This week, Google softly launched an incredibly valuable improvement to Ad Extension reporting metrics in AdWords; you can now view conversion data for your ad extensions. I have deemed this a soft launch because there has been no official statement concerning this addition on Google’s blog, but of course there has been a lot of hype amongst industry professionals.
What does AdWords Ad Extension conversion data mean to you? You can see the direct value of ad extensions on your campaign performance, taking the guesswork out of how site, product, location, call and social extensions affect your account’s performance.
To view conversion data for your Ad Extensions, you’ll need to login to AdWords and go to the Ad Extensions tab:
If you don’t automatically see the conversion data columns populated, just customize your columns in the interface to add in conversions and cost/conversions to your interface display.
Aside from the obvious benefit of simply being able to see how many conversions your Sitelinks help acquire, having access to this information will go along way in Sitelinks testing. You’ll be able to set up ACEs, for example, to see how different sets of Sitelinks perform against each other, allowing you to understand what information users are seeking from specific campaigns/ads. This, in turn, will also allow you to tweak your ad text accordingly, if you know users want more or less specific information.
To fully take advantage of conversion data as it concerns your ad extensions, and to gain the analysis I mention above, you’ll need to segment your Ad Extensions report by click type:
Here’s the segmented data:
In looking at my sample data, my Sitelink click-through rate isn’t bad, but I’m not seeing any conversions, so perhaps I need to remove my Sitelinks or test a new set of links. Sometimes too much information is distracting, especially in terms of ecommerce product targeting. You want to get users to the information/product they’re searching for as quickly as possible. But if your view-through conversions are high, maybe Sitelinks have a positive impact on your account in the long run.
How will you use Ad Extension conversion data to manage your PPC account differently? Let us know in the comments below!
