A responsive search ad (RSA) is the standard text ad format in Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising. You write a set of headlines and descriptions, and the platform assembles combinations for each auction based on what it predicts will perform. Expanded text ads, the older fixed format, can no longer be created in Google Ads; that change took effect in mid-2022.
The format
Google allows up to 15 headlines of up to 30 characters and up to 4 descriptions of up to 90 characters per RSA. An ad typically shows up to three headlines and two descriptions at a time, though fewer may show depending on space.
- Write headlines that each make sense on their own and in any order.
- Cover different angles: the query, a benefit, a proof point, a call to action, pricing or trial details.
- Include the main keyword in a few headlines, not all of them.
- Use pinning sparingly, for legal text or a headline that must always show.
Ad strength and asset reporting
Google shows an ad strength rating that rewards variety and keyword inclusion. It is a guide to how much the system has to work with, not a direct measure of performance. Asset reports show which headlines and descriptions were served most and, at a coarse level, how they performed.
Swapping out weak assets over time is how RSAs are tested. Classic A/B testing of whole ads is harder because the combinations change with each auction.
Example
Writing for a competitor-alternative ad group
Hypothetical company Ashcombe writes an RSA for searches about switching from a rival. Headlines include the category, “Switch in an Afternoon”, “Import Your Data Free”, a pricing headline, and a “Compare Plans” call to action. It pins nothing, then checks the asset report after a month and replaces the two least-served headlines.
Common mistakes
Fifteen versions of one headline
Near-identical headlines give the system little to test. Vary the message, not just the wording.
Pinning everything
Pinning every position turns the RSA back into a fixed ad and removes most of the benefit.
Questions
Existing expanded text ads can keep running and be paused or removed, but you cannot create new ones or edit their text in Google Ads.
