Google has been debating including visual sitelinks for years. In June of 2013, they released the beta for image extensions in AdWords. This update enabled advertisers to show relevant images with their text ads in AdWords. The images were to show up when Google believed that it was pertinent to a searcher’s query. However, the beta never took off and now a few years later, Google is testing visual sitelinks again.
Google is not the first search engine to utilize visual sitelinks. In fact, image extensions have been available in Bing Ads markets for over a year. Bing released the visual sitelinks solely for search ads on tablets and PCs, not smartphones. Google’s image sitelinks will be visible on smartphone devices.
The introduction of visual sitelinks to Google’s AdWords platform comes shortly after the release of swipeable price extensions. In July of 2016, Google released price extensions which showcased information about product and service pricing in mobile text ads. A few weeks ago, they enabled the pricing information to be depicted on swipeable cards. This serves to enhance user experience and provide relevant information fast.
Sitelink extensions are a great way to bring people to exactly what they want to know or buy. They are easy to update, view data and clicks, customize, and schedule. In addition, a key importance of sitelinks is the ability to edit without losing valuable data. You also will not be charged extra for including sitelink extensions, it just provides an increased opportunity for potential consumers to click through to what you want them to see.
The value of ad extensions goes beyond increased visibility and clickthrough rate (CTR). It is able to target buyers that are in the purchase funnel, in the hopes of increasing conversion rates. Image sitelinks enable advertisers to control what searchers see when their query of the brand or related industry pops up. It also is a step into the visual oriented world we live in.
Curious about implementing visual sitelinks to your SEO/PPC efforts? Kraus Marketing specializes in digital marketing, SEO and PPC. Contact us today to learn how we can help you utilize image sitelinks.