Google Lead Form Extensions [Quickstart Guide]

Google continues to expand its offering of ad extensions with one of the latest being the Lead Form Extension Beta.

Whilst it has been available for some time, it hasn’t seen a huge uptake by the digital advertising community. If your business goals are weighted towards lead generation, testing this new extension type may help to put you ahead of the competition. We’ll cover what lead form extensions are, how to set them up and offer a few tips to make them work for you.

Lead form extensions show directly in your ad. When clicked on, users will be able to enter their information and submit without having to go to your website. They are available for Search ads, Video ads and Discovery ads on Gmail and will only show to mobile devices and tablets.

Also, it’s important to note that lead form extensions can only be applied to campaigns which have ‘leads’ set as their goal.

In your Google Ads account, go to ‘Ads & extensions’ → ‘Extensions’ in the toolbar on the left. Click on the blue ‘+’ sign and choose ‘Lead form extension BETA’:

After choosing which campaigns you would like to add your extension to, you’ll be presented with the lead form creation screen:

As seen in the screenshot above, you’ll need to fill in a headline, business name, description and pick some basic questions to ask users to fill in. If the basic questions aren’t enough for your needs, Google offers many more options tailored towards different industries. For example, Auto industry:

Next you’ll need to provide a URL link to your privacy policy and a background image (1200 x 628 recommended size).

Once users have submitted their details, you’ll need to create a form submission message:

This is a great opportunity to drive users to your website so they can find out more about products and services.

Lastly, you’ll need to create a call-to-action which is the first thing users will see in your ad:

Clicking on the CTA button in your ad is what will open the lead form on the users’ screen.

Google has made it easy to download leads. Simply go to the lead form extensions performance table and there will be a link to download your leads from the last 30 days.

If you would like to send leads directly to your CRM software, there is an option to set up webhook integration. You’ll need to follow a few steps here.

• Lead form extensions can only be applied to campaigns and not ad groups or account level. Also, you can only have one lead form per campaign.
• Currently, lead forms only show to mobile users. As there is the option for users to click-through to your site after completing the form, ensure your website is mobile friendly to give a good first impression.
• In the lead form options during creation, Google allows you to optimise towards higher intent or more lead volume. Choose the option that’s right for you or experiment with both:

• Be creative with your CTA headline. Having an eye-catching headline or value proposition will lead to more people clicking on your lead form instead of the ad itself.
• You may find it difficult to convince cold audiences to fill in your lead forms. If this is the case, try only showing your form to warmer audiences who already know a bit about your brand. For example, retargeting users who spent time on your website but didn’t convert.