Breadcrumb Trails Come To AdWords

Display URLs on AdWords search ads are getting another element — breadcrumb trails, a set of links next to the URL that lets users navigate directly to relevant sections of a site. An example of a breadcrumb trail would be “Apparel > Women’s Clothing > Tops > Sweaters.” As with organic breadcrumbs, the breadcrumbs displayed […]

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Display URLs on AdWords search ads are getting another element — breadcrumb trails, a set of links next to the URL that lets users navigate directly to relevant sections of a site. An example of a breadcrumb trail would be “Apparel > Women’s Clothing > Tops > Sweaters.” As with organic breadcrumbs, the breadcrumbs displayed in an ad are dictated by rich snippets coded onto the landing page.

Adwords Breadcrumbs Example En

Advertisers will pay the same CPC for a breadcrumb click as they would pay for one on the headline.

First reported by UK search agency Periscopix, the feature hasn’t been officially announced, but it’s appearing in AdWords Help pages. Google hasn’t yet responded to a request for additional information.

If the landing page is marked up with the breadcrumb rich snippets, Google will automatically add breadcrumbs to ads that appear at the top or bottom of Google search results “for some advertisers”. Though Periscopix didn’t reveal the source of its information, it says breadcrumbs will only be displayed on desktop search (for now), and the ad must have the top level domain set as the display URL — if you already have a directory as part of the display URL, breadcrumbs will not be displayed.

Advertisers will be able to keep tabs on the performance of breadcrumbs, by using segments — click “Segment” in the toolbar above the statistics table, select the Ads tab and segment your data by “Click Type.” Click-through data will be included in the “Breadcrumb” click type.

This is an example of Google taking display functionality that has apparently worked well in organic results, and bringing it to the AdWords universe. It also makes AdWords ads look more like organic results, which, by itself, could increase click-throughs.


About the author

Pamela Parker
Staff
Pamela Parker is Research Director at Third Door Media's Content Studio, where she produces MarTech Intelligence Reports and other in-depth content for digital marketers in conjunction with Search Engine Land and MarTech. Prior to taking on this role at TDM, she served as Content Manager, Senior Editor and Executive Features Editor. Parker is a well-respected authority on digital marketing, having reported and written on the subject since its beginning. She's a former managing editor of ClickZ and has also worked on the business side helping independent publishers monetize their sites at Federated Media Publishing. Parker earned a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University.

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