Google Ads gives you plenty of room to write your ad.
The question is:
Do you really need to use all of it?
This is something one of my audience members recently asked me.
A Responsive Search Ad can accommodate a large number of headlines and descriptions, and Google will regularly encourage you to add more assets to improve your Ad Strength.
But what if you already have five excellent headlines?
Should you come up with another ten just because there are empty spaces available?
What if those additional headlines aren’t as strong?
And should you leave everything unpinned so Google can freely mix the combinations, or should you control which messages appear?
These are important questions, especially if your main objective isn’t simply getting an “Excellent” Ad Strength score.
Your real objective is getting profitable conversions.
So let me explain how I personally approach Google Ads headlines, descriptions, sitelinks and pinning.
How Many Headlines Can You Add to a Google Responsive Search Ad?
Google currently lets advertisers add up to:
- 15 headlines
- 4 descriptions
That gives Google’s system many possible combinations to test.
Google’s own current best-practice guidance generally encourages advertisers to supply around 8–10 headlines, including at least five unique headlines, together with at least two unique descriptions.
Google’s logic is understandable.
More genuinely different assets give the system more combinations to match against different searches.
But notice one important word there:
Genuinely.
Writing more headlines is helpful only when those headlines give Google and the customer something useful.
I don’t believe you should write weak variations just to fill every available field.
My Approach: Quality and Control Over Filling Every Slot
In many campaigns, I personally prefer starting with around 3 to 5 strong headlines.
And out of those, I want three particularly strong headlines that clearly communicate:
- What I’m offering
- Why the customer should consider it
- What I want the customer to do next
For example, imagine I’m advertising Google Ads management.
I could have messaging around:
Professional Google Ads Management
Improve Your PPC Campaign ROI
Hire a Google Ads Expert Today
These three headlines have clear purposes.
I might add another one or two headlines covering credibility, pricing, an offer or another major selling point.
What I wouldn’t do is create ten additional headlines that say almost exactly the same thing just because Google has given me 15 spaces.
Do You Need All 15 Headlines?
No—not simply because the fields exist.
There are two different philosophies here.
Google generally wants more unique headlines because its system then has more combinations available for testing and matching.
My controlled approach is different.
When I am specifically trying to understand which messaging works, I sometimes prefer fewer variables.
Think about it this way:
If you give Google 15 headlines and allow all of them to rotate freely, you create a huge number of potential combinations.
That gives the algorithm flexibility.
But it can also make the advertiser’s analysis more complicated.
With a smaller number of carefully selected messages, I have tighter control over the experiment.
Neither approach should be treated like a religion.
Test it according to the campaign.
If a broader RSA with 10 strong headlines consistently generates better conversions at an acceptable CPA, keep it.
If your controlled RSA setup performs better, use that.
The final judge should be your business result—not how many boxes you’ve managed to fill.
What About Google Ads Ad Strength?
This is where advertisers sometimes get confused.
Ad Strength is useful.
You shouldn’t completely ignore it.
It gives you feedback about the relevance, quality, number and diversity of the assets you’ve supplied.
However, Ad Strength isn’t the same thing as campaign profitability.
Google itself describes Ad Strength as a feedback tool and states that it does not directly determine whether your ad is eligible to serve or calculate Ad Rank, Quality Score or auction wins.
So I wouldn’t optimize a campaign purely to turn an indicator from “Average” into “Excellent.”
If an additional headline improves the ad because it introduces a strong new benefit, great.
Add it.
If you’re adding meaningless variations purely because a dashboard is asking for another headline, think twice.
Should You Pin Your Google Ads Headlines?
I often use pinning when I want greater control over the order of my message.
For example, I may have a particular headline that I want in Headline Position 1 and another message that I prefer in Position 2.
Pinning makes that possible.
However, there is an important trade-off.
Every time you restrict a headline to a certain position, you reduce the number of combinations Google’s system can create.
This is why Google’s general recommendation is to use pinning sparingly.
I look at it differently depending on the objective of the campaign.
If maximum automation and combination testing are important, I’ll give the system more flexibility.
If controlling the message is particularly important—for branding, an offer, compliance, or a deliberate test—pinning becomes more useful.
One Practical Compromise
You don’t necessarily have to choose between:
Pin everything
and
Pin nothing.
A hybrid strategy can work well.
