Responsive Search Ad Preview
Draft your Google headlines and descriptions with a live character count against the 30- and 90-character limits — and preview how the ad looks on the search results page before you paste it into Google Ads.
Google shows up to 3 headlines and 2 descriptions at once, picked automatically. This preview shows your first few assets as one possible combination.
You write the ingredients; Google plates the dish
Responsive search ads changed the job from writing one perfect ad to writing a strong set of interchangeable parts. You supply up to fifteen headlines and four descriptions, and the system assembles and tests combinations on the fly, showing each searcher the mix it predicts will perform best. That's powerful, but it has a catch many advertisers miss: if your headlines are fifteen near-identical rewordings, you've given the machine nothing to optimise. The value comes from variety — a keyword-rich headline, a benefit, an offer, a call to action, a line of social proof — so that whatever combination Google serves, it's drawing from genuinely different angles rather than the same sentence reworded.
Respect the limits, but don't write to them
Hitting the 30- and 90-character ceilings is necessary plumbing, and going over simply means the asset won't run — which is exactly what the counter here prevents. But the limit is a constraint, not a target. A punchy 18-character headline often beats one padded to 30 just to "use the space," because clarity converts better than cleverness crammed to the edge. Write the strongest version of each idea first, then check it fits; if it's a few characters over, tighten the wording rather than hunting for filler when it's under. The goal is a set of clear, distinct, click-worthy assets that happen to fit, not a set engineered to max out the counter.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the character limits for a responsive search ad?
Each headline can be up to 30 characters and each description up to 90 characters. You can provide up to 15 headlines and 4 descriptions; Google mixes and matches them, showing up to three headlines and two descriptions at a time depending on the device and auction.
How many headlines should I write?
Provide as many distinct, high-quality headlines as you can — ideally close to the 15 maximum — so Google's machine learning has room to test combinations. Make them genuinely different from one another: include your keyword, a benefit, a call to action, social proof and an offer, rather than 15 rewordings of the same idea.
Why does Google show different combinations?
Responsive search ads automatically test combinations of your headlines and descriptions and serve the ones predicted to perform best for each search. That's why you can't control the exact wording shown — you control the ingredients, and the system assembles the ad. Writing strong, independent assets is how you steer the outcome.