How to Exceed the 25-Character Limit for Titles in Google AdWords

I was doing some keyword research for one of my client’s Google AdWords Pay-Per-Click account today and I noticed some competitor’s ads were exceeding the 25-character limit for the ad titles. It appears only to happen on [exact match] keywords for ads that use Dynamic Keyword Insertion, but this is the first time I have noticed this. I am bidding on the same exact match keywords, yet my default title is served because it exceeds the 25-character limit. Obviously, I want my title to match exactly the keywords that the user is searching for maximum relevancy so I don’t know how my competitors are somehow able to exceed this limit.

Here’s an example of a query I tried - “oklahoma medical malpractice” (Note - this is just an example, I’m not bidding on this keyword!)

28 Characters!

You can see that an ad is shown with a 28-character title, obviously exceeding the 25-character limit. In this situation, if I was bidding on this exact keyword and my ad was in the top position, I would want my ad to match the keyword exactly by exceeding the 25-character limit.

I tried searching to see if anyone else has noticed the same thing and I did come across one other blog post at http://www.blogation.net/2009/02/26-character-headlines-is-adwords.html, but he notices an ad with a 26-character title.

Has anyone else noticed this before? Why is it happening? How can I get my ads to break the 25-character limit?

February 6, 2009 | Google AdWords

 

Comments

7 Responses to “How to Exceed the 25-Character Limit for Titles in Google AdWords”

  1. Mark Kennedy on February 14th, 2009 5:59 pm

    I just noticed the same thing. “Philadelphia Piano Lessons” gave a result with 26 characters in the title matching that query.

  2. Dazzler on February 24th, 2009 6:09 am

    I’ve noticed this aswell on in the Google UK index. I have emailed our Adwords account manager and hopefully will hear back soon.

  3. UPDATE: Google Responds to My Inquiry About AdWords Ads with Titles Longer Than the 25-Character Limit | d0x | web development repository in richmond, virginia on February 25th, 2009 11:31 am

    [...] the official Google AdWords blog and other online marketing blogs regarding my questions about Google AdWords Titles Exceeding the 25-Character Limit but to no avail. I emailed the Google AdWords support team and I finally got a response this [...]

  4. Google AdWords Allows 31 Characters in Ad Titles Using Dynamic Keyword Insertion | d0x | web development repository in richmond, virginia on March 4th, 2009 11:14 am

    [...] is another follow up of my original post “How to Exceed the 25-Character Limit for Titles in Google AdWords” and the first follow up post “UPDATE: Google Responds to My Inquiry About AdWords Ads [...]

  5. Google AdWords: Advertentiekoptekst met 29 tekens… | Tribal Talk - De weblog van Tribal Internet Marketing over zoekmachine marketing on May 28th, 2009 5:40 am

    [...] recente resultaten is echter gebleken, dat de limiet van de titel bij uitzondering wordt overschreden. Dit is [...]

  6. Paul on January 12th, 2010 5:31 am

    I noticed this some time ago under the conditions you mentioned. I’ve thus far seen up to 28 characters in a title.
    I expect it’s to give some leeway with DKI on titles from a keyword that’s greater than 25.

    Your title cannot be greater than 25 characters when uploading, but an exact match of a keyword that is greater than 25 should be automatically inserted under the correct conditions.

  7. admin on January 14th, 2010 5:44 pm

    @Paul - I’ve experienced the same thing. The problem is, I *am* bidding on the 28-character exact match keywords and have yet to see it trigger the DKI for my ad titles, whereas my competitor’s ads do. Clearly there is a reason for this that Google is not being transparent about, and it is actually a serious problem since it obviously gives an unfair advantage to other advertisers for reasons which Google won’t disclose.

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