What is an expanded text ad?
Longer than the standard ads, the plus-size versions have a double headline and expanded text area, which allows advertisers to communicate more of their message.
Expanded text ads are designed to maximise a company’s presence and performance on mobile search and have been optimised for the screen sizes of the most popular smartphones. The new ads will be shown across all devices and will automatically wrap around based on device size.
They differ from the standard text ads we are used to in a few important ways, including:
-
Two headline fields (up to 30 characters each)
-
A single, expanded description field (up to 80 characters)
This means ads are twice as large and you now have 50% more ad text to convey your available jobs and company benefits!
Why has Google made this change?
Named as the biggest change to text ads since Google Adwords launched 20 years ago, this is a continuation of their mobile-first approach. With the recent removal of PPC ads from the right hand side of search results, this change is a natural progression due to the expanse of space left that needs filling.
What’s the benefit to recruitment?
The benefit of the expanded headlines and description field is that you have more space to communicate your jobs and accompanying message, which also means more characters to convince candidates to click on your ad.
They also allow for greater keyword usage, which can have a positive effect on the quality score of your ad, making it more competitive and potentially reducing your cost per click.
The new ad format also allows you to indicate to users where they are going to land on your site. This can help to reduce bounce rate by guiding a candidate’s expectations.
For example the URL www.companyname/ITManager/Apply clearly indicates to the candidate that they will be led directly to the application form.
Initial testing of expanded ads has seen CTR increase by as much as 20%. Here are our top tips to increase your click-through-rate:
-
Increase your quality scores now
The most important metric in your AdWords account, the quality score is Google’s ranking of the advert relevance. Based on a number of factors, including the relevance of your landing page and keywords, as well as the quality of your advert text, this metric is about to get more important. -
Use the extra text to say something new
Ensure ads are re-written to include new information. Make the most of the additional space and ensure content isn’t just repeated. -
Use the headlines to convey your most important message.
Headlines remain the most important part of the ad, so use this area for your key messaging. This may be the USP for the job role, the title, location or salary. -
Include the mobile-optimised ad extensions in your ads
Make the most of the available ad extensions and direct candidates straight to the job description. You should also offer quick links to company benefits as well as jobs by email, to target passive candidates at the same time.