Dramatic, yes – but probably true. This didn’t get a ton of fanfare when it was announced a couple months ago, but it’s pretty widespread these days. AdWords has done away with (or it will soon anyway) the original text ads that we’ve been using for more than a decade. Expanded Text Ads (ETAs) have launched to all advertisers and soon will be the exclusive text ad type in your AdWords account.

While it’s a big change, it’s a great one. Expanded text ads are just that – expanded. No longer will your ads be limited to a 25 character headline and two 35 character description lines. Now you have two 30 character headlines, and one 80 character description line. Enjoy your 45 extra characters. Use them to convince your customers with a compelling CTA, showcase an extra feature that you weren’t able to fit otherwise, or list a price range of your products.

If you expect your CTRs to rise, you’re probably right. This Blog Post From WordStream indicates that their clients have seen a 12% increase in CTR across the board using ETAs versus regular text ads. Here at Crank Conversion, that CTR increase is closer to 60%!
While we’re seeing higher CTRs for ETAs in general, the feature is live for all accounts now. It’s possible that as more and more advertisers take advantage of ETAs, the relative gains we’ve seen will dissipate. Only time will tell.

The new feature is live in your account now as well as in AdWords Editor. Use the new Path fields to upgrade your display URL and keyword insertion as always to make your ads super-relevant. Reach out to Danny or Mike at Crank Conversion if you have any questions at all.