Maximizing Your Ad Performance with Google Ads Callouts

Step 1: Understand What Callouts Are

1. Callouts are short snippets of text that highlight key features, benefits, or offers related to your business or products.
2. They appear beneath your ad's description and are separated by dots.
3. Callouts are not clickable and do not lead to a specific landing page.

Step 2: Identify Your Unique Selling Points

1. Determine what sets your business apart from competitors. Examples include:
   • Free shipping
   • 24/7 customer support
   • Price matching guarantee
   • Easy returns within 30 days
2. Focus on benefits that are most relevant to your target audience and align with their needs and preferences.

Step 3: Create Compelling Callouts

1. Write concise phrases that convey your key selling points. Aim for callouts between 2-12 words.
2. Use title case (e.g., "Free Shipping," not "free shipping") for better visibility.
3. Avoid repeating information already mentioned in your ad text.
4. Example callouts for an e-commerce store:
   • Free Shipping Over $50
   • 24/7 Customer Support
   • 30-Day Easy Returns
   • Price Match Guarantee

Step 4: Add Callouts to Your Ads

1. Sign in to your Google Ads account.
2. Navigate to the Ads & extensions page from the left page menu.
3. Click the plus button and select Callout extension.
4. Choose the level (account, campaign, or ad group) where you want to add the callouts.
5. Enter your callouts in the text fields provided. You can add up to 20 callouts per extension.
6. Click Save when finished.

Step 5: Monitor Performance and Optimize

1. Regularly check the performance of your ads with callouts. Look at metrics such as:
   • Click-through rate (CTR)
   • Conversion rate
   • Return on ad spend (ROAS)
2. Use the data to identify top-performing callouts and those that need improvement.
3. Test different callout variations to see which resonate best with your audience. For example:
   • Test "Free Shipping" vs. "Free Delivery"
   • Try "24/7 Support" vs. "Round-the-Clock Assistance"
4. Continually refine and update your callouts based on performance data to maximize their impact.

By implementing well-crafted callouts, you can expect to see:

• Higher ad relevance and quality scores
• Increased click-through rates (e.g., 10-15% CTR lift)
• Improved visibility and prominence on search results pages
• More efficient communication of key information to potential customers

How to Set Up Callouts in Google Ads

1. Setup Process

Callouts are additional snippets of text that highlight key features or benefits of your business. Here's how to set them up:

1. Log in to your Google Ads account and navigate to the "Ads & extensions" tab in the left sidebar.
2. Click on the blue plus button and select "Callout extension" from the dropdown menu.
3. Choose the level at which you want to add the callout (account, campaign, or ad group). Account-level callouts will apply to all ads, while campaign and ad group callouts allow for more specific targeting.
4. Enter your callout text in the fields provided. Keep each callout short and punchy, ideally under 25 characters. Use title case for a professional appearance. For example: "24/7 Customer Support" or "Free Shipping on Orders $50+".
5. Click "Save" to add the callouts to your account.

Remember, you can add multiple callouts (Google recommends at least 4) to showcase different aspects of your offer. Callouts can be edited or removed at any time.

2. Advanced Strategies for Using Callouts

While the basic setup is straightforward, there are several techniques to get more mileage out of your callouts:

1. Dynamic Callouts: Google can automatically generate callouts based on your website content, ensuring the information stays current. To enable this, check the "Automated extensions" box during setup. Learn more about dynamic callouts.
2. Tailored Callouts: Create specific callouts for individual campaigns or ad groups to align with their unique selling points. For instance, a "Holiday Sale" callout for a seasonal promotion campaign.
3. A/B Testing: Experiment with different callout text to see what resonates best with your audience. Monitor click-through rates and conversions to determine the top performers.
4. Extension Combinations: Callouts work well in tandem with other ad extensions like sitelinks, structured snippets, and location extensions. A cohesive combination can significantly enhance your ad's impact.

By employing these strategies, you can develop highly targeted, impactful callouts that drive more clicks and conversions.

3. Performance Analysis and Optimization

As with any aspect of your Google Ads campaigns, regularly monitoring and tweaking your callouts is crucial for long-term success. Here's what to focus on:

1. Track key performance indicators (KPIs) like click-through rate (CTR) and conversion rate. Callouts that generate higher engagement are clearly striking a chord with your target audience.
2. Use the "Segment" feature in Google Ads to compare data for ads with and without callouts. A significant difference in CTR or conversions indicates the effectiveness of your callouts.
3. Based on performance data, keep refining your callouts. Pause low performers and create new variations of your top-converting callouts to continually optimize your ads.

For more advanced callout strategies, check out this comprehensive guide from WordStream.