by samAd extensions contain extra information and/or links, giving customers more reasons to click on your ad. These can include your address, phone no., or links to integral parts of your site. It’s important to understand these features if you’re involved in PPC management. Here, I’ll list the different types of extensions and how and when to use them:
1. Location extensions:
As you can imagine, location extensions are beneficial for brick-and-mortar establishments such as retail stores, restaurants, clubs, and local businesses. Locational information is displayed beneath the result. Google detects the location proximity, so targets local customers. Nando’s is a global brand with branches but has targeted the branch closest to me, in Cambridge.
If you want someone to physically visit a location, using location extensions can be very useful.
Location extensions can appear on Google Maps, Search Network, and Search Network partner sites
Better smartphones can receive location extensions as well.
The relay of quick and easy information provides a better lead to a conversion, in-store or branch. Clicking on a location link is an indicator of being relatively close to conversion.
2. Call extensions:
Any business that encourages business through phone calls, such as restaurants, retail, service companies, etc., will benefit from having a call extension. This feature is most useful on mobile devices, as the number can be clicked on and therefore immediately run by the customer, making the process swift and accessible. On high-end smartphone devices, the number simply appears as a call button to be clicked on. Call extensions can also be applied to desktops and tablets if you use call metrics.
If you have a dedicated phone team, and your phones are always being answered, then a call extension may be of extreme benefit to your business. Physically speaking with someone about services or products often results in the relay of information that may not be as easily explained on your website or elsewhere in your digital marketing campaign.
These appear on Google Search and search partner sites. They will also appear on high-end smartphones. A click-to-call feature gives detailed reports if you want to monitor call metrics based on your ad. Google gives a forwarding call number to track the performance of calls.
3. Sitelink extensions:
For businesses with multiple landing pages—particularly those with multiple services or general product pages—the sitelink extension is useful.
2, 4, or 6 additional links are listed below the ad when encountered on desktop or tablet devices (only 2 for smartphone mobile devices).
Each sitelink needs to have a unique destination URL, as Google has added this rule to their guidelines.
These will appear on Google Search Network and Search Network Partner sites. Bear in mind that ads do not always show sitelinks, and the format is not always consistent. Higher quality scores and top ad bidding help to encourage sitelinks to show on your ads.
Sitelinks increase click-through rates and make the ad much more relevant to the customer. Highlighting certain points of your offering allows you to direct customers to the most popular and/or conversion-heavy sections of your site.
Sitelinks are easy to update and help in taking up more of the limited space available on ads, drawing searchers’ attention.
4. Product extensions:
eCommerce sites with several products may opt to use product extensions.
If you have a Google Merchant Centre account and there are products relevant to the keywords and search terms used, then product extensions may be issued with the matching images, descriptions, prices, etc. of the most relevant products. Clicking the link takes customers straight to that product page (the one listed on your Merchant Centre account).
You’ll need the Merchant Centre account set up before utilising product extensions, as this is where Google retrieves the data.
These appear on Google search and mobile Google search with high-end smartphone devices. They will not appear on Google Network or network partner websites.
In highlighting selected products related to the initial search query, customers get a better overall view of your site—the kinds of prices and products on offer. Therefore, a click has more value, as customers are better informed when they click, and therefore the click-through rate is more likely to lead to conversions. So, you’ll be able to weed out most of the clicks from people seeking information and then bounce once the information has been gained, as they can view a lot of that information without having to click, which saves you money on wasted clicks.