AdWords location extensions are one of the 6 types of ad extension that Google offers to its advertisers to help them get the most out of AdWords. They let you include information such as your address and phone number, so that people searching for your product or service, in your local area, will see that you’re close by.
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about AdWords sitelinks, which you can use to get a few more characters in your ad, whilst also directing visitors to other pages on your site they might be interested in. Sitelinks are just one of the different types of ad extension that advertisers can get for free with AdWords, so I’ve decided to write about another one - location extensions. These are particularly useful for local businesses, or businesses with multiple locations.
What are AdWords location extensions?
AdWords location extensions let you add a physical location to your ad text, so that when someone who is located near your business searches for what you do, they will see your ad served up, complete with an address and telephone number.
So, instead of this:
You get this:
… which does look pretty cool.
Location extensions can appear for one of two reasons. The first is based on where the searcher is – for example, if you own a wedding dress shop in Derby, and someone in Derby (based on IP address) who is looking for a wedding dress runs a search, your ad could appear, showing your address. The other way they can appear is if someone searches using a location-specific term, for example if the same searcher lived in London but was coming to visit her mum in Derby and wanted to go wedding dress shopping with her.
How to set up location extensions
Location extensions, like all ad extensions, are enabled at the campaign level. However, you can set different extensions to appear for certain ads at the ad level – this overrides the campaign level extension. This would be good if you’re offering a specific promotion or event at one particular location, for example.
When it comes to setting up a location extension, you can:
- manually enter an address
- use the information from your Google Places account
If the email address is the same as the one you use for Google Places, click “Save”.
Or, if you want to enter the address manually, click the “+ New Extension” button under “Manually Entered Addresses”. You should see this:
Fill in the details and click “Save”. And you’re good to go.
How can I see data about my location extensions?
To see how many people have seen your location extension on an ad, and other data, go to the Ad Extensions tab again. You’ll see data such as impressions, clickthrough rate and conversions.
Further reading:
A Guide to Google’s Venice Update
How Can I See which Keywords Trigger My Ads?
Compass Image credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
