• About Us
    • New York
  • Work
  • Capabilities
  • Careers
  • Technology
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
    • New York
  • Work
  • Capabilities
  • Careers
  • Technology
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
June 14, 2016

Images in Paid Search Ads

Posted by Jordan Schmitt

Just 3 short years ago, Google introduced Image Extensions. Touted as the future of paid search (by me), Google gave the advertiser the ability ‘show’ rather than ‘tell’ when promoting brand or business. If you remember, Yahoo actually pioneered this concept a few years earlier with Rich Ads in Search (RAIS). RAIS even took Google’s extension one step further by allowing video.

But, apparently the future came too fast. Image Extensions were sunsetted before they officially left the beta phase and we were back to square one with text only in our paid search ads. Is it just me or does this seem like a big missed opportunity? It is very common for brands that we manage to routinely see over half of their search traffic through standard (non-PLA) search ads. In some cases, this may be the very first interaction that a brand has with a consumer. How much more impactful

If Google is going to continue to convince advertisers to use paid search as a tool for prospecting and brand discovery, it is only natural to allow images back into their ads. We’ve all seen the benefits of PLAs, but there’s only so much of a story you can tell from a single product image and a few lines of text.

Google hasn’t completely cut ties with this concept and we are seeing recent signs of life. Currently available on mobile for auto only, automotive extensions were announced earlier this year. Now how about you throw the other industries a bone Googs?

PMG_Google_Auto_Extension

I’m not asking for anything crazy. Nobody is advocating for a Baidu Brand Zone-esque program or the difficulties that come along with implementation. But, let’s give it a shot. Let’s give advertisers a better platform in search to tell a story.

bingGoogle+Image Extensionspaid searchRAISyahoo
Previous
Next

Latest White Papers

  • Shifting Plans for 2020 & Beyond
  • Game On: How Brands Can Log Into A Diverse Multi-Billion Dollar Industry
  • What CCPA Means For Brands
  • How Google is Improving Consumer Data Privacy
  • Ways to Prepare for the Cookieless Future
  • See all White Papers

Featured Posts

  • Ad Age Names PMG #1 Best Place to Work in 2021
  • MediaPost Names PMG Independent Agency of the Year
  • PMG Client Portfolio Trends During Amazon Prime Day 2020
  • A Closer Look at the Congressional Big Tech Market Power Report
  • What to Know About Reddit

Categories

  • Consumer Insights
  • Content
  • Creative Design
  • Data Analytics
  • Development
  • Digital TV & Video
  • Ecommerce
  • Industry News
  • Local
  • Mobile
  • Paid Search
  • PMG Culture
  • Programmatic & Display
  • SEO
  • Social Media
  • Structured Data
Fort Worth

2845 West 7th Street
Fort Worth, TX 76107

Dallas

3102 Oak Lawn Avenue
Suite 650
Dallas, TX 75219

Austin

823 Congress Avenue
Suite 800
Austin, TX 78701

London

33 Broadwick Street
London
W1F 0DQ

New York

120 East 23rd Street
New York, NY 10010

Get in touch

(817) 420 9970
info@pmg.com

Subscribe to the PMG Newsletter
© 2021 PMG Worldwide, LLC, All Rights Reserved
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
 Tweet
 Share
 Tweet
 Share
 Tweet
 Share
 LinkedIn
We and our partners use cookies to personalize content, analyze traffic, and deliver ads. By using our website, you agree to the use of cookies as described in our Cookie Policy.