Pay per click advertising through AdWords can be a boon to your business when done correctly. In fact, some call AdWords a “money machine.” If you’re able to convert consistently and keep the cost of your advertising below the cost of your product or service, you may be ready to allocate more of your content marketing budget towards AdWords.

The success of your AdWords campaign ultimately comes down to that word, cost. That includes how much you pay for each click and how much you have to spend before you’re able to turn a lead into a customer. Your price per click is determined by a number of factors, but the acronym that stands out and really forces you to craft a compelling ad? CTR (click-through rate).

Below, we discuss what are called “AdWords Extensions,” which are features you can tack onto your ads to help them stand out. When searchers are more interested in clicking your ad, your CTR goes up, your CTC (cost per click) goes down, and your advertising becomes cheaper and more effective

Grab your notes. Let’s get to work.

AdWords Extensions

Sitelinks 

In the past, AdWords ads consisted of one single link with some description text. No more. Now you’re able to add what are called “Sitelinks,” additional links that display underneath your ad and lead to other pages on your site that searchers might be interested in. Imagine you’re searching for a business: iwebcontent, for example. You may be searching for something like “website content,” but in the back of your mind, you’re really curious about how much they charge for their site content. If we’re able to show an AdWords ad and include a sitelink for “Pricing” underneath, it may provide that extra nudge you need to check us out.

Location Extensions

If your business operates in the physical world and customers visit in person, the AdWords Location Extension is a choice option. If you search for “office supplies” on Google, there’s a very good chance you’ll see an ad for Staples. And, underneath, you’ll see a link containing the address of a Staples near you, along with a phone number and hours of operation. The ad catches your eye. It looks different than a normal AdWords ad. The famous Google Maps “pin” starts the Location Extension, and the link that follows is underlined. Let’s face it — people like instant gratification. If they’re able to instantly click and get directions to your store, they’re far more likely to head your way instead of the other guys

Call Extensions

This is the very definition of “Hotline Bling,” folks. The AdWords Call Extension displays a telephone number prominently alongside your ad, so a searcher looking for the product or service you provide doesn’t even need to click your ad to get in touch. And if they’re on a mobile device, they’re literally one tap away from making contact with your business. Don’t sleep on the call conversion features, either. Google can provide you with a specially generated forwarding number so you can track how many calls you’re getting from your AdWords ad, and see advanced stats like call duration, missed calls, and more. Google estimates that ads featuring the Call Extension experience clickthrough rates 6% to 8% higher than other ads. So yeah, definitely worth exploring.

Review Extensions

When searching for a service online, you might happen upon a Google AdWords ad accompanied by a star rating. They’re pretty tough to miss, as the stars are orange, their color standing in stark contrast to the otherwise-boring looking text in the ad. These are part of Review Extensions, which place trusted reviews from third-party websites underneath your company’s ad. Along with the star rating comes a quote pulled from a review, such as “Great food and atmosphere!” Now, it should be obvious, but I’ll say it anyway: if your business doesn’t have very good online reviews, this is an extension you should probably avoid. However, if you’ve received mountains of online praise from your customers, Review Extensions can go a long way toward building trust with potential buyers.

Callout Extensions

When you advertise in a magazine, you can have a full page. When you advertise with AdWords, you get exactly 140 characters — including spaces. That’s a 30-character headline, another 30-character headline, and an 80-character block of text underneath, which means you need to be concise and clear about what you’re offering. But did you know that there’s a way to gain some additional text for your AdWords ad? Using the Callout Extension, you can add short one-or-two-word phrases under your ad to help draw some attention. Many businesses use callouts like “Free Shipping” or “24/7 Support” to set themselves apart from competitors.

Target Your Market

In the end, PPC advertising is all about competing for a consumer’s time and attention. Ad Extensions can certainly help your ad stand out from the pack, but what if you want to make sure the right people are seeing it? We’ve got you covered there, too.

Advertising to Geographic Regions

By default, AdWords is going to start you out on a broad campaign. The keywords you enter will be broad match. You’ll show up not only in search, but also in Google’s Display Network. And you’ll likely be more geographically broad than you like. If you’re a local business advertising to local consumers in Tuscaloosa, why would you want your ad showing in Portland? When you narrow the geography of your campaign, you do a better job honing in on those who actually want your product or service.

Note: Check your location settings!

Google likes to show your ad to people in your geographic area, as well as people outside who search about something in your area. If you run a hotel, this might be okay for you. If you don’t serve a lot of out-of-towners, you may want to turn this setting off.

Check Out New Opportunities

After your campaign has run for a few days, Google will start offering suggestions in the way of “Opportunities.” These may be Ad Extensions you’re not utilizing, or some new keywords you can add. And the neat part is, Google will give you an estimate for both clicks and cost should you take advantage. Study these Opportunities. Don’t just add them blindly. Make sure they’ll have the type of effect you want. Once you’re satisfied, go ahead and move forward.

Does running AdWord Ads sound like a good idea for your business, but also sounds too complicated? Fear not. You can work with a talented AdWords agency like, I don’t know, iwebcontent, maybe? We ensure your AdWords campaign is headed in the right direction to bring you optimal leads and help grow your business.