Google Updates Responsive Display Ads 2019

The early 2019 refresh of Responsive Display Ads in Google Ads is a move toward making Display Ad creation more efficient, allowing videos as well as static images, and using machine learning to determine the image and message that resonates with viewers.

Any business or marketing agency that has used Google’s Display network knows how laborious and time-consuming it can be to create and launch Display Ad campaigns. Google lists over 40 image sizes available on the Display Network. As Ad groups are normally organized by message, multiple image sizes had to be created to accommodate every message.

Only 2 images per Ad

Rather than create Ads in every possible size available to show on Google’s Display Network, smart marketers research and use only the image sizes getting the most impressions. These popular image sizes though are a moving target. Some image sizes only display on mobile devices, some only on tablet and desktop devices, and a few will display on all devices. As mobile usage has overtaken desktop usage, the image sizes getting the most impressions have shifted.

With Responsive Display Ads, all of your images, headlines, and descriptions are entered into one Ad. New to the latest rollout is the ability to add up to 5 videos that are a maximum length of thirty seconds. Once live, the headlines, images, descriptions, and videos will rotate in a variety of iterations. As performance data accumulates, the iterations that perform the best will be selected as the Ads to show. Boom! Machine Learning does the testing for you.

I get the idea sometimes that Google’s attention on its products is like the Eye of Sauron from Lord of the Rings. Attention is only given to the object under its immediate gaze. For all the innovation happening under Alphabet Corp, change is slow to come to Google’s advertising products in comparison to Social Media channels.

One Ad to rule them all?

Hold your Hobbits there Gandalf. Social Media users are well acquainted with Ads that show a gallery of images. Google’s rollout of gallery Ads is still in testing and reported to be available to all advertisers in late 2019.

When it comes to UX and innovation in Ad formats and creation, Google is to Facebook what Microsoft is to Apple. Google seems to always be playing the feature catch-up game. Ideally, creating Display Ads In Google Ads would use one window with all of the options available.

Machine learning gets smarter

I did not embrace dynamic Ads when they were released due to the seemingly random and nonsensical images and messaging that was selected to create Ads. Over time as Google’s machine learning has become smarter, I have learned to embrace my machine overlords.

Like automated bidding strategies that prevent the time suck of nursing max. CPC bids, Responsive Display Ads take the labor out of time-consuming A/B testing of images and messaging. Google’s recent updates to Responsive Display Ads are a welcome move in the right direction.

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