It’s finally time.

Your brand new Adwords account is all ready to launch. You have properly segmented ad groups, A/B tested ads, and clever keywords, not to mention all of your custom ad scheduling.

But wait… what are you missing?

Ad extensions are the best way for you to take up more real estate on the Search Engine results page (SERP) while increasing your ad rank and potentially moving your ads higher up on the page.

Now, let’s break down the different types of ad extensions, and explain when to use them and why.

Sitelinks:

These extensions allow you to direct users to different pages on your site, for no additional cost. Sitelinks are ideal for promoting category pages on your site, as they allow your customers to go straight to pages on your site deeper than the first page.

Not only do these links make your ad more appealing and customized, they often improve your click-through-rate (CTR) by providing the consumer with links to exactly what they are looking for.

I highly recommend these extensions for every single ad that you run, as they are highly customizable and versatile. There is never a good reason not  to use sitelink extensions!

Call Extensions:

Call extensions are very straightforward; they provide a clickable phone number that mobile users can click to immediately call your business. While they function very simply, it is important to be strategic when deciding whether or not to implement them in your ads.

If you use incoming calls as a primary stream of leads, then this extension is vital for your business. Using a google forwarding number for call extensions allows you to have some advanced tracking on the quality of the leads provided through the calls, further enhancing their value.

Review Extensions:

Review Extensions are a very powerful tool to built that all-important trust, putting your excellent reputation right there in the advertisement for potential customers to see. 90% of consumers use reviews when making an online purchase decision, and implementing Review Extensions has been linked to significant increases in CTR (click-through rate).

All that being said, Review Extensions can be tricky to set up and manage. Permissions from the source need to be obtained, you need to link to the source itself, and most importantly, you need to follow Google’s fairly extensive rules concerning these extensions.

Now, you may be thinking that it isn’t worth all the trouble… and you might be right. That being said, if your company has been featured in some publication or reviewed by a news organization, utilizing review extensions could give extra credibility to your brand.

Callout Extensions:

Callout Extensions are simple, effective, and eye-catching. They cannot be clicked, so they do not draw traffic away from your ad. Instead, they describe and highlight services you offer, brands you carry, and the like.

They are best used to set your ad apart, while simultaneously raising your ad rank. You can have callouts  like “Free Shipping” and “Next-Day Delivery”, as well as callouts that highlight product features such as “2-Year Warranty”.   Be careful to avoid duplications in your ads when using callouts. For example, having “next-day shipping” in your ad copy as well as your callout extensions is a surefire way to get your ad disapproved.

Structured Snippets:

These are very similar in appearance and function to callout extensions, so much so that many people do not see the point in running both. However, callouts are designed to highlight what sets you apart, and snippets are meant to highlight specific aspects of your business offerings. To simplify things, headers are predefined by Google, making snippets much less freeform than callouts. This is helpful, as it helps you use your snippets constructively, rather than make them too similar to callouts and retread old ground.

App Extensions:

These are very interesting extensions, as they serve a dual purpose. The ads they are attached to direct users to your site, and the extensions themselves direct users to your app. This duality makes this ads ideal for promoting your app alongside your site. However, if you are solely focusing on your app, Google suggests running App Promotion Ads instead.

Location Extensions:

Location extensions, like call extensions, are vital for specific businesses. They attach the phone number and address to your ads, allowing potential customer to view your location, call your number, and even get directions to you by using their mobile phone. If you are in an industry that thrives on high levels of foot traffic, location extensions should be your bread and butter. Not only do they give you more valuable real estate on the SERP, they provide your customers with information that helps them get to your business with ease.

I highly recommend taking the time to implement ad extensions in your accounts. Between the raised ad rank and expanded SERP space, the benefits far outweigh the work required to get them up and running. Here at Iterate, we have all relevant extensions running for all of the accounts we manage. There is simply no reason to refrain from adding extensions to your ads. If you have any questions about ad extensions, or want to learn more about how we leverage Google’s tools to improve our clients’ marketing efforts, feel free to reach out to us at hello@iteratemarketing.com. Now, go add those extensions!