Add Reviews To You Search Ads With Google Review Extensions

Display More Information for Your Potential Customers with Google Review Extensions

There’s no question that the more (and richer) information you have in your ad, the easier your ad will stand out and grab attention. Google’s Review Extension can help your ad not only stand out, but provide the necessary “cachet” and trust to earn more worthwhile clicks by motivated shoppers. Here’s how the Review Extension works.

Back in June, Google released a beta version of the extension, which allowed advertisers to place a quote or endorsement to the bottom of their AdWords ad, so long as that endorsement was from a reputable third-party source. In short, advertisers couldn’t have their neighbor or grandmother provide the accolades.

Now that beta version has gone live for the masses, meaning you should see the Review Extensions option in your Ad extensions tab.

So what can I put as a Review Extension?

Your review can be an exact quote, or a blurb, but it should be a more general statement about your business and service, rather than targeting a specific product. For example, if you sell blue turnips, the review should be more about your business and service, and not about the high quality of your blue turnips.

You also have to make sure you have permission to use the review in your ad. That’s up to you, as the advertiser, to gain that permission. Google will use both automated and human-based systems to make sure that these reviews are valid and policy-compliant, meaning you must make sure your reviews are legit and follow the basic AdWords standards.

What Else Should I Know About Review Extensions?

Your review has to include the name of the publication. That name will serve as a link to the publisher’s website. You have the power to target that link directly to the page where the entire review is found. You, as an advertiser, do not have to pay for any clicks made on the publisher’s name/URL.

Also, when you make a review extension, set one at the campaign level (per Google’s recommendations) so that you get the most exposure and flexibility. Feel free to submit multiple reviews, but only the first one to be approved will run. Campaign level extensions will be given higher priority than ad group level extensions, so they’ll be reviewed more quickly.

When creating your reviews, keep in mind that there is a character limit – 67 – that includes the name of the publication. That’s not a lot of space to work with (the same number of characters as a title tag, roughly speaking), so make sure to be concise and use strong action words.

Why Should I Use Review Extensions

When Google first wrote about their beta release, they titled their blog post “The new ‘Don’t take our word for it’ tool …” And that’s exactly what it is. Whenever your ad shows up on a search page, you’re competing with what searchers think are 100% organic search results. Oftentimes that leaves you at a disadvantage, as searchers might think their “organic” search results will give them what they’re looking for.

Your goal, with your ads, is to come across as genuine and relative as possible, so that you can catch the eye of a searcher who may be more prone to target his so-called organic results.

One of the best ways to do that is to show your worth without being the one singing your accolades. We all can say how great we are, but customers will take that with a grain of salt. When a reputable third-party source sings our praises, suddenly the masses are listening (think about the reaction consumers get when they hear about something that got reviewed by JD Power, for example).

Most people these days realize that online reviews (such as for Apps) aren’t 100% honest nor helpful, yet subconsciously we still gravitate to the products with the highest stars – even if we know that some of the reviews could be bogus.

Now consider how effective the reviews are if they come from reputable publications that people have heard of. By adding reviews to your ads you’re adding validity to your business and product. You’re putting yourself in a position to compete with the organic searches on that results page.

Sixty-seven characters isn’t a lot – so how can you make the most of your reviews? OperationROI can help. We’ll work with you to create reviews that grab the most attention and earn you the most worthwhile clicks. Call us at 1-888-277-5429 or fill out our contact form to learn how we can help you with your review extensions.