Pinning

Pinning guarantees that a line appears in a given position: a legal notice, a brand name, a regulated claim. Sometimes that is required.

Pinning one asset to a position removes every combination Google would test there, and usually lowers Ad Strength.

1. Open a responsive search ad and click the pin icon next to a headline or description.
2. Choose the position: headline 1, 2 or 3, description 1 or 2.
3. Count how many assets are pinned to each position.
4. Check the Ad Strength after pinning.

A regulated investment firm must show a risk warning. Instead of pinning one warning to headline 3, it pins three acceptable versions there, so Google still has a choice.

• Pinning one asset per position, which freezes the ad.
• Pinning out of habit when nothing requires it.
• Unpinning a legal line nobody remembered the reason for.

The audit checks Oppy runs on this, each with its own page.

• Pinning that fixes an ad slot to one asset
• Responsive search ads Google rates below Good

• Headline: The first line of a search ad.
• Responsive search ad: The standard search ad: up to 15 headlines and 4 descriptions that Google combines and tests for each search.
• Ad Strength: Google's rating of a responsive ad, from Poor to Excellent, based on how many distinct headlines and descriptions it gives Google to combine.