Over the last 24 hours, AdWords has been blowing my mind.
It started yesterday when I learned that Google is giving users the opportunity to block PPC ads from specific domains in their search results. Last year, Google gave the ability to block specific search results and sites but much of this was changed with the launch of “Search Plus Your World.” I understand the concept, especially from a user point of view: you shouldn’t have results appear that you hold absolutely no interest in ever checking out. And even from the point of view of the advertiser: if someone is never going to click my ad, removing their impressions will only help increase my clickthrough rate.
Then this morning I was doing a search for Redbox and came across an ad that allowed me to join their mailing list before clicking through to their site:
I remember reading that Google started testing this feature sometime last month, but now that I see it in my own searches I understand the potential impact more.
This lead collection not only elongates the advertisement providing more SERP “real estate” to the advertiser, but also makes the lead completion simple for the user. In addition, Google is showing that they will pair this lead collection function with sitelinks leaving the possibility for larger ads open. Imagine if those sitelinks were enhanced…
