PPC ad copy character limits have been one of the most challenging components of Pay per Click. Google AdWords has announced/released Expanded Text Ads (ETA). While this new update to the Ad format gives advertisers more characters to use, does it make this challenge any easier?
The new Ads increase the character limit on the Headline, add an additional new Headline, and combine the two description lines into a longer single block of text. Here are the specific details:
| Old (Traditional) Ad Format | New Expanded Text Ads (ETA) | |
| Headline 1 | 25 Characters | 30 Characters |
| Headline 2 | N/A | 30 Characters |
| Description Line(s) | 35 + 35 Characters | 80 Characters |
| Display URL | 35 Characters | Your URL + 15 + 15 Characters |
| Total | 130 Characters | 170 + Your URL |
When Are Pay Per Click ETAs Coming?
While ETAs are available now, October 26th January 31, 2017 (Google just gave you more time) is when Expanded Text Ads will be the default text ad format shown when you conduct a search on Google or create a new Ad Copy in AdWords.
Why Is Google Making an Ad Copy Change?
What Is NOT Changing - Ad Extensions & Customizers
All Ad Extension (Location, Call, Sitelinks, Callouts, Review, and more) will continue to work with Expanded Text Ads. However, if your Ad Copy and Ad Extensions are duplicates of each other, then they will be less likely to be shown.
Along with Ad Extensions, Dynamic Keyword Insertion (DKI) and Ad Customizers will continue to work within Expanded Text Ads. With the increase in character limits, not only will these features work, but they are easier to fit into your Ads.
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