Callout extensions, while not new, are an important and useful component of Google AdWords. When an ad isn’t “enough,” callouts can be useful in adding value or describing what makes your business different from the other. Callouts assist your text ads in promoting offers or information to people searching. When potential customers see your ads, they are able to get additional helpful information about your business, product, services, etc.
The benefits of callout extensions seem pretty obvious from an informational standpoint – the ad example above shows simple calls to action – but some other powerful benefits include:
- Customization – You can add callouts at many levels (account, campaign, or ad group) which allows you include specific or general information in your ads.
- Flexibility – You can even change when the extensions are shown, choosing the time of day in which they are shown.
- Reporting – Detailed statistics show clicks so you can compare callouts, ad levels, and success rates.
- Maintenance – Updates can occur within the callout without changing your ad. You can change text whenever you wish, keeping things like specials up-to-date without resetting whole ads.
Latest “best practices” for callout extensions include:
- Understanding the benefits of knowing you increase the likelihood of a click through. Can you show your potential clients why to pick you, and not that other guy, in just a few words? Be honest and concise.
- Multiple callouts create a more customized ad, and a most customized ad is likely working more efficiently for you. Google recommends optimization of at least four callouts on any campaign – two to four will likely show. However, callout extensions may not always show on your ads; AdWords use several factors to determine how many callouts will actually show at any given time (if any at all).
- Don’t go nuts on characters. The limit for extensions is 25, but based on Google recommendations, you should shoot for 12-15 characters each. Remember that from an aesthetic standpoint, they will be right next to each other in a line, so make them look nice next to each other as well.
- Don’t use title casing. Google claims that ads with first word-only casing are more effective in Google AdWords callout extensions.
To create, remove, update, or edit your callout extensions, visit this article from Google, or give us a shout. We’d love to help you brainstorm and implement your paid search campaign.
