Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is every digital marketer’s trusted weapon. It drives targeted traffic and converts leads, yielding up to 200% ROI with effective optimization. You may be using this approach, but are you maximizing it? You must try ad extensions, which are assets you might be overlooking.
Ad extensions are snippets that provide your business contact details, site links, and additional information. They also include click-to-call and other interactive buttons. These extensions are pivotal in digital advertising. 
The Benefits of Ad Extensions
Have you ever searched for a term and seen ads with clickable words or buttons? Some even show the store’s location, hours, ratings, and offerings. All these details are ad extensions that not all businesses use to market their products or services online. Why should you?
Increased Visibility and Ad Space
Ad extensions expand your ad’s real estate on search engine results pages (SERPs) by giving users more information at a glance. They make your ads occupy more visual space, appearing more eye-catching than your competitors’ texts. A standard ad is the most basic form, which may be enough. But to really stand out in a saturated SERP, you must display more professionalism and credibility.
Higher Click-Through Rates (CTR)
Imagine your SERP surfacing an ad that tells you what a store sells, which could be exactly what you are looking for, and allows you to call them right away to ask about availability or make reservations. Ad extensions make your ad so complete that users only need to click! As a result, you increase your click-through rate (CTR). In fact, with around four site links in your ads, your CTR can increase by 20%.
Improved Ad Relevance and Quality Score
Your CTR proves your ad’s relevance and influences its quality score. The higher the quality score, the higher the Ad Rank, and the more your ad will appear in users’ searches. This advantage can potentially lower your cost per click (CPC). As such, you can get more leads without spending more money.
Enhanced User Experience
Lastly, ad extensions round back to your business’s primary reason for marketing in the first place: your customers. When you provide valuable information upfront, you make the decision-making or purchasing process easier for users. Catering to their intent means they do not have to spend more time and energy searching for what they want.
Types of Ad Extensions
There are different ad extensions you can integrate into PPC campaigns. Here are four of them:
- 🔗 Site Link Extensions: These ad extensions take your potential customers to pages on your website, whether product, promotional, or contact pages.
- 📞 Call Extensions: Direct phone contact through your ad is possible with this extension type.
- 📍 Location Extensions: This extension gives away your physical store information and can even show where you are on the map.
- 💰 Price Extensions: Display your products or services with their prices for quick reference.
Best Practices for Implementing Ad Extensions
Ad extensions are a gift from the marketing gods. Does that mean you should use all of them? Not exactly. For your PPC campaign to work, you should choose the right extensions for your business.
Think about it. A call extension is pointless if your phone lines are not your main form of communication. Site link extensions that direct users to your blog when they intend to buy something will also be unproductive. The right ad extensions support your business objectives and make sense for your target audience.
You must also craft compelling extension copy because the visuals will not do all the heavy lifting. Be concise and accurate. Your goal is to let people know that you have what they are looking for, and they can acquire it by contacting you or visiting your store. There is no room for confusion or wrong details.
Finally, regularly test and optimize your ad extensions. You don’t want your potential customer to click a button that leads to a dead page or go to an old address. Ensure that all the features are working and updated so you do not lose opportunities.
Measuring the Impact of Ad Extensions
Just because your PPC campaign leverages ad extensions does not mean it will 100% deliver the results you want. After you apply ad extensions, track your ad’s CTR and conversion rate. An increase can mean that your ads have become more visible and users are taking action through the extensions.
If there are little to no changes, other extensions may better fit your business or target audience. You can also monitor your CPC to determine whether or not your ad extensions are driving your costs up or down.
Use modern tools to analyze your ads’ and the whole campaign’s performance. For example, Google Ads is designed to manage your paid search campaigns, including ad extensions. You can also try Google Analytics and third-party platforms like Mailchimp and Adobe Analytics.
Run Successful PPC Campaigns With Connection Model
Ad extensions in PPC campaigns put your ads at the forefront of your target audience and give them an excellent user experience. Consequently, prospects will click and do what they must to benefit from your offerings. Applying ad extensions has a learning curve, but considering the possible ROI makes the effort worth it!
Ready to elevate your PPC campaigns with powerful ad extensions? Connection Model’s digital marketing experts can help you implement and optimize ad extensions to boost your visibility, increase click-through rates, and drive more qualified leads. Contact us today to learn how we can supercharge your digital advertising strategy and maximize your ROI.
Written By: David Carpenter
