Click-to-download AdWords ads for mobile devices are getting more visually appealing. Google will now find the advertised application’s icon in the iTunes store or Android market and display it alongside the ad in search results.

The new feature will automatically be applied whenever a click-to-download ad appears on a mobile device. Google announced its immediate availability late last week.

To create a click-to-download ad, advertisers enter “itunes.apple.com/” or “market.android.com/” followed by the app name in the ad’s display URL field. AdWords automatically displays this as “Download from iTunes” or “Download Android App.” For the destination URL field, advertisers should enter the full link to where the app can be downloaded. Ads that link to iOS apps will only be shown on devices that can use those apps. Same for Android.

The move by Google is obviously aimed at making click-to-download ads more enticing for mobile device users, driving more clicks and more revenue at a time when usage of such devices is soaring.

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Google: AdWords | Google: Mobile

About The Author: Pamela Parker is a contributing editor for Search Engine Land and Executive Features Editor at Marketing Land. She’s a well-respected authority on digital marketing, having reported and written on the subject since 1998, including a stint as managing editor of ClickZ. She’s also worked to help monetize independent publishers’ sites at Federated Media Publishing. She blogs about media and marketing at The River and about cooking, gardening and parenthood at Free Range. She can be found on Twitter as @pamelaparker. See more articles by Pamela Parker

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