Digital MarketingGlossary
Paid Media

Expanded Text Ad

legacy ad format

01 Definition

Expanded Text Ad meaning: A retired Google search ad format with fixed headlines and descriptions you wrote directly.

Expanded Text Ads were a Google Ads search format with a set number of headlines and description fields that you wrote and controlled exactly. Unlike responsive ads, the wording stayed fixed. Google stopped allowing new or edited ETAs in mid 2022, so they are now legacy and largely replaced by Responsive Search Ads.

Why it matters

How Expanded Text Ad fits the work

Knowing ETAs matters mainly as context: they show why advertisers now rely on Responsive Search Ads, and older accounts may still reference this fixed format in reports.

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In context

An account manager copied the strongest headlines from an old Expanded Text Ad into a new RSA after Google retired the ETA format.

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Practical note

You can no longer create or edit Expanded Text Ads; any still running should be reviewed and their best-performing copy carried into Responsive Search Ads before they lose relevance.