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Missing RSA Checker: Google Ads Script

Missing RSA Checker

A Google Ads Script

Kirandeep Purewal

September 21, 2021

Reading time: 5 minutes

Introduction

Google have announced that from June 30 2022, Responsive Search Ads (RSAs) will become the only search ad type (outside of DSAs). This means that not only will you no longer be able to create new Expanded Text Ads (ETAs), but you also will not be able to edit existing ones.

 

For many, this will come as no surprise, given that Google has been pushing the adoption of RSAs for some time now while citing an average 7% conversion uplift for a similar CPA when compared to ETAs. With this in mind, why not get ahead of the curve and ensure you’re getting the most out of RSAs now?

 

Of course, you may be inclined to think that with almost a year left till the ETA/RSA update, you’d rather wait to make any changes. While it may seem like there is plenty of time till this update comes into effect though, bear in mind that not only does Google cite RSAs as giving a performative advantage, but competitors are also going to be testing new strategies around RSA usage over that time and you don’t want to be playing catch up on your accounts when the update comes around.

Getting started

To ensure that your account is perfectly set up for the upcoming change, we first need to check that we have proper RSA coverage. So, we’ve built a script that reports on your current adoption of RSAs within your account(s).

 

The script will work on individual accounts or MCCs, and will create a new label within your account(s), add them to the ad groups where there are currently no active RSAsThis will allow you to identify existing gaps in your account, and then create a roadmap for how to fill them. 

 

You will receive an email with a summary of all the ad groups (and campaigns) where you need to create RSAs.

 

The script can conveniently be scheduled to run daily and send new emails when additional ad groups are identified that are lacking RSAs, since the last email was sent. In this way, you can be sure your account always maintains its 100% adoption. 

Understanding your email

On your first run of the script, you will be sent an email that shares details of the account name (useful if you have this setup at MCC level), as well as all campaigns and ad groups within your account that do not have any RSAs within them.

The script will also add labels to all of these ad groups, so that you can easily identify them when you want to make changes.

 

Once set up, you can adjust the frequency of your script (we recommend once daily). This will then run in the background and send you email notifications when any new ad groups appear in the account that do not have RSAs within them (or if you currently have ad groups with missing RSAs).

 

This way, you can always be on top of coverage.

Instructions for set up

1. Copy and paste script from the WeDiscover Github profile

Find the script hosted on the Public WeDiscover GitHub here

2. Add to scripts section within the account

You can add this script either at an individual account or MCC level.

Navigate to Tools (top right corner of your screen when in Google Ads) > Bulk Actions > Scripts.

 

 

Click on the blue “+” icon to create a new script.

 

 

Be sure to delete anything that is already in the box for the script insertion in Google Ads first, then copy and paste the full script from GitHub into Google Ads.

 

You may choose to edit the script name at the top. This will allow you to easily differentiate between the different scripts you enter.

 

Note that you can add this script using the new Google Ads beta experience (available at individual account level only, not MCC), if you wish to.

3. Update information at top of the script (email & settings)

Near the top of the script, you will see an area that says “Edit Me”, running from lines 12-24 and highlighted in the red box in the screenshot below.

 

 

In the first section, lines 12-15, you may choose your settings for how you want the script to run over paused entities. By default, these options are set to “false”, meaning that the script will not label or notify you about the presence of RSAs in any paused entities.

Line 18 lets you control whether or not you would like to receive all notifications every time the script runs, or only have an update on new ad groups when they are found to not contain an RSA.

On line 21 you must enter the email address that you want to receive the summary email to when the script runs.

On line 24, you can control what label is applied to ad groups that do not contain RSAs. By default, this is set to “no_rsa_present”.

4. Run the script

Save your script, authorise it and the press run. You can also choose to schedule the script if you want it to run on a recurring basis.

 

Be aware here that scripts only have 30 mins to run, so for very large MCCs, it may time out before completing all of its checks. In these instances, you’ll need to add the script to individual accounts.

 

If you have no missing RSAs in your accounts (well done!), you won’t receive any email notifications. We would still suggest you run the script daily to double-check and if an ad group gets created in the future without an RSA you will then be notified.

 

We hope you enjoy using this script and find it useful! Please send any questions or thoughts on it to scripts@we-discover.com