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I recently discovered a strategy that boosted our Google Ads conversions by a whopping 70%, and it all comes down to one simple change in how we structure our ad copy. This tweak has worked consistently across multiple client accounts, and I’m excited to share it with you so you can implement it in your campaigns and see the results for yourself.
The One Simple Change for Big Results
What Did We Test?
My team at Big Flare and I decided to run a series of split tests on our approach to Responsive Search Ads. We tested various combinations, including the number of headlines, the use of pinned headlines, the number of ads per ad group, and more. After extensive testing, we found that one simple change can lead to significant performance improvements, even if it goes against Google’s recommendations.
The most impactful test we ran was reducing the number of headlines and descriptions in our Responsive Search Ads. Here’s how we did it:
Set Up an A/B Experiment
We created an experiment in Google Ads to test the effect of fewer headlines and descriptions.
Experiment Conditions
We created a duplicate campaign with identical settings except for the number of headlines and descriptions in the ads.
Results
The experiment campaign, with fewer headlines and descriptions, achieved:
70% more conversions
48% reduction in CPA
11% decrease in cost
We replicated this test in another client account and observed:
35% higher conversions
15% higher revenue
15% better ROAS
26% reduction in CPA
The Key Change
In the base campaign, we followed Google’s recommendations to use up to 15 headlines and 4 descriptions, resulting in an "excellent" ad strength rating. However, the performance was not as good.
In the experiment campaign, we used only 8 headlines and 2 descriptions per ad and added an extra ad per ad group. Despite Google rating the ad strength as "average," this setup significantly outperformed the base campaign.
What About Even Less? What About Pinning?
We also tested the effects of pinning headlines and using the minimum number of headlines. Here’s what we found:
Pinned Headlines: Adding a headline pinned to the first position did not perform well. It resulted in lower spend, fewer conversions, and higher CPA.
Minimum Headlines: Using just 3 headlines and 2 descriptions (the best performing combination from our existing ads) yielded mixed results. While the CPA was similar to the full RSA, it had a lower CTR and conversion rate overall.
Recommendations
Based on our tests, here’s what you should consider for your Google Ads campaigns:
Run Your Own Experiments: If you want to be thorough, set up similar experiments in your account. Test whether using fewer headlines and descriptions with multiple ads per ad group improves performance.
Use Our Findings: If you’re short on time, you can skip straight to our recommended setup. Use 2 ads per ad group, each with 8 headlines and 2 descriptions. This setup has consistently outperformed the typical Google recommendation in our tests.
Simplifying your ad copy by using fewer headlines and descriptions and adding an extra ad per ad group can lead to significant improvements in your Google Ads performance. Our tests showed consistent increases in conversions and reductions in CPA across multiple client accounts. While Google’s recommendations may work in some cases, our findings suggest that a more streamlined approach can yield better results. Always test these strategies in your own account to determine what works best for you.