Four months after beta testing began, Google is extending its review extensions system to all English language AdWords customers. The testing has reportedly been a great success and now businesses across America and beyond will have the chance to find out how the new approach can work for them.
Review extensions allow AdWords users to add new elements to their basic ads. Probably the most important of these is a quote from a respected source, such as a newspaper or trade magazine. This is an opportunity to use part of a review as an active endorsement; if no quote of a suitable length is available, the system allows for paraphrasing. The quote has to be verified by a link to the original source, so print edition material with no online equivalent is excluded. It is time for businesses to start searching through the online archives to see what they can turn up and making active connections with journalists and trade associations if there is nothing suitable out there yet.
Google has said that quotes of this sort should be focused on the business as a whole rather than referring to one specific product, service or aspect of its activity.
AdWords review extensions also enable businesses to list awards and rankings, which can be valuable in building customer confidence; again, these need to be referenced and none of the new features will go up straight away. Google has warned that it may be a few days before these are approved. Although only one quote will be approved per campaign or ad, businesses may submit several so that if there are issues checking one of them then another can be given priority, speeding up the process. Campaign level endorsements will be given priority over those for individual adverts.
Ordinary internet users who see your advertisements and are curious about the quotes will also have the option to click through and explore the article from which they have been taken, so the best choice is to use an article that has further positive things to say about the business. The business will not be charged for these clicks.
One problem commentators foresee with this is a flush of new fake review sites being set up to provide quotes. Google says that it will be using both human and automated verification systems. To avoid problems, advertisers would be well advised to stick to quoting reputable sites with established publication histories. For more advice on how to approach this and other aspects of online marketing, contact Xcellimark.
