Six months after Google announced enhanced sitelinks for AdWords desktop search ads, it is making them available worldwide wherever AdWords is available. Useful to know for a global chain or retailer, and worth a second look for search-engine marketers within the US.

The enhanced sitelinks combine multiple sitelinks and closely related search ads into a larger nested format. So, as the graphic shows, a pizza restaurant would have not one two- to three-line sitelink, but several sitelinks for different actions (e.g., ordering, locating a store, downloading a coupon). Early testing showed that the enhanced sitelinks could make the enhanced ads that appear above the organic search results more fruitful, with significantly higher clickthrough rates (CTRs) for an advertiser the two- and three-line sitelinks.

Preparing A Campaign

Google offers these tips for preparing a campaign for enhanced sitelinks:

• Enhanced sitelinks can only show when your ad is above the organic search results. If a "top vs. other" report shows that your ads have few impressions in a top ad position, try increasing your Quality Score or maximum CPC bid, or both.
• Add 6-10 sitelinks, each with a unique landing page.
• Have multiple active ads in your account with the same landing page URLs as your sitelinks. One ad to match each unique sitelink is the bare minimum.

Like other forms of sitelinks, enhanced sitelinks are generated automatically so will vary in appearance. And you might not see them show 100% of the time even when you're eligible.
Reporting and optimizing
Click costs and reporting work the same with enhanced sitelinks as with other forms of sitelinks. If you decide to optimize your account around enhanced sitelinks, Google suggests evaluating your changes against multiple performance metrics (e.g., volume and cost effectiveness), rather than just measuring CTR increases.