Google Ads is a compelling platform for creating and displaying business ads. You can reach the target audience across the colossal Google network of Search ads, Display ads, and/or YouTube. Its ad extensions have also been a key feature that enhances performance and visibility. This simple yet insightful guide provides an overview of Google Ads extensions for your successful implementation.
What Are Google Ads Ad Extensions?
Ad extensions are additional information to expand your advertisement. It provides potential customers, visitors, or users with more relevant details about your business. In simple words, ad extensions make your ads more engaging with improved visibility. It leads to an increase in overall performance, including click-through rates (CTR).
They can showcase your business/company location, contact information, and additional links to your website pages. Ad extensions aren’t always shown in every ad, as they’re displayed only when Google determines that they can improve the performance and relevancy of your ad. And these beneficial tools don’t cost you a single dime.
Benefits of Using Ad Extensions
- Click-Through Rate (CTR) – Adding extra information to your ad makes it more relevant. And more relevance increases the likelihood of user clicks.
- Improved Ad Rank – Google considers ad extensions as part of its formula to determine Ad Rank. It directly influences your ad’s position across SERPs.
- Enhanced Ad Visibility – Ad extension lets your ads occupy more space with more info. They can easily make them appear on search engine result pages.
- Leads and Conversions – Certain ad extensions (call/location) help customers drive actions, like calls or visits. And it should generate more conversions.
- Improved User Experience – Providing additional relevant information lets potential clients make more informed decisions, leading to a better UX.
Types of Google Ads Ad Extensions
Google comes with lots of distinctive ad extensions. You can broadly categorize them into two groups –
1. Manual Ad Extensions
They require manual setup and configuration while offering more customization and control. Some common manual ad extensions include –
Sitelink Extensions
These allow you to add links to specific webpages to offer more navigation options. Extensions can increase the number of clickable links within your ad. You should add multiple sitelinks to push customer interaction. But keep the sitelink descriptions concise and match the user’s intent.
Call Extensions
They display a phone number alongside your ad, allowing users to click and directly call your business. It’s primarily useful for local companies and service-based industries. Use call tracking to monitor the number of conversions. Also, enable call extensions during your business hours only.
Location Extensions
These reveal/point out your business address, phone number, and even a map marker with the ad. They are helpful for businesses with physical stores to drive foot traffic. Link your Google My Business (GMB) profile to Google Ads for accurate location data and keep all the essential info updated.
Callout Extensions
They let you add summarized and additional text to your ad to highlight the key business offers, like –Free Shipping, 24/7 Support, and/or Money-back Guarantee. You must keep the callout text short but impactful. Don’t forget to highlight your currently unique selling points or promotions.
Structured Snippet Extensions
These only highlight the specific aspects of your products or services by displaying predefined categories, like – Destinations, Brands, and/or Types. Use the structured snippets to reflect your business categories. Meanwhile, you better update snippets regularly to keep them relevant to current offers.
Price Extensions
They let you display the price tags of specific products/services featured in your ad. Each item includes a brief description/link with the price to help users compare and choose. Prioritize popular services/products to include the price. Likewise, updating the price is essential for ongoing rates.
App Extensions
These encourage users to download your proprietary mobile app through a direct link to the app store. It’s mainly beneficial for businesses intending to increase mobile engagement. Link to Android and iOS versions to employ targeted campaigns, promoting the app extension for smartphone users.
2. Automated Ad Extensions
You can automatically add these extensions using Google when the system realizes they can push your ad’s performance. Some common automated ad extensions include –
Automated Call Extensions
When the algorithm predicts that adding the extension can improve user experience, Google displays a call button with your ad.
Automated Location Extensions
Google automatically pulls location data from your Google My Business profile to display with your ad. It often drives more traffic to your physical storefront.
Dynamic Sitelink Extensions
Google also generates useful sitelinks, based on popular content from your site that matches the consumers’ common query.
How to Add Ad Extensions
- Log in to Google Ads – Go to Google Ads account and navigate to the desired campaign or ad group.
- Go to Ad Extensions – Select the ‘Extensions’ tab on the left-hand panel.
- Select the Type of Extension – Choose the type of extension you want/need to add from the given options.
- Create the Extension – Enter the relevant info (link, text, contact, and/or price.
- Save and Apply – Click on the ‘Save’ button to let the extension be added to your ads campaign/group.
Best Practices for Using Ad Extensions
Businesses can harness the power of Google Ads ad extensions using common strategies. And the best practices to make the most out of your free ad extensions include –
- Multiple Extensions – You should use several ad extensions at once. For instance, combine sitelinks with callouts and location extensions to provide more information.
- Test and Optimize – Regularly reviewing the performance of your ad extensions is crucial. Test different extensions to track how they impact CTR, conversions, and rank.
- Ensure Relevance – The information in extensions must remain relevant to the ad and search queries. Outdated info or irrelevant offers can harm ads’ performance.
- Focus on Mobile Optimization – Mobile users interact slightly differently with ads. So, you must optimize the chosen extensions for mobile devices with easy-to-navigation.
- Align with Campaign Goals – Use ad extensions that directly align with your campaign. For example, call and location extensions drive more phone calls and in-store visits.
The simple, easy-to-use, free Google tool can significantly enhance your ads, providing valuable information to potential users/customers/visitors. It’s a strategic action to increase the likelihood of more engagement and better conversions. Using the right combination of extensions allows businesses to alter ad performance to the positive side significantly.
I am an digital marketing specialist who is expert in SEO & Google ads.