Search Creative Best
Practices Guide
with responsive search ads
Search Creative Best Practices Guide
Best Practices
Below are more detailed recommendations to write text ads that are specific, relevant,
attractive, and empowering.
● Having trouble writing your first responsive ● Try to provide 2-3 more headlines related to
search ad? Try using existing headlines and the keywords - for example, you can use
descriptions from other text ads that are synonyms of the keywords, different orders
relevant to the ad group and keywords of the phrases with the keywords present
○ Advertisers who have implemented ● Don’t try to maximize character counts in the
this best practice may see up to 10% headlines. You can test both shorter and
more clicks for their responsive longer headlines. Google’s machine learning
search ads. will assemble relevant ads for better
● Focus on providing as many assets as performance.
possible which are distinct from each other
● Try to add headlines with different meaning,
within an ad group.
for example "Call us now", "Contact us now"
○ Remember, your responsive search ad
and "Visit our store" are all call to actions so
may show up to 3 headlines and 2
we recommend adding more assets with
descriptions side by side.
different meaning, for example the name of
● Try to phrase an idea in different ways: our your service, company, promotions, etc.
system will avoid showing redundant text
side-by-side.
Here is a cheat sheet to come up with headlines and descriptions:
High query relevance
Keywords in your ad text show your ad’s relevance to what people want.
Tip: Search these keywords to see what results appear. Write text that appeals to what
people will see in the results page.
If digital cameras is a keyword in the ad group
Search Creative Best Practices Guide
Product or service
What are you offering? What are its features?
Problem you’re solving & benefits
Step into your customers’ shoes. How does your offering add value,
solve their problems and improve their lives?
Tip: Try testing different adjectives that would describe these benefits,
like relaxing, luxurious, or comfortable.
Brand
If you have a strong brand, emphasize it.
Search Creative Best Practices Guide
Slogans & taglines
Short and striking phrase
Tip: Include ways that define your brand, such as title/sentence
case, punctuation or trademark symbols.
Call to action
What do you want your customers to do? Add urgency.
Tip: Think about what part of the customer journey they user may be in when searching
for keywords in the ad group. Key benefits about your product / business may be more
impactful earlier in the process.
Trust
Why should customers trust you?
Search Creative Best Practices Guide
Inventory & selection
What categories, options and selections do you offer?
Support & customer service
How do you provide support? What are the costs and availability?
Warranties or guarantees
What assurances can you offer?
Search Creative Best Practices Guide
Shipping & Returns
What shipping options do you provide and at what cost?
How do customers return products and what are the costs?
Pricing & fees
Prices, taxes, processing and misc fees
Tip: Think about what part of the customer journey they user may be in when searching
for keywords in the ad group. Highlight pricing when they are closer to purchase.
Incentives & discounts
Quantifiable and non-quantifiable discounts and deals
Responsive search ads (Beta)
Payment Details
What payment options and schedules do you provide? How do you
provide a better payment experience than your competitors?
Awards, Ratings, Reviews
Quantifiable as well as generic ratings and reviews
Tip: Look through your customer testimonials about how they describe
your business and incorporate their voice in your ads
