You may have recently logged into your Google Ads account and browsed through the recommendations, when suddenly, “add image extensions to make your ads more prominent” appeared as a suggestion.
Over the past year Google has been slowly beta testing Google Ads Image Extensions and releasing the opportunity to more and more accounts. Here’s all of the information YOU need to know about Google Ads Extensions when adding them to your account.
How Image Extensions Work
Image extensions are exactly as they sound; images included in your Google Search ads. Like other Google Ads extensions they are not guaranteed to show every time your ad appears, only sometimes. Extensions are intended to give users more information about your business and general services or products. Extensions show when they are predicted by Google’s AI to increase your performance, or when your AdRank is high enough for them to show. Remember that your AdRank is calculated on a variety of factors such as: bidding, budget, relevance, etc. Check out this great step-by-step guide from WordStream on how to set up image extensions, sizing information, and more here.
Are they worth using?
“Are these even worth the effort?” you may ask yourself while browsing your website’s media library. The answer to this is yes... yes they are. Not only does this increase the quality score of your ads, it also gives you the opportunity to take up more real estate on the SERP. Users additionally are able to associate your selected visuals with text; which can result in upsells, increased trust, and selective associations with your brand.
Advice From an Expert
Think of image extensions as a way to showcase your products, competitive advantages, and services in a way that those slow to adapting the new feature cannot. Image extensions allow you to add specific descriptive features to your products (which perhaps isn't quite as easy to accomplish through Google's limited 30 character headlines or 90 character descriptions.)
Another thing to keep in mind while using image extensions is the sizing. While Google technically accepts a variety of sizes/images, we recommend that you crop the photos appropriately in photoshop so your imaging looks more professional. Nobody wants to see an awkwardly cropped image on the SERP.
Image extensions can be a great way to combat particular pain points in your Google Ads campaigns, showcasing visual items such as delectable meals or gorgeous homes. Alternatively, showcasing that very product that a B2B client needs could be the tipping point for a precious user conversion.
Conclusion
While image extensions are a new feature released from Google this year, they absolutely should be utilized ASAP. Not only are photos an added bonus as far as real estate goes on the SERP, they also can help to solve user problems through a visual medium. From a user experience perspective, an individual will be more likely to click on an ad where they can see a photo of the exact product or service they’re looking for. This helps to create brand trust, and doesn’t hurt your CTR’s (which since testing within our own client's accounts, have been far higher than other extensions!)
Having an additional visual piece included within your Search ads creates more depth to your ads, which ultimately gives you the opportunity to showcase your unique brand and stand out. Google loves to prioritize those who are willing to go out on a limb and try new features for their products. (Who knows, you could even be rewarded with a higher top impression share?!)
If you’re looking for more in-depth help with Google image extensions, I’d recommend taking a peak at the Google support page here . As always, remember that you can turn to Page One's paid search experts as well for more information.