Unlock the potential of Google Lead Form Extensions for search ads. Drive higher conversions and streamline your lead generation process like a pro.
Think of a question you don't have the answer to, and Google is the first thing that pops into your head.
Of course, you're not alone.
Google has steadily built a powerful reputation synonymous with internet search. In 2022 alone, it amassed 8.5 billion daily searches, making it the most visited website.
For businesses, this spells fantastic opportunities to attract prospects through Google lead generation. And the search giant has taken note.
Google experimented with lead generation formats previously. Starting with contact form extensions which, unfortunately, didn't move forward after beta testing in 2010. Then came a PPC lead generation format called cost per leads ad, but that didn't move past the alpha phase in 2011.
There have been Google leads ads, including call extensions, call-only ads, message extensions and purchases on Google.
After much trial and error, it has hit quite the bull's eye, with one of its newest formats introduced in 2019 – Google Lead Form Extensions.
This lead form extension format lets advertisers and brands connect with prospects much more easily, generating high-quality leads through Search, Display, Video and Discovery ads.
What's more, Google lead form ads work across devices from desktop to mobile. Search and Display ads can be advertised through desktop and mobile, whereas Discovery and Video cater to mobile-only visits.
It's interesting to note that Google has exclusive mobile ad formats but doesn't leave out traffic from this channel for other inventories. That’s because each brand may follow a different customer journey.
“Campaigns can be optimised to leverage devices that perform better. Some brands may find greater success on Desktop rather than Mobile depending on the user journey and product or service”
– Verushka Harichunder, Paid Media Account Manager, Driftrock
To sum up, Google Lead Form Extensions gives brands a rewarding opportunity to capture interested leads through well-optimised lead forms. And it does so via multiple platforms, including currently trending ones such as mobile, to maximise reach.
In this format, Google leads are directed from a search ad to your lead form. Users can fill out the form within the ad without moving to another platform or website.
Capturing leads within the same ecosystem ensures maximum user interest because they're searching for information relevant to your product or service.
Google leads forms load instantly when clicked, allowing potential customers to enter their key contact details.
The format is effective because it reduces the number of steps needed to share details. And it also replaces the traditional landing page experience with an inline one.
The forms are also easy-to-use and mobile-friendly. A mobile friendly experience improves engagement rate and lead volumes when compared to sending users to a conventional website landing page.
The above reasons give Google Lead Form Extensions for Search Ads the valuable potential to increase conversions.
This ad format is particularly beneficial for companies with limited resources that still want to capture high-quality leads.
Google leads from search are high-quality leads interested in your business and searching for your product or service.
You can use Google lead form ads even if your website doesn't look or function seamlessly because you don't need to redirect traffic from Google to the website.
Subsequently, this PPC lead generation format boosts lead volumes. Results vary depending on the keyword and product. But you get more conversions by pushing prospects through the marketing funnel seamlessly.
An added benefit is gathering first-party data that you can use for lead nurturing.
“Use the lead data for advanced customer lifecycle marketing across multiple touch points such as social ads, emails, and more.”
– Shivani Khokhani
Growth Marketing Lead, Driftrock
In a soon-approaching cookieless world, having customers share their data willingly is far more valuable than any other source.
It starts when a user on Google searches for keywords related to your brands, products or services. Your ad appears to the user with the Lead Form Extension below it.
As they click on the Google leads ad, it opens up the form where the user can enter their details.
Once the user submits the form, they receive a thank you message. Then, they can either visit your website or continue their search activity.
Google leads data is stored within Google and can be synced to your CRM using Driftrock's platform.
Here are the processes involved in running a Google leads ad for search
From the menu in the left corner, select Ads & Extensions and then Extensions.
Click on the ‘+’ button and a drop down of campaigns will appear. Select Lead Form Extensions here and proceed.
Start creating your Lead Form Extension by entering the form's headline, business name and description.
Select the questions that should appear in your Google lead generation ad.
