Google have recently announced a new feature where you can show images that highlight your business.
Currently in beta, you will soon be able to add images to your regular search ads. The images will appear if your ad is placed in one of the yellow ads boxes displayed at the top of the search results.
You can see an example of an ad for a Sydney Hotel below. It’s a great example of how a hotel can show searchers what the room looks like as well as what type of views they could expect.
Image extensions will enable advertisers to more accurately show examples of their product without having to click through to your website.
Some businesses where ads might be suitable:
- Car advertises showing off the body of a new car
- Cabinet makers showing off their custom kitchens
This not only makes your ad richer but also helps it to stand out and differentiate yourself against your competitors.
Why Images
According to Google, more than one in six searches on Google today provide results with visual content.
It should be no surprise to anyone images are powerful.
We now have more information than ever at our disposal and images provide a way for people to consume and find what they are looking for quickly without having to read a lot of information.
We only have to look to the popularity of infographics, memes and social networks like Facebook and Pinterest to see the power of the image in action.
There is no doubt that posts on Facebook that contain images tend to get more engagement than posts with just text or links.
How Image Extensions Will Work
Image extensions will show in some cases when Google determine that a search query is relevant to display visual content.
For example, it is more likely that images will show if a user types in a query for kitchen designs rather than locations of nearby kitchen designers.
When image extensions are available, we will ask you to choose the images that you want displayed with your search ads.
These will then be uploaded to your campaign and be reviewed by Google.
An important point to note is that you need to have the necessary rights to the the images you wish to display with your ads.
If you are using images from a supplier, ensure that you can use their images in your ads and have this built into your supply agreement.
Who Can Use Image Extensions
Image extensions are available globally. However they are limited to only a small number of advertisers at present and language is restricted to English only.
We have requested participation in the image extensions beta and will contact clients who use our AdWords services when they are available.
Implications of Image Ads
The use of images may increase the amount of real estate for paid ads on the search results pages.
This means that organic results may be pushed further down the page – just like they are when people are undertaking location specific searches.
It certainly seems that Google are increasingly encouraging businesses to pay for listings on Google.