Verification For Two New Assets

About Verification

Google has been asking advertisers to complete a verification process for years now. If you haven’t already been required to do so by Google, then you may not know about it. Essentially, Google is committed to transparency, and verifying advertisers is one of the ways that they can be transparent about any particular ad and why it was shown to an individual.

Google verification requires advertisers to submit personal identification, business incorporation documents, or other information that proves who they are and the country in which they operate. It is a fairly straightforward process. You can learn more about how to complete verification here.

Why You Should Go Ahead And Just Do It.

If aren’t being forced to verify at the risk of account cancellation then you may be wondering why you should jump through those hoops. Enter two new assets (formally known as extensions), that are only available to verified advertisers. (I’m resisting the urge to write a tangent about Google forcing advertisers to play by their rules)…

Anyways, these two assets are Business Name and Business Logo extensions. You can see them displayed in this Nike ad example. The Business Name and Business Logo assets allow people to identify your business at just a glance. Google reports that "Advertisers that show a business logo and name with their search ads see an average of 8% more conversions at a similar cost per conversion."

If you aren’t verified, Google may be pulling this information for you. That isn’t always a good thing. See this Gold’s Gym example below. It looks much less legitimate than the Nike ad above. I’m going to be more inclined to click on an ad that is more polished than one that isn’t. When the business name and logo are displayed above everything else, it’s hard to ignore that information.

The small amount of one-time work of getting verified will allow for better ad presentation in the long run. So, this one time, play by the rules and go ahead and verify yourself. They will force it on you eventually anyways.