Ad Extenstions

What are ad extensions?

Ad extensions are a type of ad format that show extra information extending from your text ads about your business.  In the past, extensions were typically implemented by advanced PPCers, looking to add additional information to their standard text ads.  However, in October 2013, AdWords announced that extensions are now a factor in the ad rank algorithm.  To maximize paid search performance, all advertisers should now be implementing extensions.

The good news is ad extensions require minimal set up time and are displayed at no additional cost.  You can enable as many as you like, as long as they are a good fit for your account.  However, they will not all show at once.  Google will display whichever extensions they believe are most likely to garner a click for that given query.  In addition, your extensions will only appear if your ad is in one of the top three positions on the page.

You can enable three types of ad extensions through the WordStream platform: Location Extensions, Call Extensions and Sitelink Extensions.  To access these extensions, navigate to the Show Me More dropdown in the Manage PPC grid.  To ensure you have a full grasp of all three extensions, we’ll explore the functionality of each of these separately.  

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Location Extensions

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Location extensions allow you to incorporate your business address in an extra line below your ad. If you have a brick and mortar business and your clients are likely to value their proximity to your physical location, you should be taking advantage of these extensions.  Even if someone searching for your ad has no reason to visit your place of business, location extensions still help your ad claim more space on the page.

Sitelink Extensions

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Sitelink extensions allow you to promote additional landing pages below your standard ad text. Applying a few more lines to your ad gives you more real estate on the SERP, helping your ad to stand out against your competition. Sitelinks also give the searcher an opportunity to go to a more specific page on your site. For example, in the ad above, the search is for Ray Ban sunglasses and the landing page goes to a fairly generic page. If the searcher knows that they want a particular style, such as aviators, they will be more apt to click on the sitelink and go to a specific page for that style. Google has shown that adding sitelinks to your ads increases your click-through rate, even if people aren’t clicking the sitelink links.  

Adding Sitelink Extensions in WordStream

1. Sitelinks can be added on either the campaign or ad group level.  Navigate to the Manage PPC tab and select the campaign or ad group in which you would like to implement the extension in the left hand tree.  

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2. Select the Show Me More dropdown in the grid and click on Sitelink Extensions.

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3. Click on the green ‘New Link’ button.

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4. From here, you have the opportunity to utilize a pre-existing sitelink, or create a new sitelink, specifically for this campaign or ad group.  If you would like to proceed with this option, select the checkbox alongside the extensions you would like to add and then click the orange ‘Add Sitelinks’ button.

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5. If you elect to create a new sitelink, you will be prompted to plug in a title for the sitelink, as well as a destination URL.  Keep in mind, each sitelink must have a unique destination URL.  You also have the opportunity to add two description lines below your sitelink and set it to mobile preferred, both of which are optional items.  Once you’ve completed this list, click ‘Create Sitelink’.

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6. We recommend setting up six regular sitelinks and 4 mobile-preferred sitelinks, per campaign/ad group.

Call Extensions

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If you want to encourage searchers to call your business because that’s the main way you generate leads or sales, make it easy for them to do so by utilizing Call Extensions. Keep in mind; Google no longer permits you to include phone numbers within ad copy, so this is the best way to ensure your phone number is visible to searchers.  These extensions allow you to incorporate your phone number in your text ads, making it easier for customers to contact you directly. Depending on the device, the extensions will be displayed differently. On desktops and tablets, your phone number is applied alongside your text, whereas on high-end mobile devices, your ad will include a “click to call” button. If you include your phone number directly in your ad text, Google will disapprove your ad; so it is even more important to utilize call extensions.

Adding Call Extensions in WordStream

1. Navigate to the Manage PPC tab and select the campaign in which you would like to implement the location extension in the left hand tree.  
2. Select the Show Me More dropdown in the grid and click on Call Extensions.

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3. Click on the green ‘New Extension’ button. 

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4. Select the ‘Add Call Extensions’ button in the grid.

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5. From here, you have the opportunity to utilize an existing extension or create a new one specifically for this particular campaign.  If you would like to use an existing extension, highlight the checkbox alongside the extension and then click the orange ‘Add Call Extensions’ button.

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6. If you elect to create a new call extension, you will be prompted to plug in the number that you would like to direct calls to.  From there, you will need to decide whether you want to display your own number in the extension (and forego call tracking), use WordStreams Call to Conversion Tracking or use Google’s call forwarding feature (which will also allow you to track calls).  The next step is to decide how you would like your information to be displayed on mobile devices.  If you have a mobile responsive site and you know that searchers are likely to convert from your mobile page, you probably want to show both the link to your website and your phone number.  If your site is not optimized for mobile searchers, you should show only your phone number.  For those using Google call forwarding, there is one final step.  You will need to determine how long a phone call must be to count as a call conversion. 

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