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Callout extensions were launched in September 2014 and have been one of the ad extensions that have received the best reception since the introduction of ad sitelinks. Many think that callout extensions are a new branch of sitelinks, but its areas of application are much greater.

Skip to the end for a video summary.

They work by giving your ads an extra line of ad text. Their biggest advantage is that unlike Sitelinks, they don’t require you to have a unique landing page for each callout. You’re therefore able to elaborate on a single benefit like Nike has done in this example for free shipping:

The Facts

Callout extensions are a 25 character piece of text that can be added to your account, campaigns and ad groups.

You can’t change them when you access the Ads tab, but instead via the Ad Extensions tab, so in that regard, they work exactly the same way as Sitelinks:

You can assign callout extensions on three different levels of your account. Depending on what your callout extension is about, you should assign it to one of the following levels:

Account Level: Shows up for all your ads that don’t have a campaign or ad group level callout extension assigned.

Campaign Level: Shows up for all your ads that don’t have an ad group level callout extension assigned.

Ad Group Level: Shows up for ads from that specific ad group.

Start with Account Level Callout Extensions To Get More Ad Real Estate

One of the biggest advantages of callout extensions is that your ads will take more space in the SERPs. The best approach to exploit this feature is to start by creating account level callout extensions that will resonate with all your ads. This will take you 10 minutes to do and will thereby remove the excruciating pain of having to come up with callouts for every single ad group or campaign that you have (you’re welcome!).

Make sure that the callouts you write appeal to every single ad that you have in your account as these extensions will show for all your ads that are in the top 3 positions. One of the best areas to look for when writing your account-level callouts are benefits that can apply store-wide. If something applies store-wide then you can be certain that it can be applied to all of your ads:

•      Free Shipping
•      Free Returns
•      Day-to-day shipping
•      Authorized Reseller
•      24/7 Customer Service
•      Online Chat
•      Personal Support
•      Price match

This is a great first step, it will give you increased visibility and allow you to write ads that are more product specific instead of filling your ads with generic benefits.

Dig Deeper Into Campaign and Ad Group Level Callout Extensions

Once you’ve set up your account-level callout extension it’s time to get a bit more granular.The first step was to write generic store-wide callouts. On the other hand, our next step will require you to write callouts that are specific for individual ad groups or campaigns.

The advantage of writing specific callouts is that you can ensure that they relate better to the individual consumer.

A couple of examples are:

•      Product benefits
•      Product characteristics
•      Product material
•      Special functions

Product benefits: Get softer skin, Realign your finances, Run faster.

Product characteristics: All organic, Most popular finance app, Light as a feather.

Product material: Strawberries, For iOS, Android & Windows, Vulcanized rubber.

Awards: Health.com winner, #1 App store download, Runner’s World Top Choice.

Once you open your mind the opportunities are amazing and you can literally let your mind be the limit.

Work Smarter Not Harder: Start with Your Top 10 Ad Groups

Now you’re probably thinking:

“… but Andrew, I have a lot of ad groups and I already have to write Sitelinks, sitelink descriptions, ads and everything else”.

My advice is that you start with the top 10 ad groups and write specific, ad group-level callout extensions for these keywords only. This is a task that you can overcome and you can then add more callout extensions as you optimize in the future.

I hope this post will inspire you to improve your AdWords campaigns by using this simple and fun new feature. Want to learn a bit more?

Check out our Shark Bite about Callout Extensions below: