Microsoft Opens Responsive Search Ad Beta Test to All Advertisers

Microsoft has opened up its responsive search ads beta to all advertisers with existing Microsoft Advertising accounts. 

Now, Microsoft customers can request to join the beta to start testing their own responsive search ads, or RSAs. 

RSAs are a machine-learning-powered ad type that allows marketers to test multiple different ad headline and description combinations to determine which is the most successful. 

This ad format was first introduced by Google last year, and now Microsoft is rolling out its own version after seeing the value it provides to advertisers. 

How do RSAs work?

Creating the perfect ad copy can be a time-consuming process. 

Ad copy needs to be catchy yet informative, relevant to a large audience but also specific to a unique need, and it must convey the value of the product and brand, all within a few hundred characters. 

For this reason, there are usually several iterations and rounds of precise editing before the final copy is selected. Even then, it’s hard to tell if you’ve made the right choice. 

Responsive search ads help advertisers test multiple different variations for their ad copy, letting the data decide which is the strongest. 

With Microsoft’s RSAs, advertisers can provide up to 15 headlines and four ad descriptions. Microsoft’s AI system will select the best combinations and use them to create ads to show to your audience, automating the ad creation process for you. 

Once it’s been tested, the system will report back what combinations performed the best, and will automatically block underperforming combinations from being run again. 

Responsive search ads also have the benefit of greater understanding of what each individual user is looking for and what message they’ll be most receptive to. The RSAs will adapt text ads to more closely match what a user is searching for, and serve up a more relevant message that speaks to their pain points or goals. 

How do RSAs benefit marketers? 

For one, responsive search ads can help save marketers time in the ad creation process. Instead of drafting up several different ad copy options and determining which will yield the most success, they can let the system match up the best options for them. 

Not only can this help improve ad performance, but it can also show valuable insights on what your audience is most receptive to. 

These insights can actually help you learn more about what kinds of content your audience finds most compelling, and what strategies best catch their eye. 

Of course, this could be done manually by running several different campaigns with different ad copy — but RSAs have the additional benefit of AI-powered automation to immediately remove underperforming combinations, and better anticipate what will be most successful. 

How to join the Microsoft RSA beta 

Advertisers with existing Microsoft Advertising accounts that are interested in testing their own RSAs can either reach out to their account manager directly or fill out the form here to indicate their interest. 

Microsoft states that users will likely receive access within one week of their request.