SEO glossary · A

Ad Extensions

What are Ad Extensions?

Ad extensions are extra pieces of information added to a search ad, such as links to more pages, a phone number or an address. In Google Ads they have been called assets since 2022. They are free to add: you pay your usual cost per click.

Common types of assets

  • Sitelinks: extra links to specific pages, like a price list or a contact page.
  • Callouts: short phrases such as “Free delivery” or “24/7 support”.
  • Structured snippets: a list under a heading, such as Services: SEO, Google Ads, Web design.
  • Call: a phone number people can tap to call.
  • Location: your address, taken from your Google Business Profile.
  • Image, price, promotion and lead form: for visual ads, prices, offers and forms filled in directly in the ad.

Why use them

Assets make ads larger and more useful, which usually raises the click-through rate. Their expected impact is also part of Ad Rank, so good assets can improve your ad’s position. Google decides which assets to show for each search, so add several relevant ones.

Ad extensions example

A language school runs a search ad for “english classes london”. The ad gets four sitelinks (Prices, Timetable, Free trial, Contact), two callouts (“Small groups”, “Native teachers”), a call asset with the school’s phone number and a location asset linked to its Business Profile. The ad takes up more room on the page and answers questions before anyone clicks.

How to set up assets in Google Ads

  1. Open your campaign and go to Assets in the left menu.
  2. Choose the asset type, such as sitelink or callout.
  3. Write short, specific text and send each sitelink to a different, relevant page.
  4. Add at least four sitelinks and several callouts so Google can pick the best mix.
  5. Review the asset report and replace the ones that rarely show or get few clicks.

Ad extensions mistakes

  • Sitelinks that all point to the home page.
  • Callouts that repeat the headline.
  • A phone number that is not answered in business hours.
  • Out-of-date prices or promotions.

Ad extensions FAQs

Do extensions cost extra?

No. You pay for clicks as normal, including clicks on a sitelink. A click on a phone asset can be charged too, so check the call reporting settings.

An extra link under your ad that goes to a specific page. See sitelink and Quality Score.

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