Ad Rank, a value that Google AdWords uses to determine an ad’s position in the Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs) officially changed a few months ago. As a result, Google appears to be placing more importance on ad extensions.
As Google puts it, “if two competing ads have the same bid and quality, then the ad with the more positive expected impact from extensions will generally appear in a higher position than the other.” In other words, ad extensions have gone from just another AdWords feature to a “must-do” for anyone running paid search campaigns – especially when the competition is fierce.
Google has added a new ad extension format called Review Extensions, saying that they are a way for advertisers to incorporate positive endorsements, ratings, or awards from reputable third party sites. The reviews will be scrutinized to confirm their validity and must comply with AdWords policies.
The Review Extension within the ad will link to the third party site, where there must be a reference to the review. Clicks from the Review Extension will not be charged to the advertiser.
Google said that in two rounds of testing, they saw a 10% lift in click-through rate across 250+ advertisers and 50 million impressions.
Review Extensions differ from Seller Rating Extensions in that Seller Rating Extensions are reviews from the advertiser’s customers. Review Extensions should be from publications or other third party reputable sites.
Review Extensions are available via Beta globally, in English only. In order to implement the Beta, advertisers must contact their AdWords representative. There is a 67 maximum character limit for Review Extensions, which includes the name of the publication.
Below is a screen shot that Google provided of a text ad with Review Extensions.
975 South Federal Highway, 2nd Floor
Boca Raton, FL 33432
800.787.0497
ph: 561.620.9682
fx: 561.620.9684
info@morevisibility.com
