Best A/B Testing Ideas to Scale Every Type Of Google Ad Campaign

Successful marketers always A/B test different components of their campaigns. Two reasons. One, they do not rely on guesswork and luck as they like to be in full control of the marketing outcomes. Two, A/B testing is the only way to know whether every aspect of their campaign is bearing fruit or not. 

This is particularly true when running Google Ads campaigns because it has a variety of ad types and a multitude of components under each type, such as headlines, images, CTAs, URLs, and more. A minor tweak to even one of them can get you a sneaky win. 

To help you do it the right way, we have compiled 8 A/B testing ideas for 8 different Google ad types so that you can experience improved RoAS irrespective of the ad type. Let’s roll…

Play around with headlines in Search Ads

Planning to run Google Search Ads? Then, one way to take control of the outcomes is by A/B testing different headlines. This is vital because a well-written headline can instantly communicate the message of your ad to the user. Only the right choice of words and arrangement can achieve this, which may demand proper A/B testing.

Here is an example of A/B testing two different headlines for a Search Ad:

Option A: "Get Fit Fast with Our 30-Day Challenge! Start Today."

Option B: "Transform Your Body with Personalized Workouts. Try Now!"

Option A emphasizes the quick results achievable through a 30-day challenge, while Option B highlights how the brand offers personalized workouts for a transformative experience. Depending on what your target audience is currently looking for, one of the variants will offer better conversions than the other.

Tinker with visuals in Display Ads

What headlines are to Search Ads, images are to Display Ads. A/B testing different visuals in your Display Ads is necessary to understand which visuals your users respond to better. Within the image, you can A/B test different elements such as colors, compositions, and styles to see which ones resonate best with your audience. 

Here is an example - 

Suppose you manage a bakery and plan to run a Google Display Ad campaign, do not restrict your visual to just a snapshot of your storefront or your menu card in the ad. Instead, create a handful of visuals and A/B test them to see what works best for your ad. It could be:

• A still image of a beautifully decorated cake.

• A collage of different cakes with different decorations and flavors

• An image of a baker holding a tray of freshly baked breads.

Similarly, you can also A/B test the creatives using parameters like colors and text overlays. For instance, in the same bakery example, you can A/B test an image of a cake in white background or black background, with or without text overlays to see which creative attracts the maximum clicks. 

A platform like Eacel.ai makes it a breeze to generate any number of such creatives for your Display Ads. The platform requires minimal human intervention and uses advanced artificial intelligence and your previous campaign performance to come up with the subsequent iterations of creatives. Want to try Eacel? Create an account now.

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Work with different formats in Video Ads

There are multiple formats available in Google Video Ads, such as skippable and non-skippable in-stream ads, in-feed video ads, bumper ads, out-stream ads, and masthead ads. Each format has its own plusses and minuses and is suitable for different scenarios. 

For instance, skippable in-stream ads are effective for targeting users who are actively watching video content, while out-stream ads are suitable for engaging users who may not actively seek out video content but are still receptive to visual messages.

As a result, it becomes vital to A/B test different formats and see what fits the requirements of your present campaign needs. More importantly, you will be able to narrow down the format that not only captures the attention of your target users but also persuades them to take the desired action.

Apart from formats, you can also test different aspects of the video itself. For instance, you can A/B test - 

• Video Content: A/B test different narratives, visual styles, pacing, and messaging.
• Video Length: Experiment with different video lengths to see which one keeps viewers engaged for longer periods and leads to higher completion rates. 
• CTA Placement: Explore different placements and timings for your CTAs within the video, such as placing CTAs at the beginning, middle, or end of the video.
• Background Music and Audio: Play around with different background music tracks or audio elements to see how they impact viewer engagement and emotional response.

Test out product titles in Shopping Ads

Product titles are the heart and soul of your Google Shopping Ads. It is the first thing your potential customer sees and can be the main deciding factor in whether they click on your ad or not. 

When it comes to product titles, a simple rule prevails - not too long, not too short, just the right length. In other words, you need to find the midpoint between brevity and information overload. This is possible only if you A/B test different titles for the same product. 

For instance, titles for the below dollhouse could be:

• KidKraft Dollhouse 
• KidKraft Dollhouse with 34 Accessories
• KidKraft Majestic Mansion Wood Dollhouse with 34 Accessories

Each of the above titles provides varying levels of information to explain the same product. While one title might work for your brand and the product, the others not so much. Ultimately, the choice depends on your customer preferences and product type, which you will learn only after A/B testing thoroughly.

Experiment with different bids in App Ads

In Google App Ads, you can set a target cost for driving app installs or encourage users to perform in-app events. The process of setting this target cost is called bidding. However, it is not an easy task, as only the right bid will fetch you the desired RoAS.

The key is to set your bid at an appropriate level to capture a significant portion of the impression share. However, you must avoid overbidding, which could lead to unnecessary expenses and inflated customer acquisition costs.

