Google Product Extensions: Providing More Information and Relevancy
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Written By Yvonne Wong | January 25, 2010 | Share This
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In November, Google released a new AdWords product called Product Extensions that allows advertisers to enrich their Google AdWords ads with more specific and relevant information. With Product Extensions, an advertiser’s search ad will display with a plus box appended below, which can expand to show product images, titles, and prices that are relevant to the user’s search term. Below is an example of a Product Extensions ad run by Sephora on the keyword “sephora cosmetics”:
Product Extensions can be associated with specific keywords within your campaign, and you can specify which specific products are associated with each keyword/search query. Advertisers also have the option to allow Google to decide which product images show if “auto-targeting” is selected. Up to six images can display if your ad is in the top position; up to four can be displayed on the right side of the SERP.
Similar to other variations on Google’s Plus Box, advertisers are only charged when consumers click on the headline or product offer; if a user clicks to expand the plus box but does not click on any other links, you will not be charged. Also, campaigns are charged the same cost-per-click regardless of whether the click came from the ad headline or the product offer image.
When considering adding Google Product Extensions to their campaigns, advertisers should weigh the following pros and cons:
Pros:
- Product Extensions gives users additional product information right on the SERP without any additional costs to your campaign, since expansions of the Product Extensions plus box are free of charge.
- By including product images and price points directly in the ad, searchers are exposed to more information that can help them make a more informed decision before clicking through to your website. This, in turn, leads to more qualified clicks, a higher click-through rate (CTR), and increased conversion rates and return-on-investment (ROI).
- In addition to helping consumers make more qualified decisions, this additional information can also deter those who are not genuinely interested in purchasing the product from clicking through the ad (which would result in unwanted “empty clicks,” driving down your ROI).
Cons:
- Product Extensions are really aimed at advertisers in the retail vertical – as a result, this probably would not be a product to implement for advertisers whose main metrics are not sales or revenue.
- Tracking is at the campaign level – for backend metrics, advertisers would not be able to see which specific keywords brought in which particular sales that came from Product Extensions.
Regardless of the drawbacks, we believe that Product Extensions ads are a worthwhile expansion for ROI-focused advertisers in the retail vertical, particularly those that are selling apparel, accessories, or gift items. With the holiday season in full swing, implementing Product Extensions would be ideal for retailers trying to grab the attention of online gift shoppers in a noisy SERP environment. However, Product Extensions probably would not be a fit for advertisers outside of the retail realm, whose main metrics are focused on less tangible items, such as newsletter sign-ups or page views.
If you are thinking about implementing Product Extensions for your campaign, reach out to your Google representative for more information. For now, Product Extensions is available only to advertisers in the United States, but is in limited beta for those outside the country.
Topics: Google, Google: AdWords |