Google has added the ability to enrich your Search Ads with image extensions. This has the potential to drive more conversions and attract more shoppers to your business, making your Search Ads more effective than ever.
The option to add images was made available to advertisers globally as of May 2021.
Images can help you showcase your brand to shoppers and engage them visually. This update will help your ads stand out on search engine results pages (SERPs), which should hopefully increase your click-through rate (CTR) and overall conversion rate.
Google looks for whether or not a merchant has a good history of following Google Ads policies. Without this, you won’t be eligible for image extensions on Search Ads.
Image extensions can only be displayed for Google Ads accounts operating in an eligible vertical or sub-vertical. Sensitive verticals/sub-verticals such as alcohol, gambling, or sexual content aren’t eligible for the new service.
Your Google Ads account must also have been open for more than 90 days and must have active campaigns and Search Ads.
Source: Google
Google is allowing merchants to add up to 20 high-quality images that can be used to represent your chosen keywords for Search Ads.
There’s a strict set of creative guidelines for images, and all proposed images must follow formation requirements, such as aspect ratio and minimum pixel count.
For instructions on how to add image extensions to your ads, Google has a guide in their article here.
Google has suggested using image extensions alongside dynamic image extensions: Dynamic image extensions use machine learning to select the most relevant images from your ad’s landing page. Dynamic images, however, have stricter image quality and relevance checks associated with them.
If you’re implementing image extensions on an Ad Group level, your images need to be strictly relevant. If you’re adding them on a campaign level, then images can be faster implemented but need to be relevant to all ads in the campaign.
Clicks on image extensions will be charged on a CPC basis in a similar way to Search Ads and will be charged the same CPC as a click on a text headline.
We have more information about CPC and PPC campaigns in digital marketing available here.
Having your campaign(s) enrolled in search partners can also be beneficial: Your image extensions will show alongside your ad in YouTube search results, giving you visibility across another highly used platform.
Alongside Search Ads, Google Shopping is a brilliant channel for getting your products in front of interested shoppers. To learn more about our technology platform and how we can help maximise your Shopping experience, book a free consultation with one of our specialists today.
For more updates from Google, check out our FAQs and news page.
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