So, what exactly is the right bid value? The only way to find out - A/B test your bids. Conduct separate tests to evaluate different bid levels and monitor their effects on your reach, total clicks, and the quality of traffic directed to your website. Use the collected data to fine-tune your bidding tactics and maximize the efficiency of your app campaigns.

Explore different campaign objectives in Performance Max ads

There are only a handful of parameters that you can A/B test in a fully automated ad type like Performance Max. One of them being campaign objective. Performance Max supports different campaign objectives like ‘sales,’ ‘leads,’ ‘website traffic,’ ‘local store visits and promotions,’ and ‘without a goal’s guidance'.

Theoretically, all these goals mean different things, but many of them are closely interlinked and even overlap with each other, making it difficult to choose the right objective. For instance, while your goal may be sales, what your business currently needs now is more traffic.

A/B testing is an excellent way to quantitatively assess which goal type aligns with your present marketing strategies. You will know which objective drives the most desirable outcomes for your business so that you can choose that for the same or future campaigns.

Iterate and select keyword themes in Smart Ads

In Google Smart Ads, keyword themes are collections of keywords that match your ads with searches. For instance, if you create a keyword theme called “Coffeeshop,” comprising relevant keywords, your ad will be shown when people search for “Coffeeshop near me,” “Local coffeeshop,” or “Cafe".

By selecting the right keyword theme, you can easily reach your target audience when they are searching for your products or services. A/B testing different keywords within your keyword theme is a good place to start. Explore different combinations and see what works best for your campaign and the product you are selling.

For example, you can include keywords related to color and size in your keyword theme if you are selling apparel. Or include keywords related to transaction, such as ‘buy,’ ‘order,’ ‘discount,’ ‘cheap,’ and ‘price,’ and see if it attracts clicks from users.

Target audience in Demand Gen Ads

Here is the harsh reality when it comes to advertising - Not all customers are equally valuable to your business. This is particularly true in Demand Gen ads. While some customers may click your ads and show initial interest, they will not buy from you in the end. This is where the need to select the right audience emerges.

In Demand Gen Ads, you get the option to pick the audience for your campaign. While some may use their hunch to select an audience, the ideal way to go about it is to A/B test different audiences segmented based on different aspects such as location, language, interest, etc. Ultimately, one segment will click for your business and you can set that as your audience for the campaign.

How to A/B test Google Ads?

Now that you are armed with some of our battle-tested ideas, it is time to answer the million-dollar question - how do I A/B test a Google Ad. But before we look into the different methods to do it, here is a simple prerequisite you must achieve -

Prerequisite: Define the success metrics

Before you start A/B testing, it is important to define your success metrics which serves as a benchmark against which the performance of different ad variations can be measured. To do this, you must know the goal of your Google Ads campaign. It could be to drive more traffic, increase conversions, boost sales, or improve brand awareness. If the goal is to drive more traffic, a typical success metric would be CTR. Similarly, if the goal is to improve brand awareness, the success metric would be impressions. The variant that offers a better CTR in the first case and a better impression in the second case should be considered for the campaign. 

Let us now understand the three different methods to A/B test a Google ad - 

Method 1: Google Ads Experiments

This is a useful tool from the house of Google that lets you test different ad variations. In fact, it lets you A/B test a variety of things, such as your bids, keywords, audience, etc. Here are the different steps you must follow to A/B test in Experiments:

1. Select your base campaign.
2. Google Ads Experiments will automatically create a duplicate of this campaign. 
3. Make all the necessary variations in this campaign
4. Select the start date and end date for testing
5. Select how much traffic you would like to send the two campaigns

Over time, Google will serve you the results, and you can choose the variation that offers better results for your campaign. You also get an option called ‘Apply Experiment.’ By selecting this, Google automatically updates the base campaign with the changes made in the experiment campaign.

Method 2: Manual Testing

You can also manually A/B test your Google ads at different levels, including keywords, audiences, titles, video formats, etc. While it may not be a sophisticated way to A/B tests like Google Experiments, it is still quite an effective way to optimize campaign performance.

For example, you can A/B test and analyze different formats in Video Ads manually by looking at the performance of each format and determining which one is performing well and which is lagging. Using this data, you can eliminate the underperforming video formats and focus on top-performing ones.

Method 3: Using Third-Party Tools

There are also several third-party A/B test tools that let you A/B test different types of Google ads. For instance, Eacel.ai is the #1 choice for all those marketers A/B testing display ads. It takes the major load off you as you no longer have to manually generate creatives for different ad variations. Similarly, you can use a platform like DataFeedWatch for A/B testing Google Shopping titles.

Wrap-Up

So what we have covered here is just a tiny drop in the ocean when it comes to A/B testing ideas (even if they are some of our best ones). Always remember that while A/B testing is important and you get a fair idea about which ad variant works, accurate prediction is impossible. So don’t be disappointed if one of these ‘awesome ideas’ does not work. What is more important is continuous testing and improving your ad campaigns over time. And if you need to automate A/B testing for your Display Ad campaigns, you have Eacel.ai for your assistance. So what are you waiting for? 

Start A/B testing right now by signing up.