As Google rolls out Expanded Text Ads for AdWords users, it’s important to note that the additional characters you gain from Expanded Text Ads are just one focus area for capturing your target customer’s attention. In this post, we’re going to show combinations of Expanded Text Ads and Ad Extensions that will help you draw the eye to your ads and make the most effective use of your Google AdWords budget.
Note: Depending on your location, business type, and associated Google properties (such as a local business place for Location Ad Extensions), some extensions may or may not be available to you.
How to access Google AdWords extensions
First, the basics. How do you access Google AdWords Extensions? It’s simple. When you set up your new ad campaign, you will choose the option for All features.
This will allow you to select from the AdWords Extensions to which your account has available, each of which you can learn more about by hovering over the question mark next to the name of the extension.
While you can use multiple extensions to give your ad ample real estate at the top of search results so that your target audience can’t miss it , there are certain AdWords Extensions that are more useful than others. Here are the top three that will get your customers exactly where they need to go to take action with your business.
1. The sitelinks google AdWords extension
In the above ad for online college, you will see two Google AdWords Extensions in boxes – Callouts and Sitelinks. The Callouts (the second line of text below the expanded text description) don’t stand out as much as the Sitelinks, which are the four links you see at the bottom of the ad, but can go a long way to putting your value propositions forward for users. As these two ad extensions can trigger together, considering how you want your Callouts to support your Sitelinks (and vice versa) can go a long way to not only having the most impressive ad but earning the best click-through-rate too.
2. The call & structured snippets AdWords extension
In the above ad, you will see two AdWords Extensions at work: the Call Extension (the phone number) and the Structured Snippets (the Types: listing below the expanded text description). As you may notice, the phone number rests aside the display URL as an additional call to action option for the viewer, and does not distract from the expanded text description. The Structured Snippets help show the breadth of courses, which is helpful, but this extension is unlikely to command attention like Sitelinks would. Given the November 13th enrolments date, reviewing performance data and tweaking accordingly is required to make the most of the time available.
3. The app google AdWords extension
If you have an app that you know will make shopping or completing another call to action easier for your customer time and time again, use the App Extension to get your target audience to download your app to their phone. They may not shop today, but if they download your app, they’ll see your business each time they turn on your phone, making them more likely to shop later.
You’ll also notice in the above example that the ads are from a mobile browser as opposed to a desktop browser. It’s a perfect example of targeting the right audience (mobile users) to use your app. It’s also a perfect example of what other ad extensions like Callouts and Sitelinks (both used in the Target ad along with the App Extension) will look like on a mobile device, and in conjunction with the App Extension.
How to use expanded text in harmony with AdWords extensions
When it comes to creating the perfect Google AdWords Ad with both expanded text and extensions, here are the main things you want to consider.
First, what is your main objective / goal with your ad campaign? Your expanded ad title and ad text should lead your target audience to want to complete that objective.
Second, the ad extensions you choose should make it easy for your target audience to complete that objective, get more information in order to help them complete that objective, or get them on an email list so you can provide more information to help them complete that objective. A phone number, links to specific pages on your website, and your app can help with all of these.
Third, consider trying different extensions based on your business type. For example:
Local businesses can take advantage of Location Extension such as listing their address so that people can find their physical location to purchase a product or service. This can be added with the Sitelinks and App Extensions.
“In my own words, this will be the most amazing quote you will retweet all day!”[facebook_icon]
Online retailers can take advantage of the Seller Ratings Extension (assuming they have good ratings) to highlight their overall star rating. This can be added with the Sitelinks, Phone, and App Extensions.
Any business that has one great testimonial that fits these policies can use the Review Extension in addition to their expanded text. For example, if you were a motivational coach that Tony Robbins recommended or an SEO that Matt Cutts recommended, now is the time to make that testimonial shine! Sometimes, one great testimonial is all it takes to win over a customer. This can be added with the Sitelinks, Phone, and App Extensions.
As always, remember to test
Last, and most importantly with effective AdWords management, is to do a lot of testing. Try testing different combinations of AdWords Extensions and expanded text copy variations to see which ones deliver the best results by making sure your AdWords and Analytics accounts are connected and properly delivering the data you need to see which ads drive the most conversions. You may find that the expanded text and Sitelinks combination works better than expanded text and a phone number.
From there, test even deeper. Try renaming your Sitelinks or testing the landing pages to which the Sitelinks directs your ad audience. You might find that your ads are fine, but the conversions get a huge boost by simply changing the headline on your landing page to something more in sync with the messaging in your ad (which would be wise to do once you find the winning ad).
After that, if you are an online retailer, be sure to do some testing of your shopping cart to make sure that there are no major drop off points, which you can usually see quickly in your Google Analytics if you have a Funnel Goal setup. goal-funnel-analytics-example
If you do see a page in your checkout process that has a lot of dropoffs, look for ways to optimise it for conversions (remove extra fields, add trust banners / badges, add your guarantee or money back policy, etc.). This will ensure you get the most out of your Google AdWords budget, from the ad click to completion.
In conclusion
As you can see, Google is offering AdWords advertisers a great way to get the most out of their budget by helping them create ads that really stand out in search results and provide more than just a little text and one link. With expanded text and extensions, you can create an ad that helps your target audience achieve your goal even more efficiently than ever.