Quick answer: Google Ads assets like sitelinks, callouts, call and image assets make your ads bigger and more useful at no extra cost per click.
Assets, which Google used to call extensions, add extra information to your search ads: links to specific pages, short selling points, your phone number, your logo and more. They make your ad take up more space, give searchers more reasons to choose you, and often improve click-through rate. You pay the same for a click whether or not an asset shows.
Google considers the expected impact of assets when calculating your ad’s position, so missing assets can mean paying more for the same spot.
The assets that matter most
Sitelinks
Extra links under your ad that go to specific pages: “Get a Quote”, “Our Work”, “Pricing”, “Reviews”, “About Us”. Add at least four, each linking to a genuinely different page, with short descriptions.
Callouts
Short phrases (up to 25 characters) that highlight selling points: “Fixed-Price Quotes”, “Licensed & Insured”, “Same-Week Service”, “10-Year Warranty”. Add four to eight. Keep them factual.
Structured snippets
A header plus a list, such as Services: Bathrooms, Kitchens, Laundries, Decks. Useful for showing range without wasting headline space.
Call assets
Show your phone number or a call button. Since call-only ads are being retired, this is now the way to get calls from search ads. See getting phone calls from Google Ads.
Location assets
Show your address, distance and a map link, pulled from your linked Google Business Profile. Valuable if customers visit you.
Business name and logo
Lets your brand name and logo appear in the ad. Google verifies these, so your business name should match your website and Business Profile.
Image assets
Small images beside your search ads on some results. Use real photos of your work, not stock images with text on them.
Price and promotion assets
Price assets show a list of services with “from” prices. Excellent if transparent pricing is part of your pitch. Promotion assets highlight a specific offer with dates.
Lead form assets
Let people submit their details directly from the ad without visiting your site. Available for eligible accounts. Like Facebook lead forms, they can produce low-quality leads, so add qualifying questions and test carefully.
Automatically created assets
Google can generate dynamic sitelinks, callouts and other assets from your website. These can be helpful, but they can also show outdated offers or pages you’d rather not promote. Review them in the Assets report, and turn off automated assets in the account settings if they’re unhelpful.
Best practices
- Add assets at the right level. Account-level for things that are always true (callouts like “Licensed & Insured”), campaign or ad group level for service-specific sitelinks.
- Keep them consistent with your landing page. If a callout says “Free quotes”, the landing page should too.
- Check the Assets report every month or two to see which show and which get clicks. Replace the weakest.
- Don’t duplicate your headlines. Assets should add information, not repeat it.
A starter set for a service business
- 4–6 sitelinks (Quote, Pricing, Our Work, Reviews, About, FAQs)
- 6 callouts
- 1–2 structured snippets (Services, Types)
- Call asset with Google forwarding number and schedule
- Business name and logo
- 3–5 real images
- Price asset if you publish prices
Sources and further reading
Written by Gregory
20 years building websites and running lead generation, mostly with my own money on the line. Based in Sydney, working with clients worldwide. How I work →