We recommend experimenting with the number of questions you ask. Find a balance between quantity and quality, though. Less questions bring in more leads but these could be lower quality. Similarly, more questions bring in higher quality leads, but the number will be lower.
While you can’t use custom questions, you can choose from a number of predefined questions to tailor the form. Add the privacy policy URL and image.
You can check a preview of the form on desktop and mobile on the right side.
Add a submission message for people to see after completing the form. This includes the headline, description, CTA and URL.
After this, add the CTA for your ad along with a description (limited to 30 characters.)
Click Save and you’re ready to move forward with the campaign.
Once you've set up the Google leads campaign, you can choose between two options for receiving the contact details that people have shared in the form.
The first is manual downloads. You can manually extract PPC leads information from the backend. However, downloading leads is time-consuming and ineffective for running automated marketing campaigns.
A better alternative is syncing captured leads from Google Lead Form Extensions to the CRM using Driftrock. There's minimum manual intervention, ensuring high-quality leads pass through your marketing funnel automatically, in real time and hassle-free.
Watch our guide on how to send leads from Google Ads to your CRM with Driftrock in real time.
Any time a user opens the Google lead form ad, it's tracked as a click. If someone completes and submits the form, it's termed a conversion. Although, a conversion doesn't necessarily mean 'purchase' in this case.
You can define actions that count as conversions and track them through the sales funnel with Driftrock.
Advanced downstream tracking helps you understand the return on investment and allocate the budget or optimise the campaign accordingly.
It's important to constantly optimise and tweak your campaigns to maximise ROI. If you are using Driftrock to sync your leads, you'll have a dashboard of valuable reports to help you optimise lead quality and cost.
You can leverage the first-party data gathered from Google leads for remarketing campaigns on other channels or email marketing.
Google Customer Match helps you match data collected from lead forms to already existing prospects. However, this is restricted to Google properties.
If you sync leads with Driftrock, contact data will be automatically added to the CRM, and you can sync it to other platforms such as Meta and LinkedIn.
Marketers should note 'how' they can run an ad campaign. Here are some for Google lead ads:
Brands must have a good compliance history with Google's advertising policies and a Google Ads account in an eligible vertical or sub-vertical.
Avoid sensitive verticals or sub-verticals (such as healthcare or alcohol-related content) as they're not eligible for lead forms.
You also need a privacy policy in place for your business, the link of which must be shared when creating a lead form extension in Google Ads. Users can view this privacy policy at the end of the lead form.
If you want to create a lead form Search campaign where the ad's headline directly opens to the form, you must have more than £50,000 total spend in Google Ads.
You're charged every time someone clicks on your lead form extension, even if they don't fill out your form. This could pose an issue if you have a limited advertising budget and low conversion rates.
Another limitation could be that Google only allows specific fields in a lead form (such as name, email, phone and the like). If you need more information to better qualify leads, you'll be unable to do this with Google Lead Form Extensions.
There are also a wide range of industry specific questions which can help you tailor information to your business.
For a complete list of requirements per Google's ad policy, visit here.
Google wants to maintain user trust in their data being used respectfully and appropriately. As such, advertisers must follow specific data collection and usage measures for Google lead generation.
To gather data, brands must use appropriate security measures based on relevant industry standards.
Google doesn't allow sharing personally identifiable information through remarketing tags, conversion tracking tags, or product data feeds.
Advertisers are strongly advised against misusing personal information in a way that users haven't consented to – such as re-selling user information or using their images in ads.
You cannot address users directly with their personal information – such as their profession.
Advertisers must also avoid implying they know a user's personal information.
For more information on Google’s advertising policies for data collection and use, visit here.
Here's a few quick tips to get you started with optimising your Lead Form Extension campaigns.
The Driftrock team is also on hand to help you optimise your campaigns.
Related Article: 10 Google Lead Generation Ad Examples That Will Convert Like Crazy
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