusing searchers into clicking on ads. Undoubtedly the main aim for Google is to improve conversion rates & therefore bring in further advertising revenue. When you combine this with ad extensions which also only apply to the top 3 positions, competition will only increase for these positions, meaning an increase in bid prices & CPC’s.
What does this mean for the advertiser?
We here at I-COM see this as an important opportunity in helping clients stand out from their competitors and avoid getting left behind. The difficulty with testing the effects of this new feature lies in the fact that they only show for the top 3 ads. Although initial results have been slow we have already seen increases in CTR and Conversion rates for a number of clients. We believe this is only likely to increase further, meaning even more need to enhance a campaign's Quality Score through ads, keyword and landing page optimisation.
Well optimised, relevant ads will undoubtedly perform better, leading to more relevant clicks and potential conversions.
This small change is a great opportunity and an easy way to steal a march on your competitors, meaning you won't get left behind.
To speak to an AdWords expert about the implications of Google's changes to paid search, contact I-COM's PPC team.
Discussion
Leave a Reply