Coming change puts the second line of ad copy in the corner as extensions take the spotlight.
When Google added ad extensions and formats to the Ad Rank formula last fall, the company essentially put a neon sign flashing “Ad Extensions Increase Click Through Rates” in that store window you walk by every day. Now, in another sign of the rise of ad extensions, Google has announced the second line of ad copy will often be replaced by an extension in mobile search ads.
In other words, Google has found that on our small mobile screens (and potentially big screens, too) ad extensions are better at engaging us than the ad copy advertisers have labored over for the past decade.
The change, which starts rolling out on October 15, means that Description line 2 of mobile search ads may not show depending on “how well it’s expected to perform” in driving engagement. Instead callouts, location extensions or sitelinks may take its place.
Below is an example from Google showing what this change will look like. Notice the ad copy is cut off and a location extension is instead shown below the sitelinks in the second version.
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By eliminating the second line of ad text, we give businesses another point of engagement with customers in their ads — in this case, it’s the additional location extension,” explains AdWords product manager Senthil Hariramasamy in the announcement.
If you already write ads that have a distinct sentence in the first line, you may not need to make any changes because that line will continue to appear alongside the headline as it does in this ad below.
If you’re not using distinct sentences in the first line, start thinking about whether you’re leading with your strongest copy in mobile preferred ads.
With this change, advertisers are strongly encouraged to set up ads specifically for mobile devices and to enable every relevant ad extension for their business.
Notice that neon sign getting brighter?
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