Google Extended Ads – What You Need To Know To Stay Ahead!

We posted an article earlier this year, back in April, about Google AdWords testing new extended ads ready for a new update. You can read it here: Google's Game Changing PPC Updates. They have now rolled this update out across the Google AdWords platform and extended ads are now available to all advertisers.

If you haven't implemented any extended ads across your campaigns and ad groups yet, you could be losing out! Continue reading this article to find out more about how to make the most of extended ads, and what you need to know to stay ahead of your competition.

Setting Up An Extended Ad

To set up a brand new extended ad inside AdWords, go to the ad group you want to add one to, then click on create new ad. This will bring up the new layout where you can enter two headlines and a longer description. Google now allows for 30 characters in both headlines 1 and 2 and then 80 characters in the extended description.

Why Use Extended Ads?

Although there isn't much data yet regarding extended ads and how they perform, we can but speculate that they are going to outperform their counterparts. Using extended ads means you are going to be taking up more of that white space in the search engine results page. This means you are going to stand out more, which should result in people being drawn towards your ad and clicking on it. In theory, extended text ads should boost your click through rate. Another bonus is you can say more than you used to be able to!

What Are The Benefits?

The most obvious benefit to the new ad format is being able to write more. This means that extra bit of information you couldn't fit in a few weeks ago, can now be added to your ad. The next benefit is that, with the extra space, your ad is going to look more pleasing to any prospects searching for your services and should have a higher chance of getting clicked on than your competitors.

Best Practices For Writing Extended Ads

Here are a few best practices for writing extended text ads:

1) Headline 1

It is still important to include a keyword in your first headline to boost quality score. So I would always start with the main keyword for the ad group which the ad is for. Remember, this is the first thing people are going to see so it is the most important. The headline still needs to catch people’s attention.

2) Headline 2

The second headline comes after a hyphen from the first headline, helping you fill more of the search engine results page. This is your chance to provide that little bit of extra detail that helps you stand out and makes you unique. It should make searchers interested and should get them hooked.

3) Your Description

Now that Google gives you 80 characters for a description, you have the ability to say much more than you used to be able to. Make sure you make use of this extra space. Be sure to include a main keyword, an offer, a hook or usp, a benefit (if you can) and a call to action. Ads that strike emotion with your potential customers are the ones that will do the best. Really think about what they're looking for and try and get into their mind-set. Asking a negative question can work quite well. For example, “Fed Up With Losing Money On Your Home?” You can then finish the ad with an offer and call to action.

4) Your Display URL

With the new update, Google automatically pulls the domain from your final URL into your display URL, so you no longer need to specify this. You can now also, optionally, add up to 2 path fields that have a character limit of 15. One or both of these should include a main keyword so your ad stands out even more.

5) Ad Extensions

Never ever ignore ad extensions. They let you say more and make your ad look much more attractive. Some of the ad extensions I would recommend adding are sitelinks, call extensions, callouts, review extensions and a location extension, if you can. Find out more about how ad extensions can improve yours ads by reading this blog article: Just How Effective Can Google Ad Extensions Be For Your Business

Implement It Now And Stay Ahead

If you start implementing your extended text ads now, before your competitors do, you'll be sure to stay ahead of the game! However, be cautious. Although many advertisers are reporting much higher click through rates with extended ads, don't pause your old ads right away as every industry is different. Keep you old ads running for a short while until you are certain that your new extended text ads are outperforming them.