Google AdWords Extensions: Free Tools to Enhance Your Business
Ad Sitelinks Extension
What it is: Fully released. Ad Sitelinks gives you the ability to add up to 4 destination URL sitelinks at the bottom of your sponsored ads. This means that you can get customers the information they need faster (for instance, drive a promotion or list a special deal)—and have links for them to click and immediately get to a lower-level of your site.
What it’s good for: First and foremost, this enhances your customers experience by allowing them to see information specific to what they searched for. Secondly, it gets them deeper into your site so they don’t get lost. More customers on your site in the right places means the better chance for more sales—and that’s news we all like to hear! Google reports an average increase of 30% on conversion rates as well which is just the icing on the cake.
Products Extension
What it is: Limited release. The products extension (soon to be fully released) includes the ability to add product name, images and pricing information in a plus-box under your ad text via your Google Merchant Center.
What it’s good for: Enable your customers to see all of your product information and pricing within your ad from the search results page. Just another way to make it easy for customers to purchase what you’re selling and help to increase sales. Also it’s worth noting that you only pay for people clicking on your ad (like before) and not simply clicking the plus-box to view your products.
Video Extension
What it is: Limited beta. This is currently in the early stages of development and limited to a small group of businesses, but it’s out there and being tested. The video extension allows you to include video in a plus-box below your paid search ads.
What it’s good for: Let’s say you’re in the floor refinishing business. You have this great new refinishing product that is not only eco-friendly—but also reduces work time by drying faster and is easier to clean up. This is great for your customers because it allows them to help the environment while saving time and money. You decide to run a campaign to promote this new refinishing product to your customers. With video extension, you could have the ability to also include a short commercial that showed an actual (fast-forwarded) installation and displayed the benefits to the customer. All while being on the search results page. You get charged the same CPC rate as you would normally if they watch the video for more than 10 seconds. If they click through to your actual site afterwards—that’s free to you.
Location Extension
What it is: Full released. Simply put, this is a feature that allows you to include a map of your location within the plus-box below your advertisement.
What it’s good for: This just allows you to have another touch point for the local search results for your business. Ultimately, within your actual ad you can show a map of your local business location(s). Two extra benefits being that if 1) you appear at the top of a page (generally less competitive and more clicks) and 2) a location extension can help to drive your local (or specified), in-store sales.
Multiple Addresses for Location Extension
What it is: Limited beta. Essentially the same thing as Location extension—this feature allows you to show as many locations as are relevant in the search, city or location.
What it’s good for: Let’s say you own a Smoothie King franchise with stores in New York and Virginia. Now let’s say you have a customer who lives in Virginia—but is vacationing for a week in New York City. During their trip they get a craving for a smoothie. They are in the middle of the Big Apple, take out their mobile phone and Google “smoothie king new york city.” Typically, you’d already be listed in the local business results section, but so might your competition—who have stores closer to that customer’s particular location. But with the multiple addresses location, you can show all of your stores within the customer’s proximity in the plus-box under your ad. Seeing this, the potential customer knows they can pick up a smoothie from your store while their taking a cab to Central Park.
Click-to-Call Extension
What it is: Fully released. The click-to-call extension gives you the capability to have your business phone number appear below your Google ad on a mobile phone (with full-browser capability, e.g. iPhone, Droid or other smartphone).
What it’s good for: Just another means of easily contacting your business—whether by proximity of the user or one universal number. Imagine that you are on the way home from work and a friend calls you and wants to go to dinner. You jump on your phone, find a great restaurant nearby and in one click can call and make reservations for your group.
Interested in how your business can utilize social media? NetSearch Direct can offer you an online marketing audit of your business and help you implement a customized online strategy! If you’d like to learn more or to setup an informational session, please contact Kate Snowa at 1-800-418-8505 or kates@netsearchdirect.com.