Definite Guide for Creating google search campaigns – Ad Extensions

Google Search - Ad Extensions

How to setup Ad extensions in google search campaigns

Not sure which ad words extensions to use on your ad campaign?  In this chapter we are going to learn types of ad extensions & know the benefits and how you can use them in your ad campaign.

Here’s the total character count that’s available for advertisers to attract user. The headlines has 30 characters and description has 80. Total of 110 characters. How cruel of google to have such crazy limits.

To help advertisers on this, google had came up with a thing called Ad extensions.

What is ad extensions ?

Google search - Ad extensions

Ad extensions are the extension of the text ad copies.  More or less ad extensions are the additional accessory of ad copy. These features helps advertisers to convey more information. Ad extensions comes in various forms of content such as texts, ratings, quotes, mobile phone numbers etc.

Depending upon the objective of the campaign you can use ad extensions to convey additional message. Another cool thing is , this comes totally free. Imagine there’s 5 advertisers bidding for the first page and only 3 are using extensions, those two who didn’t use have disadvantage over others.

Why should you use extensions ?

Reasons to use Ad extensions

Even though it is free, you might be surprised to see how powerful it is when used. It’s proven that using ad extensions will increase you’re ctr by many folds. It’s also help you get much bigger ad real estate compare to other who don’t use.

Another reason is that, let’s assume ad extensions gives you extra 60 characters to use in the ad copy, that’s a big win. You already have 110 characters in your ad but using extensions you will have additional 50% of characters.

What are the types of ad extensions available?

Site link extensions

google ad words - site link extensions

Site link are one of the basic types of ad extensions available. This is a must-to-use extensions irrespective of objective of the campaign. This provides you an advantage of linking multiple relevant pages with your ad.

For example, if you’re running a campaign to promote a online french course, you’re destination URL will be landing page URL. While searching for online french course, your might also interested in knowing the testimonials, course fee, syllabus, course prerequisites.

You possibly can’t include all the information in landing page. But using site link extensions you can showcase various pages in the ad copy and as of user he will have more information which increases likelihood of conversion. You can have up to 4 clickable site links in the ad.

Call out extensions

google search ads - call out extensions

Call out extensions provides you additional char count in the ad copy. Each call out has 20 characters that you can use. Call outs are used to specify unique differentiation in your product or service.

Call outs are in the form of texts and not clickable. Up to 4 call outs can be show for the ad in top position. If you’re providing customer support, free delivery, demo , free services , etc – these kind of things can be put in the call out extensions.

Structured snippet extensions

Google search -structured snippet extensions

Structured is one the important ad extensions, yet less talked about. It helps you to specify & showcase the type of product or services. It has many predefined categories that advertisers can make use of.

It helps if you want to specify the type of product. For example, if your promoting courses you can use this to specify the course ( ex : digital marketing, content marketing, data science )

Call extensions

google search ads - call extensions

Call extensions are pretty much explanatory. This types of ad extensions will show contact number on the ad copy. In the mobile devices user might be able to click and call right away. If your product or services require people to speak with your team , this is very essential.

Message Extensions

google search - Message Extensions

This is similar to call extensions. You will configure this extension with predefined message that customer want to send to you. For this to work, you will be needing a mobile phone with short message service (SMS ) capabilities.

Again if your business requires people to commute with you before making purchase, you should use both call extension and message extension.

Location extensions

google search - Locations extensions

If your business is location dependent you can use this types of ad extension. It will very extremely useful. For example your having saloon and you can show the users that you’re within 4 km radius of the user location and you will closing in 3 hours.

Showing this critical information on when you operate and where you locate will be extremely helpful in making users make decisions. To use this, you should already have a google my business profile. If your business has any ratings it will also be displayed.   

Price Extensions

google search ads - price extensions

Showing price will help you decrease cost per click and conversion rate. Using price extensions will help you achieve the same. By showing price to users, you can filter out the users who would want service in much lower cost than yours.

You can also have price for variety of products and services.

App Extensions

Google search -app extensions

You can use this extension to display your mobile application. If you’re promoting a course and if you have an android app for that.

Review Extensions

If your business have received good reviews from the trusted third party. You can show the reviews in your ad using this review extensions. This is must used extension since showing reviews will improve the engagement (clicks). Google has list of recommended third party websites from where you can get reviews.

Here’s the prime advantages of using ad extensions

Advantages of Ad extensions

Ad extensions increases the size of ad copy

More extension you use, larger the ad will be. Hence it will look relatively larger than the other ads. Larger the ad looks , easier it catches the attention of the user. More user attention , more engagement and lesser cost per click.

Can’t convey message in text format

If you’re business received an amazing reviews, it will be easy to display 5 stars than describing those in the text. These also makes very intuitive for the user to understand and increases the CTR.

Extra Features

Only headlines and some extension in the ad copy are clickable. Others are texts simply conveying a message. But ad extensions adds additional features such as calling directly from phone, messaging, locating the business in map all of these even without visiting the web page.

Improves key metrics

Using ad extensions has proven to increase the CTR. CTR in turns improves the cost per click. When in-turn increase the cost per conversions. So just by using conversions you can actually optimize campaign performance a bit.

Deeper linking of Other pages

Just like how it is difficult to convey message only using text. It will be difficult to provide information using just a landing page. Extension will help you to link key pages ( testimonials, pricing ) directly into the ad.

By yathav

I'm very passionate about technology, marketing & analytics. Using WordPress and working on blogging & search engine optimization for almost 8+ years, I'd like to share my thoughts, hacks and best practices about what i do professionally & what I experience.

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