Search engine marketing, or online advertising, should be considered an important element within an online marketing strategy. Using Google AdWords or social media ads can significantly increase a company’s visibility, website traffic, and ultimately, inbound leads.
The keys to successful online advertising are to pick the vehicles best suited for your target audience, and make sure you strategically manage your campaigns to maximize return on investment.
The most commonly used online advertising service is Google AdWords. Google is constantly making updates to its algorithms (you may have heard of the recent Hummingbird update). The newest change you should be aware of is the increased impact of “ad extensions” on AdWord search rankings.
What Does This Mean, Exactly?
Google AdWords are the ads presented around the organic Google search results. The positions they appear in depend on an algorithm that ranks each ad in relation to its competitors.
Previously, the algorithm was based on your per-click bid for specific keywords, and your Quality Score (how relevant/related your ad and landing page are).
Now, ad extensions are going to make a big difference in terms of where your ad shows up. Google’s new AdWords algorithm gives clear preference to those ads that make use of ad extensions. Using ad extensions will also raise your Quality Score, giving you an additional boost.
Since AdWord placement is ranked competitively, you can’t afford to NOT use ad extensions. If your AdWord competitors aren’t using them, you’ll be ranked higher if you use them. If your competitors are using them, you will be penalized if you aren’t (by your ad showing in a lower position).
Okay, So What Are My Ad Extension Options?
Currently there are six available ad extensions for Google AdWords in Canada. And the best part – they’re free! They don’t cost anything to implement … except the time it takes to understand how to leverage them. And we’re going to help you with that.
1. Location Extension
2. Call Extension
3. Sitelink Extension
4. Social Annotation Extension
5. App Extension
6. Review Extension
Stay tuned for Part Two of this blog, where we will go over each ad extension type in detail, and discuss which might be good for your business.
Related
How Google’s Hummingbird Update Affects Your Company’s Website Ranking
Why Google+ Is Important For Your Business
Search Engine Optimization: The Basics
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