Expanded Text Ads Blurring The Lines Between SEO and PPC
Is PPC becoming more important than SEO? How will Expanded Text Ads effect organic search?
Expanded Text Ads are available to all advertisers using AdWords. These adverts will include two headline fields, of up to 30 characters each, as well as one description field, which can be expanded and include up to 80 characters. Many believe that this will only make the lines between organic and paid search marketing even more blurred, whereas others are recognising the benefits. Below, we take a look at Expanded Text Ads in further depth.
What you need to know about Expanded Text Ads
Expanded Text Ads have been designed to maximise your performance and presence on mobile search results, as they are twice the size of current text ads, providing you with an extra long description and a bigger headline. While they will benefit mobile devices, Expanded Text Ads are going to be visible on all devices, and they will adapt based on the device they are being viewed on. It may sound like a small change on the surface, but Google has described it as the biggest amendment to text ads since the launch of AdWords 15 years ago.
The pros and cons of Expanded Text Ads
So, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of this change to AdWords. One benefit is that your business’ Click-Through-Rate (CTR) is likely to improve as a result of Expanded Text Ads because you can hyper-target the market and buyers. You can also expect search engine result pages to increase due to the longer form. In fact, early indications from Wordstream claim that the increase is as large as 20 per cent. Of course, the move is also beneficial for Google too, boosting their potential ad revenue.
You also need to consider that you have roughly double the copy available to you, leading to a greater chance of increasing traffic and/or selling products. This is because you can display your business in a better manner, as you are able to provide more details about it.
If your business currently does not use Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising, now would be the time to consider it. Expanded Text Ads will provide severe and harsh competition. With over half of all users search via mobile we need to remember that there is only one top spot on a mobile device, when the text is expanded, the second and third positions will be pushed further down. The first and easiest step is brand term monitoring. You will assess competing businesses that are starting to appear for their brand terms. You also need to weight up the value of gaining visibility above other businesses in your industry and the expense of paid advertising above organic listings.
One potential negative is that there will be a detrimental impact on site traffic if you are now below-the-fold in the organic results. Traditionally, the leading search engine has lost value to websites that do not run a paid campaign and have a high organic position. However, a lot of these businesses will now have to revise their expectations regarding organic traffic and revenue, as they will now need to pay Google for more of the business it drives instead.
As you can see, the breakthrough of Expanding Text Ads will have a big impact on the advertising industry. Remember time is running out Google has announced that it will phase out the old, standard ad format on January 31, 2017. You must transition all ads to the new ETA by this date. If you would like to adopt this format, and there are clearly many reasons why you should, we can assist. Contact Allways Media today on +44 (0) 330 333 8718 to get started.