Short Titles for Product Ads
Digital marketers really have no time to sit back and put their feet up. Things are regularly changing and it’s important to stay on top of the latest developments. For example, Google recently added a new attribute to the Merchant Centre called “short title.” This update allows you to be more concise and to the point with your product ads and differs from the regular title tag that’s already in use. PPC specialists should be aware of this change in order to make any necessary keyword tweaks and to ensure they’re using the latest ad tools.
Just getting to grips with ad creation and PPC marketing? Then worry not. This new attribute is optional and won’t always be shown on networks. That said, it can really help you to fine-tune your advertising techniques and hone specific features that could help boost sales. So let’s find out what this new feature offers and how to make the most of it.
Title Attribute Vs Short Title Attribute
You’ve already been crafting beautiful title tags which help Google to understand the content of your web pages and to reduce bounce rates. Great. So, why’s there a new kid on the block?
Well, title tags more accurately match a product landing page as well as a consumer’s search. They’re carefully crafted for SEO reasons and serve as a ranking factor, enabling pages to rank for relevant search engine queries. Short titles, on the other hand, offer a brief and concise identification of your product. Check out the below example and be sure to note the succinct nature of a short title in comparison to the longer title tag.
Where Will Short Titles Appear?
Short titles are specifically tailored to product ads and are designed to further streamline the e-commerce world. Currently, short titles are an optional feature and will only be shown in places where users typically do a lot of browsing, including Discovery campaigns and Shopping Ads in Gmail. So if it’s the casual browser you’re targeting and you long to increase exposure in these specific areas, in particular, listen up – this article is certainly for you.
What are the Minimum Requirements for Short Title?
The short title attribute has a character limit of between 1-150 characters. However, Google recommends keeping the character count between 5-65 characters. If you don’t follow the minimum requirements for the short title attribute, Google has the power to ‘disapprove’ your product. With this in mind, it’s essential to know the main requirements. These include:
- Using professional and grammatically correct language. This should be a priority for any brand as poor grammar can be off-putting to consumers.
- Not using foreign language words, unless they are well understood. For example, “sushi” would be fine as it’s a word well-understood outside of Japan. However, always write foreign words using the alphabet of your target language. For example, avoid using Japanese characters when targeting the United States, or the Greek alphabet when targeting the UK. Letters with accents are allowed, which is good news for those selling French products for example.
- Not using foreign characters for attractive or gimmicky purposes. This technique is common in spam and untrustworthy ads. Avoid using any kind of symbols that aren’t necessary such as smiley faces.
- Not using promotions in your short title. Don’t add information such as price, sale price, sale dates, shipping, delivery date, other time-related information, or your company’s name. Include this information with the other attributes such as [sale price] or [shipping].
- Avoiding excessive capitalisation as, again, this is often associated with spam or untrustworthy ads, and this is not the impression you want to create. Capitals are still fine for abbreviations, phone numbers, countries and currency.
- Not using extra white spaces. Instead, use those characters in a more effective way to describe your product.
Another essential requirement is that the short title must describe the product on your landing page. It doesn’t have to match the landing page title, but it should refer to the same product. Don’t try and hook people in with a different short title, only to offer something else on your landing page as Google might reject your ad.
Short Title Best Practices
Professional Google Ads Management Services, will take care of short title best practices on your behalf. But if you’re going it alone to start with, here’s what you need to know.
Firstly, you should make sure your short titles are 65 characters or less. This is because users only see the first 65 characters of a short title, depending on their screen size, so there’s not much point in going over. Note how Google doesn’t object to one-word titles. However, you may want to expand out slightly to ensure you include all necessary details – more on this shortly.
The most important details should come first, as browsers tend to skim read and often don’t finish reading the title. You must also be as concise as possible for the same reason. Another top tip is to add the brand name, as this is a differentiating factor that can help you to stand out from competitors. An example could be, ‘Nike Trainers.’
When constructing your short title, think of product features worth mentioning – this is where the title expansion comes in. Use keywords such as ‘running shoes’ to concisely define a product. Or state that a dress has ‘polka dots and short sleeves.’ If you’re selling toys, you might want to mention that they’re ‘squishable’ ‘bouncy’ ‘huggable’ or from a specific well-known brand. As with all ad content, it’s worth jotting down USPs before you form the final short title to make sure you choose the most descriptive details.
If you’re looking for a PPC agency Kent, contact Whitefish Marketing today for expert advice tailored to your brand.
