Google rebranded Extensions to 'Assets' in 2022. The name changed; the mechanics largely did not. Ad assets append additional information to your Search ads — sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets, image assets, lead forms, call assets, location assets — and Google selects which combination to show based on the auction, the search query, and predicted CTR impact.
Assets are one of the few levers in Google Ads that are simultaneously low-effort and high-impact. Google reports that adding sitelinks increases CTR by 10–20% on average. The actual lift depends heavily on how the assets are written and whether they serve the user's intent in context.
Sitelinks are the highest-impact asset type for most advertisers. A sitelink shows 2–6 additional links beneath your ad, each with its own headline and 2 description lines. Sitelinks that link to product categories, high-intent landing pages, or specific conversion paths outperform sitelinks that link to the homepage or generic informational pages. Write sitelink headlines as action-oriented destination descriptors ('See Pricing Plans,' 'Compare All Features,' 'Start Free Trial') not as navigation labels ('About Us,' 'Contact,' 'Home').
Callout assets appear as short text snippets beneath the ad. They have no clickable link — they are pure copy extensions. The character limit is 25 characters per callout, and Google shows 2–6 in a given impression. Callouts are best used for proof points and differentiators that cannot fit in the headline: 'No Setup Fees,' '24/7 Live Chat,' 'SOC 2 Certified,' 'Cancel Anytime.' The incremental CTR lift from callouts is smaller than sitelinks but they are the cheapest asset to implement.
Structured Snippets present a labeled list of features or categories: 'Platforms: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android' or 'Certifications: ISO 27001, SOC 2, GDPR.' The header type must be selected from Google's predefined list (Types, Features, Brands, Models, etc.). Structured snippets work best when your business has a meaningful set of items under one of the header categories. Forcing items into an ill-fitting header produces poor Quality Score contribution.
Image assets are among the most underused by advertisers. Image assets show a square or landscape image alongside the headline and description in certain placements. On mobile devices, image assets can significantly increase the visual footprint of a Search ad. Visual differentiation in an auction where competitors show only text creates a click-through advantage. Approved images must not contain text overlays, must be high-quality, and must be relevant to the landing page content.
Lead Form assets allow users to submit contact information directly within the search results without visiting the landing page. This is valuable for service businesses with high-friction lead capture pages. The trade-off is lead quality — friction filters for intent. A user who navigates to your landing page and completes a form demonstrates somewhat more intent than one who fills out a native Google form. Test lead form assets against standard landing page conversion for your specific business type before committing budget.
Call assets display a phone number that allows mobile users to call directly from the search result. For local service businesses or any business where the phone is a primary conversion channel, call assets can drive more conversions per click than landing page navigation. Call reporting shows call duration — calls under 30 seconds are typically not real leads. Use call duration as a filter when evaluating call asset performance.
Asset performance at account vs. ad group level. Google allows assets at the account, campaign, or ad group level. Account-level assets are simplest to manage and serve everywhere. Create account-level assets for universal proof points. Create ad group-level sitelinks for ad groups with specific products where generic account-level sitelinks are less relevant.
Automatic assets — generated by Google from your website content — are enabled by default. Review which automatic assets Google has applied to your campaigns and disable any that misrepresent your product or perform below your manually created assets. The asset combination ceiling means Google can show a maximum of 3 headlines, 2 descriptions, and a limited number of additional assets per impression. More assets do not guarantee more shown — Google selects the best-predicted combination. Providing a large pool of high-quality assets gives the algorithm more options. Digital Face audits your Google Ads asset coverage and performance, identifying missing asset types, underperforming assets that should be replaced, and ad groups where asset coverage is limiting impression share. Free plan at digital-face.nl, no credit card required.