5 Advantages of running multiple ads in an ad group

What’s the benefit of having multiple ads in an ad group?

I have been bombarded with this question several times over the past few weeks.

So, here goes the answer.

In essence, you need to use several keywords in tandem with matching ads in the same group. You can have several hundred ads in the same group, but this doesn’t mean that you must use them all simultaneously.

The number of ads that you want to use in a particular group depends on you. This will also depend on the number of impressions that you’re reviving for each ad. Ideally, I would recommend using three variations of the same ad and see which one is performing the best.

In the meanwhile, here are 5 advantages of running multiple ads in an ad group:

1)    Eliminates Ad Rotation & Repetition

Just like you cannot expect people to laugh at the same joke again and again, a customer searching for a product will ignore the ad if it keeps appearing in response to their searches. Maybe the same customer will convert if they see a totally different and for the same keyword since if the ad failed to convert them the first time around, there are slim chances of it succeeding in the next few searches. By using multiple ads in an ad group, you eliminate the possibility of showing the same ad to the user.

You can try out the Ad rotation feature in Adwords and frequency limit capping (limits on the impressions that are shown to an individual user over a period) if you’re willing to use multiple ads in the same group.  Setting your ads to rotate evenly leads to a higher ad coverage.

2) A/B testing without spending a dime

One of my personal favorite benefits of having multiple ads in the same group is that Google will analyze and show you the best performing ads.

You cannot guarantee which of the ads will perform best. So, this is your freeway to test ads against each other and see which performs the best. There is no other way to test multiple ads in the same group.

3) Keyword variation is a life saver

Although you can use multiple keywords in one-page, that are semantic variations on each other, you can never create an ad that incorporates all those variations. When you have multiple ads in a single ad group, each targeting a new keyword, there will be a greater chance for your ad to show up.

Another option is to use dynamic search ads.

4) Various Ad types

The more you try, the more you fail. The more you fail, the more you will succeed. With multiple ads in the same group, such as rich ads, mobile ads, and dynamic search ads, you can try out different variations for each ad type to increase your return on investment. This will help you create better ads in the future.

5) Variation in Ad sizes

This links to the previous benefit. With several ads, you can try out various sizes and see how each ad size will affect the perception of the buyer. With multiple ads in an ad group, you’ll be able to test all sizes.

For me, I prefer using 3-4 ads for one ad group. This seems to be working fine for me and my clients. However, I will warn you not to use more than 5 ads per ad group, well, unless you own a huge mention or are a friend of Bill Gates.

I prefer running ads for at least 1,000 impressions to conclude the result. You can set the threshold as per your convenience. You cannot afford to exceed your budget by going over the threshold, or you don’t want it to be so small that it is statistically irrelevant. I prefer running ads for a week and see how things roll-out.

The final advice

Once you’ve gathered all the data regarding the ads that you’re running, root out the worst performing ads and eliminate them ASAP. Furthermore, try to find out why these ads are not performing well. Now, replace the not performing ads with a new ad and note the difference. There are benefits of having multiple ads in an ad group but there are disadvantages as well. And for those, you guys need to wait for my next blog.