A helpful reporting update is rolling out in Google Ads accounts. Advertisers can now view click and conversion data for each headline and description line of Responsive Search Ads, as well as aggregate RSA performance.
More Control
Advertisers have generally responded positively to RSAs. The ads allow up to 15 headlines and four description lines that rotate interchangeably for, potentially, thousands of combinations. With smart bidding, artificial intelligence, and personalization signals, Google shows the most likely-to-convert combination for each searcher.
Until now, however, advertisers could only see the overall RSA performance and total impressions of each asset and combination.
But click and conversion metrics for each asset now appear in the interface. The example below ranks the number of conversions from highest to lowest, along with their conversion rates and cost per conversion. Advertisers can easily identify which assets are meeting goals.
Google Ads now reports click and conversion metrics for each RSA asset. This example ranks the number of conversions from highest to lowest.
With the data, advertisers regain some control, although it’s essential to consider the bigger picture. More data doesn’t necessarily mean more changes.
Google’s AI optimizes for advertisers’ goals. A lower-performing asset could result from Google testing combinations. For instance, a headline could perform poorly for group A but well for group B when combined with description line C. Unfortunately, impressions remain the only available metric to advertisers when viewing RSA combinations.
Using the Data
Nonetheless, advertisers should not entirely defer to Google’s AI. Here are my typical action items.
Remove underperforming assets. I apply a filter to highlight poor performers, such as any asset with at least 100 clicks and zero conversions. It’s a quick rundown of headlines and descriptions to remove, as the message or landing page isn’t resonating with searchers.
Advertisers can view asset-level performance at the ad, ad group, and campaign levels. The ad level provides the most detail, but ad groups and campaigns are sufficient if the assets are identical. Regardless, ensure you have enough data for informed decisions — I aim for at least 50 clicks.
Pin the best performers. Conversely, identify the most productive assets through pinning — locking specific headlines and descriptions, such as a headline with a better-than-average conversion rate or a description with a low cost per lead.
Creating a new RSA for the top three to seven assets is another option. For example, if headlines A, D, F, and description lines M and N perform well, create an RSA with only those assets.
Keep in mind that pinning assets will reduce an ad’s strength. To be sure, “ad strength” is a novelty metric, but it roughly aligns with the number of likely impressions. Thus pin assets selectively to ensure consistent traffic.
Find new messaging from AI Max. When turned on, AI Max ads reveal performance for its automated assets.
Recall that AI Max campaigns create assets from copy on an advertiser’s website, landing page, and other ads. If an automatically created asset performs well, consider creating a new RSA ad or adding it to an existing one.
AI Max’s automatic headlines and descriptions are a source for new or existing RSAs.
Caution
More data can lead to bad decisions. Exercise caution. Google Ads AI algorithm considers many variables to determine the best message for each searcher. Knowing the clicks and conversions for each headline and description is helpful, but part of the bigger picture.