Now that we have discussed how you can write an effective ad copy, it is time to move on to the other elements of a search ad. In particular, we will discuss the display URL and ad extensions in this article. Let’s get started.

The Display URL

As previously mentioned, the display URL is another important element of a search ad. Search engines enable you to add a display URL to your ads. It can be a display URL or sometimes referred to as a vanity URL. This is what users can see on the advert, and it will lead directly to the destination URL, which is the actual URL of the page. For instance, see the image below. This is an example of a Google search advert with a concise display URL. 

Keep in mind that search engines such as Google will only show one advert per domain. Once the user clicks the advert, they will be redirected to your landing page. The goal is to send users to this specific page that is relevant to the search, and relevant to the PPC advert. This is also referred to as deep-linking.

Landing Pages

As previously mentioned, a landing page can be any page on your website. It can be an existing page on your website, or a newly built page that was created specifically for the campaign you are currently running. Custom-built pages are handy when you are running a special offer, a competition, a survey, and etc. 

The landing page must make a profound impact on your users. Keep in mind that the landing page you choose can make or break your advertising campaign. Do not just send users to the homepage of your website if it is not relevant to the ad campaign. Make sure that wherever you lead them, they will see the relevance to their search query. 

For better chances of converting users to customers, be sure that they land on a webpage that is specific to their search term or query. That landing page should also have a very visible, and enticing Call to Action. 

As an advertiser, you want to keep the user as focused on the goal as possible. On the other hand, sending them to a website’s homepage will just give them too many options. 

For instance, if someone searches for “LED Flashlights with 10000 Lumens”, a poorly run campaign would send the user to a homepage (www.flashlight.com) with lots of other options for flashlights and other gear. On the other hand, if a campaign leads the user to a specific landing page (www.flashlight.com/LEDFlashlight_10000Lumens) , he or she will most likely convert. 

There is also more to a landing page than just converting customers. If your landing page is relevant to your search ad, search engines will see its relevance and may increase the Quality Score of the advert. The higher Quality Score, the lower cost per click or CPC of the keyword. 

You can also add multiple keywords or key phrases to your website’s pages. This will have a good impact on your SEO. Oftentimes, PPC campaigns have thousands of keywords. This means that you will have to create or build a lot of landing pages. However, you can save time and effort by making dynamic landing pages. 

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So, how does creating a dynamic landing page help? With this, you can use a simple script to create multiple unique keyword-rich landing pages. It works by taking the keyword used by the searcher, and then inserting the keyword in predefined areas on the landing page.

It is a great tactic to use as it helps save time and effort. Instead of creating multiple landing pages, you can easily create one and the user will still land on a page that is highly relevant to their search.

Ad Extensions

Did you know that you can add more value or information to search adverts, too? Google offers multiple ways to do these. These are Ad Extensions. These ad extensions are a great way to add more information to your search advert. The best part is that it does not affect standard advert copy limits.

As of the moment, Google AdWords offers seven different types of ad extensions. We will discuss them below:

Location Extensions

The first ad extension is the location extension. This specific type of extension allows search advertisers to add location information and maps to their ads. 

Search advertisers have two ways to use location extensions. The first option is to insert their address manually. Or, they can also go and do the second option which is linking their AdWords account to their Google+ Local (www.google.com/local) account. 

Call Extensions

Next on the list are call extensions. This specific extension allows advertisers to display a local phone number in their ad. The phone number will automatically be added below the standard text advert. This type of extension is particularly effective mobile advertisements where users can easily click and call directly from their mobile phones and devices. 

Social Extensions

On the other hand, social extensions gives users an insight to how many followers advertisers have on Google+. It indicates the number of Google+ users that have +1ed or followed the advertiser’s brand. It gives social relevance to the search results. Additionally, it is a great contributor to ad quality score. 

Seller Ratings

In this particular ad extension, Google matches the domain that the advertiser used in the advert to review sites and display the rating information with the text ad. It is an incredible extension to use if the advertiser has excellent ratings!

Sitelinks

There is also the option to display up to six additional links on the advertiser’s search ad, and that is all thanks to the sitelinks extension. Each link should lead to a unique destination URL, and it is limited to 35 characters. This particular site extension allows advertisers to direct users to more relevant areas of their website from one advert. 

Offers

Advertisers can also add offer extensions to their search advert. This is done by linking their AdWords account to their Google Merchant Center account. Then supplying a product feed. This will help advertisers to include product images in their search adverts. It is a particularly handy tool for those who are in the eCommerce field. 

Image Extensions

Last but not least, there are the image extensions. This gives advertisers the chance to include images in their ads.

© Image credits to Axel Vandenhirtz

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