When it comes to maximising return on investment from your Google AdWords campaigns, success comes after a series of tests.
But rather than taking a stab in the dark and hoping for the best (and watching your budget disappear), there are a small number of easy steps that you can take to help increase your CTR (click through rate), whilst staying on budget. I’m talking about AdWords extensions.
Put simply, AdWords extensions will benefit your AdWords campaign in three fundamental ways. Firstly, the most recent Google Ad Rank algorithm update appears to favour AdWords extensions, meaning that by utilising the extensions on offer, you can expect improved ad placement.
Secondly, AdWords extensions generally help to generate a lower cost per click (CPC) rate – great news for your campaign budget.
Lastly, making the most of the extensions will give users more ways to find you – whether it’s by location, sitelink to a specific webpage, or phone number – will increase your chances of seeing a tangible ROI on your campaign.
If you're new to the AdWords extensions world, then here are some helpful guidelines for getting started on Google's support page. Now it's time to begin with my guide to the top 5 Google AdWords extensions that you should be using right now:
1. Sitelinks Extensions
The first of our "must-have" extensions is the sitelink extension – a simple but extremely effective AdWords tool. Controlled at ad group or campaign level, this extension allows campaign managers to provide additional links to specific content anywhere within their website. The ad’s sitelink extension is designed to appear when the ad proves relevant to a search query.
Up to six additional destination pages can be applied with this extension. This not only enhances the ad’s visibility, but also provides users with a ‘shortcut’ to the relevant page on the advertised website - effectively increasing your chances of an improved CTR. In fact, an ad that uses the sitelink extension is said to increase the ad’s CTR by around 15-25%, and in some cases, up to 30%.
Below are two examples from JustYou and Travelsphere. Both of these showcase a variety of site extensions for two clients with differing USPs and messaging. It’s worth noting that sitelink URLs must differ; otherwise they are likely to be disapproved.
As you can see, in both cases, prospects can click through to four different areas of their websites and these can be predetermined by you and amended to suit seasonal promotions or new campaigns.
2. Location extensions
Second on our list is the location extension – definitely a “must-have” for brick and mortar businesses, but still relevant to all. The location extension allows for the provision of a business address within an ad, including the business name, address, and phone number.
The ad below for Sunrise Senior Living, shows the extension type in action for a location-specific search:
When a searcher clicks on the location extension, Google automatically serves up a map containing the pin-pointed destination:
Because location plays a key role when it comes to the relevance of a search query (and Google is keen to promote localisation of SERPs using geocaching where possible), including this extension in your ad will undoubtedly help you to see an increase in conversion rates.
Promoting your location as well as relevant contact details is a no-brainer – searchers will often be drawn to a particular product, service, shop or business premises based on locality and proximity. Think about it: if people are looking for your location, that’s a pretty strong buyer signal. Simply including this information via the location extension will boost conversion rates if the demand is already there.
3. “I Am Looking For” Ad Extension
The “I Am Looking For” ad extension - one of a number of extensions currently in beta - but the buzz surrounding this latest addition has earned it a place on our ‘must-have’ list.
Although we are awaiting access to this particular extension, the indications are that it will prove to be a useful tool that can be used in addition to regular ad sitelinks. The image below illustrates how the extension is shaping up:
Image ©www.phillymarketinglabs.com
The “I Am Looking For” extension provides a drop-down menu, in which searchers can choose from a number of options to refine their search in-site. Essentially the extension provides a series of search-specific shortcuts to the information that the searcher is trying to access, but within the advertised website only. This can only be good news for CTRs and conversions. Crucially, the extension also allows for general messaging in the traditional sitelinks.
4. Communications extension
The communications extension is another beta extension that’s made it onto our ‘must-have’ list, although currently only available to a small number of advertisers. The extension provides an email box that can be accompanied with a strong call to action, such as ‘Get Offers’ and ‘Subscribe to Newsletter’.
This extension can be used in conjunction with email marketing campaigns to bolster email marketing lists, and to encourage repeat website visits. The clever part is that the form is automatically populated when the searcher is logged into Google, so one step of the process is already done; all the user has to do is click the appropriate button and the call to action is complete.
Here’s how the communications extension appears in an ad for Sydney Mitchell Law Firm:
5. Seller ratings extensions
Last on our list, but by no means least, is the seller ratings extension. Using Google Product Search, the extension displays a star rating within your AdWords ad, using aggregated data review sites across the web.
Searchers and website users love to feel reassured by endorsements and product ratings, and the seller rating extension does just that.
Below is an example of Swagger and Swoon’s AdWords ad that utilises the seller ratings extension. The aggregated 5-star rating and review number is displayed directly under the site URL, providing a strong visual buying signal, whilst helping to highlight brand trust and brand loyalty:
In this case, the Google aggregate data was collected from PriceGrabber, Review Centre, Shopzilla, Feefo, Trustpilot and similar sites.
A seller rating extension is only automatically triggered when an online merchant’s website is rated in Google Product search with four or more stars, and has accumulated at least 30 reviews. However you may not have 30 reviews, my advice would be to simply encourage reviews on your website; as Google will then aggregate the data, and trigger the threshold for this particular ad extension.
To conclude, the goals with AdWords advertising are to be as relevant as possible with your ads and landing pages, and to achieve as high conversion rate as possible. But to accomplish this, you need to capture your audience, and encourage high-quality, targeted click-throughs. Put simply, applying these five AdWords extensions should help to do two very important things; make your ad more relevant, and make your ad more visible, resulting in a higher CTR.
If these ad extensions are useful to you and you're interested in expanding your Google AdWords tools, check out our Complete Guide to AdWords Ad Extensions pdf, which is available to download.
