Rich Ads in Search (RAIS) ads are available only on Bing and Yahoo for branded or trademarked campaigns. They are the combination of the standard sitelinks with an image that is 80 pixels by 60 pixels. Advertisers use their logo as the image for brand recognition and awareness.
The Affect of Rich Ads in Search on Conversions
RAIS ads are truly the best of both worlds— they serve as a branding play and have the added benefit of direct response and funneling users where they need to go by using sitelinks. I looked at five Bing Ads accounts to see how click-through rates, conversions, and conversion rates compared to the standard ‘branded’ campaigns. The results were significant:
Across every campaign, the click-through rate, conversions, and conversion rate was substantially higher for Rich Ads in Search Campaigns. In addition, cost per conversion was significantly lower.
Unfortunately, not every branded search goes to RAIS campaigns but when RAIS does show, the paid listing across these five accounts accrued over 25% of the click on the search engine results page. Although the average CPC was slightly higher for RAIS campaigns, the benefits are worth the extra cost.
Establish Searcher Trust & Reinforce Brand Identity
It makes sense. Images allow you to grab a searcher’s attention and your ad gains more valuable real estate on the SERPs. When these images are a brand logo, it not only familiarizes searchers with your brand, but also increases confidence that your listing will take them to the official brand website. This can be especially valuable with branded campaigns, and bigger companies may find competitors bidding on their brand name.
Simply put, RAIS ensure confidence to valued customers and get your brand identity in front of more viewers, which seems to directly correlate with an increase in clicks. This has important value in the retail industry (especially during this busy holiday season). While viewers may not buy immediately, the impression could have an impact and allow the viewer to return to your brand specifically to purchase. People want to know they are buying from an authentic source, logos and branding reaffirm this assurance.
Are you currently taking advantage of RAIS ads? To learn more about the best practices for rich ads in search campaigns and CTR improvements by vertical, check out this article by Yahoo.
Image Credit:
- Featured image & image #2 – Screenshot taken 11/08/13 Bing.com SERPs
- Image #1 – Screenshot taken 11/08/13 Yahoo.com SERPs
- Image #3 – Created by Search Engine Journal
- Image #4 – Author created
