How to Write Effective Responsive Search Ads in 3 Simple Steps

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Silvio Perez

Google Ads responsive search ads (RSA) don’t leave a ton of room available. 

With 30 character headlines, and 90 character descriptions. 

It’s tough to write persuasive and effective copy. 

In this article you’ll learn a simple 3-step framework to write responsive search ads. 

Let’s dive into it 👇

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TABLE OF CONTENTS:

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The 3-Part Google Ads RSA Writing Framework

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Here's a simple 3-part framework for writing Google Ads copy:

  • The goal of headline 1 = match intent
  • The goal of headline 2 = differentiate between other results
  • The goal of headline 3 = provide a clear CTA

Keyword: b2b google ads course

  • H1: Free B2B Google Ads Course (matches intent)
  • H2: No Lesson Longer Than 10-Mins (differentiates)
  • H3: Join 1,000+ B2B Marketers (clear CTA)

Here's what it looks like in practice (image below):

google ads responsive search ad promoting a free B2B Google Ads course with lessons under 10 minutes from adconversion.com.

When writing, always assume the H3 isn't visible, and if only the H1 was displayed would they get it? 

(Google is always testing different display variations)

From here you would write different variations per position. 

With ensuring legibility between headline combinations. 

Simple but effective ✌️let’s dive into each headline further. 

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The goal of headline 1 = match intent

You’ve got a fraction of a second for a prospect searching on Google to understand if your ad is relevant to their search term. 

Don’t mess this up by being vague, asking rhetorical questions, or wasting valuable characters. 

Quote from David Ogilvy emphasizing the importance of headlines, stating they attract five times more readers than body copy.

When it comes to Google Ads the headline 1 position would be eighty cents out of your dollar. 

Maximize your headline 1 by adding the primary keyword in your copy to match intent. 

This is such a simple thing to do, and equally not to. 

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The goal of headline 2 = differentiate between other results

Now that you’ve caught the searchers attention by matching intent it’s time to stand out. 

Here’s a real example of what NOT to do from ads that appeared searching SOC2 compliance:

Google search results for SOC 2 compliance, highlighting responsive search ads with search intent matching issues.

The sequence of which you write your headlines matter.

This is why I recommend following the 3-part framework as shown. 

Use the headline 2 position to write a core benefit or outcome for differentiation. 

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The goal of headline 3 = provide a clear CTA

Finally in the third headline it’s time to provide a clear call to action. 

This can be as simple as: 

  • Request a Demo
  • See For Yourself
  • Learn More Today! 

When writing your H3 just assume it won’t be visible most of the time as Google is always experimenting with how they display headlines. 

The Anatomy of a Responsive Search Ad

Now that you understand how to approach writing RSA copy.

Let’s discuss how responsive search ads actually function. 

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Character counts for Responsive Search Ads

  • You can write up to 15 headlines, and 4 descriptions. 
  • 30 characters available per headline
  • 90 characters available per description 
google ads ad creation

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How Responsive Search Ads work

The idea behind responsive ads is Google will take your 15 headlines and 4 descriptions and automatically combine them to find the optimal variations based on machine learning. 

The promise is you can leverage Google’s AI to do the heavy lifting as it will take into account a multitude of factors including keywords, search terms, devices, audience demographics and more. 

Google also tries to guide advertisers on how well their doing when writing responsive search ads with their Ad Strength metric 💩(which we’ll cover in detail shortly). 

With each headline and description you have the opportunity to pin positions.

This is where you’re forcing Google to only serve those variations within that specific placement. 

Google Ads responsive search ad preview for free B2B advertising courses featuring pinned headlines and descriptions.

Should you pin headlines and descriptions in Google Ads?

The answer here is an unequivocal YES, because if your ads aren’t legible they won’t be clicked. 

In a perfect world Google will automatically combine your headline and descriptions perfectly based on performance AND legibility but in reality it doesn’t happen. 

Instead you end up with a bunch of variations like this: 

Google search result for email marketing featuring a responsive search ad by Mailchimp with unpinned headlines.
Google search result for event hosting platform showing Hivebrite’s responsive search ad with unpinned headlines.
Google search result for sales prospecting showing Lusha’s responsive search ad with unpinned headlines.

I personally would LOVE ♥ ️ if Google’s AI can mix and match ads perfectly for performance and legibility but unfortunately the tech still isn’t there.

So in order to prevent this from happening I recommend strategic pinning. 

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How to pin Google Ads headlines strategically

In order to get the benefits of both Google’s AI to mix and match top performing headline/description combinations AND legibility you’ll need to pin strategically. 

Here’s what it looks like in practice: 

  • Write 2-3 variations of Headline 1 and pin to position 1
  • Write 2-3 variations of Headline 2 and pin to position 2
  • Write 2-3 variations of Headline 3 and pin to position 3
  • Write 2 variations of Description 1 and pin to position 1
  • Write 2 variations of Description 2 and pin to position 2
Google Ads responsive search ad setup with multiple pinned headlines for B2B advertising courses.

This will give you the benefit of testing multiple variations per position but safely as you can control which possible combinations are matched for legibility. 

What is Ad strength and does it matter? 

Ad strength is a score created by Google to help advertisers optimize their ad performance ranging from Incomplete → Poor → Average → Good → Excellent. 

Google Ads responsive search ad setup showing ad strength and suggestions for improvement

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Ad strength misconceptions to be aware of

  1. Ad strength has ZERO bearing on actual performance, it's just a predictor of it. 
  2. Having a poor ad strength doesn’t mean your ad won’t actually perform well.
  3. Having a poor ad strength doesn’t mean your ads won’t receive impressions. 

What determines if your ad appears is your Ad Rank. 

Formula for Google Ads ad rank showing Max Bid, Quality Score, and Expected Impact of Ad Extensions.

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Pin strategically with 2-3 variations of headlines and you’ll be ok, it’s also what Google suggests if you decide to pin. 

Google Ads responsive search ad tips for improving ad strength by adding more unique headlines and keywords.

Advanced copy tips for writing Responsive Search Ads 

Now that you know how to write effective responsive search ads let’s wrap with some advanced tips you can implement to make your ads perform even better. 

Implement Dynamic Keyword Insertion (DKI)

Dynamic Keyword Insertion allows you to change your ad copy in real time based on the keywords that are triggering your ads in order to create more relevant experiences. 

Currently there are 3 types of DKI available:

  • Keyword Insertion = insert the keyword that triggers your ad
  • Countdown = insert a timer that counts down to an event
  • Location insertion = insert the location that triggers your ad 
Google Ads responsive search ad setup options including keyword insertion, countdown, and location insertion.

Test variations of your RSAs using relevant DKI parameters vs not to see if it impacts performance. 

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Leverage Business Name, Logo, and Image Ad Extensions

Now that Google allows you to highlight your business name and logo in your RSA, don't waste the characters anymore referencing your brand in your ad copy. 

Save those valuable characters as you’re already getting brand awareness and instead maximize each character according to the 3-Part Google Ads RSA writing framework.  

Ad extensions should always be used as a best practice but when it comes to writing effective Google Ads copy don’t forget to utilize your extensions to provide more information. 

Hope you found this article helpful, best of luck on your next set of ads! 

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Silvio Perez
Want to level up your B2B advertising skill set?
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