Keep an essential headline controlled while allowing other assets to rotate.
You get some message control without removing all of Google’s testing flexibility.
How Many Google Ads Descriptions Should You Use?
My preferred starting point is often two strong descriptions.
Again, Google lets you use four.
You can absolutely add more when you have something meaningful to say.
But two well-written descriptions can already cover a lot.
For example, Description 1 could communicate your primary value proposition:
Professional Google Ads campaign setup and management focused on improving qualified leads and ROI.
Description 2 could reinforce credibility and CTA:
Get your existing PPC campaigns audited or let our experienced team build your campaign from scratch.
Now ask yourself:
Can Description 3 tell the prospect something important that those two descriptions don’t?
If yes, add it.
If not, don’t write filler.
What About Sitelinks?
Sitelinks are one of the most useful Google Ads assets because they give searchers additional routes into your website.
For an agency, you might create sitelinks such as:
- Google Ads Management
- PPC Audit
- Google Ads Setup
- Contact Us
In my video, I recommend having around 3–4 useful sitelinks rather than forgetting about them completely.
There is one current Google Ads detail worth knowing here as well.
Google’s present Ad Strength guidance says having six or more sitelinks available at the account, campaign or ad-group level can help improve Ad Strength.
So if you have six genuinely useful destinations, use them.
My point remains the same:
Don’t create useless assets for the sake of quantity.
Every link should give the searcher a legitimate next step.
Don’t Forget the Other Google Ads Assets
Headlines and descriptions receive most of the attention, but your ad doesn’t end there.
Adding relevant assets can make the entire advertisement more useful and credible.
Depending on your business and eligibility, these may include:
Location Assets
For a local company, showing the location can immediately make the business appear more tangible and relevant.
Price Assets
If pricing is an important part of the customer’s decision, price information can help qualify clicks before they even reach the website.
Promotion Assets
Running a real offer?
Highlighting it directly in the Search ad can give customers another reason to engage.
Rating Information
Social proof can help increase confidence when customers are comparing several advertisers.
Business Name and Logo
Brand identifiers can make the advertisement look more complete and recognizable.
The key lesson is that you should evaluate the complete Search ad experience, not merely the headline count.
My Preferred Starting Setup
For a controlled test, I may begin roughly like this:
Headlines: 3–5 strong headlines
Descriptions: 2 strong descriptions
Sitelinks: At least 3–4 highly relevant links, with more where there are genuinely useful destinations
Pinning: Used intentionally when message control matters
Additional assets: Add every relevant asset that genuinely improves the advertisement
Then I evaluate what actually happens.
Are people clicking?
More importantly, are the right people clicking?
Are they converting?
What is the cost per lead?
What is the cost per sale?
What is the return on ad spend?
Those are the numbers that ultimately matter.
Google Recommendation vs My Testing Approach
To make this completely clear:
Google’s current recommendation generally favors:
- More unique headlines
- Approximately 8–10 or more useful headlines
- At least two descriptions
- Minimal unnecessary pinning
- More available asset combinations
My approach in many controlled tests favors:
- Fewer but highly deliberate headlines
- Two strong descriptions to begin with
- Selective pinning
- Easier control over the message
- Evaluating everything against conversion results
I don’t think advertisers should blindly follow either approach.
Run your test.
Look at the conversion data.
Then make the decision.
Final Thoughts
Google Ads isn’t a competition to see who can fill the most fields.
If you can write 15 genuinely different, persuasive and useful headlines, fantastic.
Use them and test them.
But if you only have five strong ideas, I would rather see five good headlines than ten additional headlines written simply to satisfy a meter.
The same principle applies to your descriptions and other assets.
Every component of your ad should have a job.
It should communicate a benefit, answer an objection, establish credibility, match search intent or encourage the prospect to take action.
Quality first. Testing second. Data decides the winner.
And don’t forget the rest of your assets.
A strong headline may win attention, but sitelinks, prices, locations, promotions and other useful information can make the complete advertisement more convincing.
Need Help With Your Google Ads?
If you need professional help with your Google Ads audit, campaign setup, PPC strategy or ongoing Google Ads management, you can work with me and my team at AARSWEBS.com.
We can review what you’re currently running, identify opportunities and help you build campaigns focused on actual business results rather than vanity metrics.
