In 2017 Microsoft made the announcement that Standard Text Ads (STAs) could no longer be created or edited. Instead, Expanded Text Ads (ETAs) would take their place. That was in March of that year and it was expected that STAs were soon to die out. Instead, three years later, they are still rolling on.
Existing STAs still feature on searches and are still serving customers. It has been clear for a long time that ETAs are a much better solution for any company that relies on PPC. It could be that a company is using ETAs now for new campaigns but are using STAs on older adverts.
The delay
In April 2019 Microsoft announced that it will no longer serve the ads in 2020. They’ve decided to backtrack on that in order to give time for advertisers to get up to date. The new deadline is due to be March 31 of this year.
For those who have forgotten to migrate their ads over to ETAs, this would be a welcome relief. Time is clearly running out and if you are still using STAs, getting them updated should be at the top of your to-do list. Thankfully Microsoft has many tools available including an editor that helps you do this in bulk.
The end is near
While this delay may be welcomed by some, it’s probably the last one there will be. If you’re still getting strong results from your STAs then it’s likely that your results will improve even further with an updated version on search results.
If you’ve not yet welcomed the world of expanded text ads then you need to get on it right away. Time is running out and you are probably harming your business by not getting on board. Expanded ads are the way forward to improve your PPC conversions.
Why are ETAs better?
ETAs are seen as a better solution for two main reasons. The first clue being in the title, ‘expanded’. You get added copy space with which you can produce more information. It makes it stand out much more and therefore more likely to get clicked on.
The result of this? More clicks and a better CTR which is what everyone is looking for. The benefits are clear which is why Microsoft has been so keen to get rid of them. If you still using STAs, make sure you upgrade to ETAs before it’s too late.
