What is AdWords Review Extension?
Before we dig into the review extension specifically, let’s talk extensions in general.
AdWords extensions are additional pieces of information you can add to your text ads. Some are manual (you pick ‘em), while others are automatic (Google supplies for you).
These extensions cover everything from additional links to your site, call buttons, product lists, and of course, third-party reviews.
Google reports that adding an extension can improve your click-through-rate (CTR) by 10%-15%, so they’re well worth experimenting with.
Review extensions in particular can be beneficial. They allow you to add reviews from third-party sources, awards or positive press to your ad.
How Does the Adwords Review Extension Work?
The review extension is a manual extension, meaning you get to choose it and set the parameters.
In this case, you decide which review to feature and enter in the quote or paraphrase you would like to show, with a credit and link to the source.
You’re allowed one review extension at a time, which should be about your company in general, not a specific product or service.
As of now, review extensions only appear on search ads (though similar features like seller ratings extensions may be used on display ads, etc.)
The cost? Nothing. As with all extensions, the feature is free and you will be charged the normal CPC for clicks on the ad (and if all goes well, you will be gaining more clicks).
Monitor Your Review Extension Performance
Once you’ve added your extension (and passed the approval process), measure its performance through your AdWords account.
Select the “ad extensions” tab and then the “view: review extensions” to access.
There you’ll find a table with various performance metrics, including:
- Your extension’s status – this will tell you whether or not your extension has been approved; if it shows as disapproved, revisit the guidelines above
- How many clicks your ad received while using the extension
- Impressions: how many times your ad was viewed with the extension
- CTR – how many clicks your ad had received divided by the number of times it was seen
- The total cost of your clicks using the extensions
- Your ad’s average position on search engine result pages (SERPs) using the extension
- The average amount you pay per click using the extension
As always, if the numbers aren’t adding up or reaching your intended goal, tweak the extension. Try using a different review, or different quote. If you were initially paraphrasing, try pulling an exact quote instead to test which is more effective.
How to Use the New AdWords Review Extensions
Now that we’ve covered the benefits, let’s talk fine print. For the time being, Review Extensions are in an English-only beta program. Like most AdWords betas, this feature is not yet supported in the AdWords interface and the program guidelines are somewhat vague. To gain access to the feature, reach out to your Google representative, who will determine whether your account is an appropriate candidate.
If you’re one of the lucky beta testers, here are the guidelines you need to follow:
- You must provide a direct quote or a summary of a key point from a review from a “reputable” third-party website. (The extension includes a link to the website with the review—but you don’t have to pay for clicks to that website.)
- The review must be about your entire company, rather than a specific product.
- It needs to be a recent review—no more than 12 months old.
- Be sure to keep it short and sweet; only 67 characters are allotted for the extension.
- Get permission—before handing this information over to Google, it is your responsibility to gain permission from the source to reference their review.
You’re probably wondering, how will Google know whether the reviews are legitimate? Google has promised to diligently “review and validate” all extensions with both human teams and robots. It is also prohibiting advertisers from using individual user reviews, which are easily manipulated or fabricated. Instead, the review must come from a third-party, independent source and a link to the source must be included alongside the review. You will not be charged for clicks on this link.
Start Using AdWords Review Extension
Getting the review extension right isn’t exactly an easy process.
But that’s okay. Ultimately, you’ll have selected an accurate, trustworthy review to represent your company to searchers all over the world.
And if all goes well, that review will increase your ad’s relevance, your brand’s reputation, and your potential customer’s overall engagement.
