So although you’re really proud of your brand and you’d like to have some additional messaging in the images, Google will disapprove them if you use them.
Then in December 2019, they began testing image extensions, and as of Google Marketing Livestream 2021, they’re now available to all advertisers.
Since you’re given up to 20 images, why not use as many different views as possible? Just like everything else in PPC, we never know what is going to work best. Test multiple images of the product at different angles, with different backgrounds, use some in-store and some lifestyle versions, etc. Mix and match and see what performs best.
Where can I get an image for ad extensions?
The easiest way to get images in place for ad extensions is simply to upload an image from your computer.
No matter which level of your account you apply them to, you first have to get image files uploaded into Google to be able to leverage them in your campaigns.
Website scan
If your ad groups advertise different products/services and the images don’t carry over well, then you’re best setting them up at the ad group level.
Just to the left of the Upload option in the editor, you’ll see SCAN. If you navigate to that tab, Google prompts you to add in your website URL. Once you do that, it’ll scan your website and pull in images for you to use for your ad extensions.
Upload from your computer
This same principle applies to being charged. If you’re using a manual or enhanced bidding strategy, you’ll be charged the same cost per click that you would have paid on the headline click. For other bidding strategies, this will vary, but no matter what option you use, it’ll all operate as if someone clicked on the main headline of the ad.
What are Google Ads image extension best practices?
Image extensions will never show up in a large format on the page. Just like in the previews, they’ll likely be a small square or rectangle off to the side of your ad. Choose images that have a single focal point and aren’t “noisy” so even someone giving them a quick scan can figure out what they are without having to work too hard.
Follow Google’s policy
The images you use must follow the Google Ads image extension policies. This means:
- No logo overlays
- No text overlays
- No GIFs
- No blurry or poorly cropped images
Here are a couple of best practices I suggest employing when setting them up in your account:
Use multiple images
Overall, image ad extensions aren’t difficult to set up and they can be very impactful for your ads. Take the time to make sure you have high-quality images that are relevant to the keywords and ads you have in your account.
Keep images simple
Whenever someone clicks on an image extension, it’s treated the same way as if they clicked on the main headline of the ad. They’ll be driven to the ad level landing page, which is why it’s important to align your image extensions with your campaign structure. If you deviate too much, you’ll risk having a bad user experience when someone clicks on an image ad and can’t find that image, product, or service on the landing page they’re sent to.
Image extensions are one of the most recent types of ad extensions we can use on the Google Ads platform. Unlike most other ad extensions, these don’t rely solely on text to expand your coverage on the SERPs. With Image Extensions, you can use a number of images to accompany your ads to give them a visual component and make them more appealing.
