6 Google Adword Extensions every Dentist should use

For those of you who still aren’t 100% on what an ad extension is, the clue is in the title. It’s everything you do or add to your ad to make it more likely that people will click it.

Like all digital marketers, we love them because they have a hugely positive impact on ‘click through rates.’ In fact in Google’s own testing, it found on average there is a 10-15% CTR uplift from implementing a new ad extension.

It’s not only the improvements in CTR you can look forward to, it’s also the fact that by adding ad extensions you’ll be taking over more online ad space, as well as telling google you are more relevant and have higher quality ads. Together, this is a powerful message to google and customers alike, all of which helps to boost your ad’s rank on the search engine results page.

So what are extensions and how do they work?

Different extensions do different things. The key is to add as many ad extensions as are relevant to your business. At a minimum you should ensure that you include Sitelinks, Callout and Call Extensions, Location Extensions and Structured Snippets.

Where possible, you can also use Price Extensions, App Extensions and Offer /Promotion extensions if you’re running time limited promotional offers.

For dental campaigns, we’re looking for those extensions that raise your click-through rate, lower your cost per click, and increase your overall ROI on spend deployed - so we’ve selected the 7 ad extensions we think will most benefit your business.

Read on and you’ll never look at a gift horse in quite the same way again…...

1. Sitelink Extensions

These are additional links from your advertisement to popular, related pages on your website This could be specific treatments, contact us pages, meet the team, reviews, or a pricing page. On mobile these will typically be displayed as a linked title, and on desktop as a linked title with a short description. You really can’t afford not to take advantage of this additional online real estate.

The fact is if someone has searched on your brand, you don’t know immediately, what they’re wanting to do next, so providing shortcuts to popular parts of your site, improves the overall user experience, increasing conversions and getting the customer quickly to where they want to go on your site.

2. Call extensions

The Call Extension puts your phone number front and centre. By adding a call button you are not only increasing the likelihood of gaining a phone call enquiry, which we all know convert higher than any other lead type, but you are also making it an easier and more enjoyable first encounter with your business.

On a mobile all your potential new customer need do is click to call, making the Call Extension one of the most important extensions of all.

3. Location extensions

As local businesses, Location Extensions are a no brainer. In almost all instances your campaigns will be geographically targeted, so telling a potential customer where you are in relation to them can only be a good thing.

Location extensions show your business address, phone number and map marker. The map marker will take a user directly the maps page for a more detailed view of your location.

All of you need do to activate this extension is to link your account to your Google My Business page.'

4. Callout extensions

Callout Extensions, not to be confused with Call Extensions are like brash ‘in your face’ call to actions, very often ‘calling out’ to a specific audience, telling them ‘we are exactly what YOU are looking for.’

The ‘Callout’ can be used to describe different treatments, promotions, USPs of your practice, anything you think is going to entice the user into clicking on your ad over and  that of your competitors.

5. Structured snippets extensions

Not dissimilar to Callout Extensions, Structured Snippets are a good way of zoning in on those treatments or products you want to  be known for. By taking advantage of the ‘snippet’ you can showcase the breadth of what you offer and expertise without using your ad copy to do so, with each option linking through to a relevant web or landing page.

With many Structured Snippets to choose from, select type and add those treatments that you most want to promote.

6. Promotion Extensions

Only rolled out in November, Promotion Extensions are exactly what they say on the tin. A handy way to highlight any sales, or promotional offers you may be running. Visually identifiable by a price tag icon, you can add specific details about the promotion - discounts, duration, minimum spend, promo codes etc.

Like Sitelinks, promotion extensions are clickable and can send traffic to a specific product or offer page and can be applied at the account, campaign, or ad group level.

Promotional offers have been a staple of marketing since forever, so it's not surprising that adding Promotion Extensions to your campaigns can hugely increase an ad’s CTR, which can only mean one thing higher converting campaigns and improved ROI.

Now that you know what they are, what’s not to like?

If you’re looking for a partner to help you manage your digital marketing or simply want to find out more about how Digital Advertising can change the shape of your new business efforts, then give us a call.