Google Ads extensions allow advertisers to show more (useful and quick) information in their paid ads and increase the visibility of their ads in search results – resulting in increased CTR.
Whether it is additional links, addresses, phone numbers, or even images, the use of appropriate ad extensions will increase the CTR which will positively impact the quality level. This means that by increasing the Quality Score, the CPC will drop and your ads will be able to generate more clicks for the same budget.
There are over a dozen different Google Ads extensions. You should be aware that the display of these extensions in your ads is random. Google decides when and which extension to display – depending on the user’s request, the device, …
Either way, make sure you add all the Google Ads ad extensions that are relevant to your business.
1 – Sitelink Extensions
Sitelink extensions include additional links in the ad to your website. These links increase your chances of generating clicks on your ads by offering your future customers more pages of your website that may be of interest to them.
The display of sitelinks in search results depends on Google algorithms. So, sometimes they may show only as a title and sometimes as a title with a small description.
To reach your audience and generate more clicks, consider choosing the right titles and descriptions. Keyword research is therefore important to match your message to users’ needs.
To appear in the ad, you need at least 2 sitelink extensions (for desktop), and at least 1 sitelink extension (for mobile). The number of sitelinks that can appear is different depending on where people see the ad:
- Desktop: Your ad can show up to 6 sitelinks
- Mobile: Your ad can show up to 8 sitelinks.
Sitelink extensions best practices
Choose carefully the pages to which you link. Prioritize those that can benefit your potential customers by giving them details of pricing, current offers, or specific/unique services.
Besides keywords analysis, you can also perform a backlink analysis to find out which of your content is referenced the most. This indicates what visitors find most useful on your website.
When setting up your sitelink extensions, keep these best practices in mind:
- Keep link text short: Short links mean that more links can show, so be sure to stay within limits. Sitelink text is limited to 25 characters.
- Add descriptions: Descriptions for each link make your ad more helpful to people viewing your ad. They don’t reduce the number of links that can show. You can add two descriptions per link. Each can contain 35 characters
Note: If you don’t write descriptions for your sitelinks, Google Ads may automatically generate them for you, provided you have sitelink extensions enabled for dynamic ads.
It is recommended to create sitelinks at the ad group level to better match your ads and the links displayed. If you don’t already, the ad group uses the sitelink extensions of the campaign it’s part of.
2 – Structured Snippet Extensions
Snippet extensions appear just below the main ad text and highlight specific aspects of your business’s products and services.
Choose your ad snippets carefully and associate them with the ad copy. Provide helpful information, not just superlatives like “amazing” and “best,” and don’t repeat what the ad copy already says.
In terms of best practices:
- Aim to include at least 4 values per header
- Create shorter snippets to appeal to mobile users
- Add more than one header-value set
Google proposes a list of predefined headers, you can choose from:
- Amenities
- Brands
- Courses
- Degree programs
- Destinations
- Featured hotels
- Insurance coverage
- Models
- Neighborhoods
- Service catalog
- Shows
- Styles
- Types
3 – Callout Extensions
Callout extensions help to promote (in a few words) unique offers to shoppers by letting you include the additional text so you can show more detailed information about your business, products, and services.
Callouts can boost your clickthrough rate by letting you flash the instant benefits of your business in your ad messaging and by occupying more real estate on the first page of Google
Once created, Google may show up to 10 callouts in addition to the text of your ad, depending on the character spacing, user’s browser, and device.
Callout Ad extensions best practices
- Create at least 6 callout extensions
- Google recommends 12-15 characters per callout, with a hard limit of 25 characters
- Give detailed information to customers. For example, try saying “500 KM EV Range” instead of “Great EV Range.”
- Use sentence case, Not Title Case
- Set callout extension at account level to ensure having them covering all of your ads
- Set up more granular callouts at the campaign and ad-group levels to highlight highlight offerings or features that are only applicable to certain parts of your business
- Create mobile specific callout extensions to improve your quality score.
4 – Location Ad Extension
Location extensions can help people find your locations by showing your business address below the ad text.
Thus, in addition to the description lines and URLs that appear in your ad text, you can also feature your business name, address, phone number, and a link to get directions.
Here is what location extensions look like on desktop and mobile:
Desktop
Mobile
Clicking this extension will take your prospects right to Google Maps with your business’ location already inputted into the destination.
Here is what happens if you click the location extension in the Nike ad above:
You got it, location ad extensions are essential for all local businesses and craftsmen. So, ensure your business information and address are up-to-date.
5 – Call Extensions
Call extensions consist of inserting a telephone number in your ad so that you can be reached directly. They are ideal for boosting your visibility and your conversion rate.
