What are ad extensions and how do you use them?
Ad extensions are extra pieces of information that make your Google ads larger and more useful. They add phone numbers, links to specific pages, prices and ratings to your standard ad, giving searchers more reasons to click without you paying extra. Google calls them extensions because they extend your ad beyond the basic headline, description and URL.
The best part is that extensions are free to show. You only pay when someone clicks the ad itself. A click on a sitelink or a call button still counts as a regular click, but the extension itself costs nothing to appear.
Why ad extensions matter
Extensions improve your click-through rate for two reasons. First, a bigger ad takes up more space on the search results page and pushes competitors down. Second, extensions give people a reason to choose your ad over the one above or below it. A sitelink that reads "Free SEO Report" or a call extension with your phone number answers a searcher's question before they even reach your site.
Google also factors extensions into Ad Rank. The formula is your bid multiplied by your Quality Score, plus the expected impact of your extensions. Adding relevant extensions gives your ad a small but real boost in position, which means you can sometimes outrank a higher bidder by having better ad assets.
The main types of ad extension
Sitelink extensions let you add up to eight links to specific pages on your website. Each sitelink has its own headline and description, so you can point someone to your contact page, your pricing or a case study instead of landing them on your homepage. Sitelinks are the most commonly used extension and almost always improve performance.
Callout extensions are short, non-clickable lines of text that highlight what makes your business different. Think "24-hour turnaround", "Free initial consultation" or "10 years of experience". They appear below your ad description and help you stand out without costing a click.
Call extensions add your phone number to the ad. On mobile devices the number becomes a click-to-call button, which is one of the highest-converting ad formats for service businesses. You can set the extension to show only during business hours if you do not have staff to answer calls overnight.
Structured snippet extensions highlight specific aspects of your products or services using predefined headers such as "Services", "Brands" or "Amenities". They show as a short list underneath your ad, for instance "Services: SEO, PPC, Social Media, Content Marketing".
Price extensions display your prices directly in the ad, which works well for businesses with clear service tiers or product ranges. Google shows the prices in a small card format that can appear alongside or below the standard ad.
App extensions link directly to your mobile app in the App Store or Google Play, useful if driving app downloads is part of your marketing mix.
How to choose and set them up
Start with sitelink extensions, because they give the most benefit for the least effort. Add at least two sitelinks that point to your most popular or most commercially important pages. Then add callout extensions with your strongest selling points. If you take phone enquiries, add a call extension too.
Every extension needs to be relevant to the ad it sits beneath. Google will simply stop showing an extension that does not match the search query, so there is no penalty for adding too many. Let Google decide which combination works best, but always keep the extensions focused on what a searcher actually wants.
Extensions live at the account, campaign or ad group level in Google Ads. Setting them at the campaign level is usually the right balance between control and coverage. You can also schedule them by day of the week, which is useful for call extensions if you only answer phones on weekdays.
The best ads in the world do not earn clicks if they are buried on page two. If your PPC campaigns could use a second look, our team plans and manages Google Ads campaigns for businesses across the UK. See our digital marketing packages and pricing at https://victory.digital/digital-marketing-packages, or start a conversation about your ad account at https://victory.digital/book/discovery-call.
What are your Feelings?
Share your reaction
Click a reaction to share how useful this article was.