Responsive search ads (RSA)

Headlines can be up to 30 characters and descriptions up to 90. Google usually shows two or three headlines and one or two descriptions, and over time learns which combinations work for which searches. You give up control over which lines appear together, in exchange for more relevant ads across many queries. Pinning fixes a headline to a position when something must always show, such as a regulatory line.

Where you'll see it

In Google Ads, open Campaigns > Ads, or create one under a Search ad group. The editor shows an Ad strength rating (Poor, Average, Good, Excellent), which measures how varied and relevant your text is, not how the ad performs. Asset details, from the ad's row, show how often each headline and description served. Meta's multiple text options work in a similar way.

Worked examplePinning a price headline

An ad group spends $1,200 a month. Its RSA has 15 headlines, and 5 mention price.

• Pin one to position 1 and it appears in every impression.
• If that cuts CTR from 5% to 4% at the same cost per click, clicks fall by 20%: for the same $1,200, roughly 20% fewer visitors.

Pinning is sometimes necessary, but test it rather than assume.