Google Launch Phase 2 of Longer Ad Text Beta Programme

[OptimizeOnline]

Over the past several months, Google have given a small number of advertisers the ability to run longer ad text – up to 200 characters long – on the Google Network. They have recently started inviting others to participate in phase two of this programme. They hope to begin the beta test in mid-August and may continue it into October.

Invited advertisers will be able to enter up to 200 characters in the description field, which should be similar to the description that currently exists. The title, Display URL, and Destination URL of the ad will remain the same.

Once the longer ads are created, here are some examples of how it may appear on the Google Network:

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Google Ad programmes www.google.com/adsense Can your website make more money?
Monetise and enhance your content pages by displaying relevant Google ads that match
what visitors are looking for on your site. Try our advertising programmes today.
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and

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Google Ad programmes
Can your website make more money?
Monetize and enhance your content...
www.google.com/adsense
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Google will alternate showing the regular ad text with the longer version of the text. They also plan to experiment with slight layout variations of the longer ad text in order to determine which layout design will perform the best.

Charges will be the same amount when someone clicks on an ad – no matter what version is shown. The clickthrough rate of the longer creatives will be excluded from Quality Score calculations, and will not affect regular ads' ranking either positively or negatively.

[Web Design Pros]

I predict longer descriptions will drop click through rates.

If people take the time to read the longer descriptions they will discern better and not click on the site from curiosity raised by a short terse ad.

Whaddayasay?

[AussieWebmaster]

Though I agree shorter ads are better for CTR. Even at Yahoo! , I think the initial longer ads that will only appear over the top when warranted (which is why they are asking people who have consistently maintained those positions) will have a better CTR here as they will become more like the organic listings, which many mistake them for.