Search ads, what are they good for? Benefiting your ROI, SEO strategy, reach and brand awareness, search ads can wow your target audience whether you want brand awareness or conversions.
But search ads aren’t limitless. Left on their own to languish in the SERPS, they can drown in a sea of competition.
Your keywords are already smartly inserted, your benefits are on point, your call to action screams ‘click me!’, and your description couldn’t possibly get any more alluring - yet your click through rate (CTR) remains pitifully low.
Ad Extensions. Informative and relevant segments of information about your business you can attach to your search ads to enhance what you offer.
We've tried and tested a range of ad extensions, selecting some of our favourite that will add oomph to your Search Ads:
“If the customer will not come to you, then you must go to the customer.”
Make it clear when people can reach you, and where. The location extension links your Google Business account with AdWords to display your location, opening hours and phone number.
The more information you tell searchers about your business before they even need to click, the quicker and easier you are making their experience of your brand. This is particularly important for retail, or shop front businesses that can’t offer goods online - let your customers know exactly when and where they can find you - don’t make them hunt for it.
“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are.”
Showcase other elements of your brand or service with sitelinks, an extension that allows you to list additional pages from your website with your ad. This includes downloads, news and advice, or a contact page.
Afterall, you are more than your landing page. By offering alternate conversion and/or awareness paths, you can encourage conversions and engagement you may not get from your ad copy.
“Call me on the line, call me, call me any, anytime.”
With more and more people browsing on mobile or tablet devices it’s imperative you tailor your ads not only to your audience, but also to how they find you. Making it as easy as possible for them to contact you, and receive an immediate response.
The call extension adds a handy call button to mobile ads, meaning searchers can call directly from the SERP results - without even needing to click through to your site! While on desktop, it ads a mobile number next to the display URL on your ad.
“I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you.”
While shouting about how great you are isn’t a top selling point, offering social proof in the form of reviews is. It supports the claims you make in your ad copy, and tells searchers how valuable your service is via the voices of clients, customers or publications..
Referencing your top reviews in your ads demonstrates your worth to searchers. Just make sure you only include reviews you can provide evidence for, you want to build a brand people can trust - authenticity is key to growing your business.
“Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens.”
Structured Snippets are a fairly new addition to the AdWords ad extension family, giving you the ability to list key services or products you offer.
This extension is great for general or niche campaigns. You can save precious ad space, do you sell jackets? List your styles. Are you an educational body? List your courses. Let searchers know exactly what you offer before they click.
Step ahead of your competition and demonstrate your value for money before searchers even land on your site.
The price extension allows you to list your products or services and their price. If you are promoting a multi-day event, offering day tickets alongside tickets for your whole event, this could be the extension for you. Don’t let the worry of giving away your prices scare you away from testing. Transparency builds trust, and as we say here at Bozboz, “better to have tested and lost, than never to have tested at all.”
“I'm easy, I'm easy like Sunday morning.”
Harking back to the call extension, the app extension is another helpful tool for any business with both a large mobile audience and an app to compliment their service. The app extension attaches a link to your ads so searchers can browse and buy in a format that complements their online habits.
Showcase your app and take your user experience to the next level.
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Easy, right! Employing some or all of these extensions will decorate your ad with a multitude of promotional additions that can help you stand out from the SERP crowd.
Make sure you select them carefully, not every extension is going to work for every account. Follow the direction of your campaign and choose wisely. If you are more expensive than your competitors, avoid the price extension and focus on the benefits of the service you offer. If you're testing the conversion power of your landing page, avoid the sitelink extension which may draw searches away from where you want to funnel them.
Just focus on the desired outcome of your campaign, and consider these simple steps:
Get in touch today to see how we can help.
If you want to showcase your offering, convert more leads, provide resources, or all of the above, we can build a website that separates you from the competition.
