Sitelinks on Google Ads are very useful for a variety of reasons. They can improve the appearance of your ad, give your ads more real estate in the SERP, and potentially increase your CTR to get more traffic.
This article will review what sitelinks are, the benefits of using sitelinks, and how to create sitelinks.
What are Sitelinks
Sitelinks are a type of ad extension that allows you to show additional links in Google’s search results. These links direct users to different pages on your website that provide additional value to users.
You can add sitelinks to your Google Ads account, campaign, or even at the ad group level. Sometimes it’s good to have a general sitelink for something like a contact us page which applies to all of your ads. In other cases, it can be good to provide particular information in a given campaign.
The example above from Northeastern’s ad for the keyword “mba courses” is a good example. Northeastern might not want to show a sitelink for the MBA curriculum for people looking for an MSW program. So they add it exclusively to their campaign or ad group.
You need at least 2 sitelinks on desktop and at least 1 for mobile for the sitelink to appear on your ads. You can show up to 6 different sitelinks on desktop and 8 on mobile. Though Google may choose to show more or fewer depending upon what they deem as relevant to the user.
The purpose of sitelinks is to give users additional value with their search. The search for an MBA course is a good example. Some people might want general course details while others may want to get a curriculum or tuition.
What is included in a sitelink?
This is very brief, but good to know if you’re just getting started. Here’s what is included in Google Ads sitelinks on search:
- Headline – 25 characters
- 2 Descriptions – 35 characters
- Final URL
- Ad schedule (optional)
Sitelink Benefits
There are quite a few benefits to using sitelinks and the good news is they are free on search. Here are some of the key benefits:
- Provide additional information about your product/service in your ads.
- Your ad can take up more space on the screen to potentially box out your competition.
- Sitelinks improve your ad quality for the ad auction. The expected impact of your ad assets (including sitelinks) which can allow your ad to show up higher even if you have a lower bid.
- They’re easy to update which means you can put additional information about any upcoming events/promotions/etc. You can even schedule your sitelinks so they only show up on certain days.
- Sitelinks can help you increase your CTR by providing people with additional information. This can help them find what they’re looking for if they want something specific.
- You get in-depth information on Google about your performance so you can see what information people are looking for.
How to Create Sitelinks
Here are the steps to help you get started:
- Log into your Google Ads account
- Click on Ads & assets on the page menu on the left side of your screen. Then click on assets.
- You will find a table with all of your current assets at the account level. From there, click on the plus button for “sitelink”.
- You can choose where to add the sitelink (account, campaign, or ad group) from the “Add To” dropdown menu.
- User Asset, select whether you want to create a new sitelink or use an existing one. This is useful if you want to add a current sitelink to another campaign. Otherwise, you will most likely want to create a new sitelink.
- Fill out the applicable sitelink text, description line, and url details (you should see the image after step 7).
- If you want to pick a date/time to run your sitelinks, go to “Advanced Options” at the bottom of your screen. Then select the dates/times you want your sitelink to run. Otherwise, click save and your sitelink will be live pending a review by Google.
Here are bonus tips to help you get the most out of your sitelinks based upon the hundreds of sitelinks we have created:
- Give your top products/service more coverage at the account level.
- Make sure you cover your key benefits. Sitelinks are another great opportunity to show customers why they should go with you over another competitor.
- Similar to search ad descriptions, sitelinks are not read as much as headlines. The people that do read the sitelinks are probably higher intent users doing more research.
- Giving testimonials, popular products, promotions, and contact information are a good place to start.
- Personalizing sitelinks can also be effective. For example, give the name of a person that gave your review with their review.
- Give benefits around free shipping/returns/guarantees. This can act like a badge for your ad to increase the odds of converting someone.
- The same thing goes for awards. Adding sitelinks for anything you have earned could increase your brand’s authority.
Final Thoughts
This article should give you everything you need to get started with sitelinks and get more out of your current sitelinks. If you need more help or additional insights, we’re here for you! Book a free consultation with us today and we’ll go over how to get started on Google and how to get better results.
