Recently Croud was lucky enough to test two of the latest pilot features available through the Bing Ads Lab.
So, what exactly do the features do?
There are two new features available – filter extensions and action extensions. Filter extensions are designed to increase engagement and shorten the conversion path by highlighting key services, products and deals. Action extensions are used to directly highlight the call to action and to navigate the user to the landing page where they can perform the target action.
These brand-new additions to the Bing interface have so far seen some promising results, and in true Croud style, we were curious to dig a little deeper and uncover the pros and cons.
Testing
To help us gain a better overall view of the platform we tested the features by implementing both pilots on an account level and were pleased to see a good overall increase in clicks and click-through rate (CTR), as shown below.
Action extensions
Action extensions offer the opportunity to influence users to take immediate action on their chosen website. They are designed to deliver a higher engagement and conversion rate by directing users to pages where they can complete the title action.
Available to associate on account, campaign, or ad group level, action extensions will appear as buttons in search ads. There are 17 predefined action types to choose from, including:
- Buy Now
- Learn More
- Sign Up
You can also create a custom action type of up to 10 characters, but note that the following terms are excluded:
- Call
- Chat
- Watch
- Install
- Search
- Find
Things to consider
There are, however, a few points to consider when creating the extensions, to ensure that they comply with Bing’s best practice.
- The extension text should be distinct from the ads description and other extensions
- Users should be able to take the action from the landing page, rather than being provided with more information or re-directed to another part of the site
- The landing page should provide an opportunity to navigate to the website’s home page
The one to watch
Although they are not compatible with every account, action extensions are worth trialling, as they provide a clear call-to-action and navigate the users directly to completing the desired activity, whether that’s booking a room, completing a purchase or making an enquiry.
Filter extensions
Designed to shorten the conversion path by highlighting key areas of the site, these extensions behave much like sitelinks and enable you to either communicate promotional offers or to direct users to a specific area of your site.
You will still be able to select from predefined headers, including, price, deals, and ratings, all the way through to industry-specific headers such as auto, education, or travel. This allows you to tailor your message to a specific target audience, or enter your own custom header, to the limit of 17 characters.
Things to remember
- The link text must be directly related to the extension header
- You need to enter at least three values related to the header category
- The link text should not duplicate the extension header
- Each value you enter needs to have a destination URL
Although only available as pilots, both extensions are worth implementing and testing in your accounts, and when used alongside other extensions they can help increase your ad’s visibility, not only by taking up more space, but making them more interactive and providing more information to your users.
We hope that you found this article useful, but if you have any questions regarding the platform, please get in touch.
