A lot of marketers spend a significant amount of time perfecting their ads: adjusting ad copy, selecting landing pages carefully, experimenting with calls to action, and regularly modifying bids. This constant attention is essential since ad expenditure is continuously growing and projected to rise. The importance of creating focused, well-crafted ads remains as relevant as ever. Links serve as the bridge between a brand’s website and potential customers. While marketers understand their significance, they often neglect to optimize their links for maximum impact in advertising campaigns. The visual prominence of colored links in search ads presents marketers with a unique opportunity to capture attention. They can also serve as a powerful call to action in sponsored social media posts. Moreover, links across all ad formats provide crucial data that can inform and enhance your overall strategy. To maximize the effectiveness of your advertising campaigns and ensure every ad makes a significant impact, here are five ways to enhance the links in your ads.
#1: Leverage deep links to enhance app engagement and improve ROI
Deep links offer an excellent way to improve mobile ads and guide users further along the sales funnel. They take potential customers directly to a specific screen within an app or prompt users who haven’t downloaded the app to do so. Deep links effectively boost app engagement, minimize bounce rates, and increase conversions.
Image Source Consider this: advertisers dedicate considerable effort to optimizing landing pages, and with the surge in mobile advertising, deep linking emerges as the optimal method for engaging users who have already installed an app. Users who have downloaded your app demonstrate existing engagement and interest in your brand. Instead of targeting them with ads that merely lead to your website or the app’s homepage, enhance their user experience by directing them precisely where they want to go. Marketers can utilize ads to encourage prospects to complete specific actions, such as purchasing products or making bookings. Through deep linking, they can then seamlessly guide users to the relevant app page that facilitates these actions. The easier it is for users to complete the desired action, the higher the likelihood of conversion. This ultimately contributes to a better return on investment. Important: Deep linking can be technically complex and may require backend development work. It’s advisable to seek assistance from your development team for implementation. Whether you aim to deep link to an Android or iOS app, consult this beginner’s guide to get started.
#2: Utilize display URLs and site link options strategically
Selecting the appropriate landing page plays a crucial role in effectively guiding potential customers through the sales funnel. On your website’s product pages, URLs can become quite lengthy, particularly for e-commerce sites. However, when creating search ads, you can opt to incorporate a display URL to present a concise and user-friendly link to viewers. The display URL feature in Google Ads empowers marketers to customize the link displayed in their ads. This allows for shorter, more informative, and visually appealing links compared to the actual destination URL. This feature also enhances the visual appeal of pay-per-click (PPC) ads. You can leverage it to clearly indicate the page an ad leads to or to include a compelling call to action that encourages clicks. For instance, if Amazon wanted to create a search ad for this page: www.amazon.com/Paperwhite-High-Resolution-Display-International-Version/dp/B00QJDU3KY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535123611&sr=8-1&keywords=kindle They could utilize a display link like: www.amazon.com/KindlePaperwhite or www.amazon.com/Buy-A-New-Kindle This ad from Adidas links to a rather long URL: www.adidas.ie/?cm_mmc=AdieSEM_Google-_-adidas-Brand-B-Exact-_-Adidas-X-X-Brand-_-%27adidas&cm_mmca1=IE&cm_mmca2=e&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9Le-yICG3QIVAbTtCh3BOgiFEAAYASAAEgIzJ_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CJfI_9KAht0CFcym7QodjCQB6w
Display URLs offer flexibility but must share the same root domain as the destination URL. This measure prevents spammers from employing misleading links and deceiving users into clicking through to their websites. Additionally, you can empower users to choose their preferred path and select the most relevant page using Google Ads’ site link extension. This feature allows you to include links to multiple web pages within your search ads. Advertisers often link to key content, making it ideal when users search directly for your brand name.
Sitelinks can be implemented across all ads or customized at the ad group or campaign level. They assist prospects in finding precisely what they seek and enhance visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs).
#3: Implement URL tags to track ad performance effectively
Most marketers diligently monitor their marketing activities to identify what’s working best and allocate budgets confidently. Advertising is no exception. While most ad platforms provide analytics, utilizing UTM tags in your URLs proves beneficial by providing comprehensive data on ad clicks in a centralized location. All the information gathered will be accessible in Google Analytics, allowing you to compare it with other marketing campaigns and channels. Google Ads offers an auto-tagging option, and a recent update now allows you to edit this tag information without losing valuable ad statistics. It’s important to note that these tags are only compatible with Google Analytics. If you use a different analytics platform for tracking or need to implement tags across all advertising links, you can manually add UTM parameters to destination URLs or utilize a UTM builder.
#4: Increase click-through rates with branded links
At Rebrandly, we observed that branded links can boost the click-through rate (CTR) of links shared on social media by up to 39%. Therefore, incorporating a branded link can be beneficial when promoting posts or tweets. These URLs can also be utilized in PPC ads to enhance engagement.
In Google Ads, a high CTR contributes to an improved Quality Score for your ads, potentially leading to reduced costs. Branded links can significantly enhance the visibility of an ad or post due to their complete customizability. You can leverage them to create compelling calls to action or eye-catching statements. If you decide to experiment with custom links in your search ads, ensure it’s entered as the main destination link rather than the display URL. If necessary, you can also change the destination of your ad’s URL without affecting your statistics.
#5: Route traffic strategically based on device, location, and other variables
HubSpot’s Smart Content enable you to present different content dynamically based on a user’s location, device, and numerous other factors.
Image Source For instance, if a user’s IP address indicates they are browsing from the UK, you can direct them to a landing page specifically designed for your English website or ensure pricing is displayed in pounds. You can also implement page routing based on the UTM tags present in the links they click, leading to a more tailored user experience for visitors. This approach to link routing, similar to deep linking, may require collaboration with your development team for implementation.
Enhance your links today!
Despite often being overlooked, links possess the potential to give your ads a significant advantage. They can elevate click-through rates, enhance user experience, and even drive conversions. Take the time to upgrade your links today and reap the rewards.