Call extensions make life easier for your potential customer: no more spending minutes looking for a phone number on the web or just trying to remember a number. If a user is using his smartphone, all he has to do is click to call you. Making it easy to make contact is all the more important today as your customers increasingly use their phones to search on the web.
With call extensions, you can expect your ad click-through rate to increase by around 4% to 5%, and much more depending on the case.
Depending on the user device, your contacts are displayed in two ways: as a real number (on the desktop)
and as a call button (on mobile).
Call extensions are aimed more particularly at merchants. They can thus be useful to all those who offer local services where getting a call from a customer is a conversion goal. This is the case, for example, for hairdressers, real estate agents, restaurateurs … But also for professions where urgency is important such as a locksmith, a plumber, etc.
If you want to count the calls as conversions, you need to turn on the call tracking feature in your Google Ads account.
6 – Price Extensions
The Price Extension feature allows you to enhance your Google text ads with pricing information. Concretely, it allows you to add 3 to 8 direct links to targeted products, by displaying their price directly within the ad.
The price extension is relatively easy to install from your Google Ads interface.
First, some settings need to be made:
- target language
- price extension type, for example “Product”, “Services”, “Location”, “Events”, etc.
- currency
- a price qualifier, for example “from”, “Up to” or “Average”
- one unit if necessary, for example “per hour”, “per day”
Finally, you have 3 to 8 lines to report your products. Thus, you can enter for each:
- the name of the product / service
- his price
- the destination url
In addition, there is a clickable ad header, as well as a description of up to 25 characters. For optimal use, Google recommends offering at least 5 prices.
The different prices can point to the same landing page. However, remember the display is on mobile, so your text should be shorter!
The price extension, therefore, offers a major advantage, namely the lower bounce rate and an increase in the quality of clicks. A factor that positively influences your conversion rate, as well as the quality score of your ad.
7 – Promotion Ad Extension
Promotion extensions appear below the ad in an easy-to-read format that grabs the attention of your potential customers.
Promotion extensions allow you to enhance your text ads. Indeed, they highlight your products on sale and your promotions to people who are looking for the best offers offered by your company.
Promotion extensions will display an icon visible below your ad to highlight a special offer currently on your site. They are a great way to increase your CTR.
You can specify the details of your promotion with, for example, the discount amount or the end date of the offer.
Promotion extensions are free to add—you’re only charged for clicks from people viewing your ad. The cost of a click on a promotion extension equals the cost of a click on the headline in the same ad.
8 – App Extension
App extensions showcase your mobile or tablet app by showing a link to your app below your ad. When users click on this link, they will go directly to the description of your app on the Google Play download app platform or the Apple App Store.
Google Ads, App extensions help you extend your reach beyond the app store.
You can add your own CTA. Text space is limited to 25 characters, so little room for creativity. Use urgent words like “now” and “today” to influence your potential customers. A good example of a compelling CTA is “Get your [app name] now”.
App extensions are free to add, and you’re only charged for clicks. Clicks on an app extension of an ad cost the same as clicks on the headline of that ad.
9 – Image Ad Extension
Image Ad Extensions allow advertisers to supplement their existing text ads with engaging and relevant images. They can help you improve your performance with more visually appealing ads on the Search Network.
Clickable, image ad extensions aim to catch the eye of users and ultimately increase the click rate on the ad. By taking up more space on the SERP, they will also allow you to stand out from your competitors and leave them a minimal space before the first scroll.
Image extensions are displayed with:
- The destination url
- The title of the ad
- The description
- The image in question
Image ad extensions can be applied at either the campaign or ad group level in Google Ads.
Google Ads image extension best practices
- Follow Google’s policy
- Use multiple images
- Keep images simple
10 – Lead Form Extension
Lead Form Extension is the latest Google Ads extension. They allow users to provide their contact information directly through your ad on the SERP.
This replaces the need for a user to visit the website to complete the conversion. If the user is already logged into their Google account, they will reach the already pre-filled Google-hosted form with their contact details and can immediately convert with just one click.
To date, two ways allow us to collect the leads generated thanks to lead form extension. First, you can download a file containing all the leads directly from the Google Ads interface.
The second way involves a little development work. This is to configure a connection between this form and the advertiser’s CRM. This solution, therefore, provides a certain level of immediacy, absent from the first method.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, Google Ads extensions can substantially improve your ad copy quality, capturing the attention of potential customers and increasing your click-through rate. Remember, don’t limit yourself to just using one ad extension. Pick the ones that are most relevant to your business and objectives and set up appealing and beneficial ads.