Google Ads Assets: The Complete Guide to Every Asset Type

Key takeaways

• Assets are the content pieces that build out your ad, such as sitelinks, callouts, images and phone numbers, and they are free to add on top of your headlines and descriptions.
• There are 13 asset types to work with, and Google shows the combination it predicts will perform best for each individual search.
• Assets feed into Ad Rank and Quality Score, so relevant ones can lift your click-through rate and often lower your cost per click.
• Manual assets give you control; automated assets are generated by Google, and you can switch the automated ones off when they drift off-brand.
• A practical starting point: add at least four relevant asset types per campaign, then review which ones actually serve in the Associations view and refine from there.

Introduction

Your Search ad has two headlines and a description, and so does every competitor sitting above and below you. With nothing else to work with, there is little to make a searcher choose you. That sameness is exactly where clicks leak away to whoever looks more useful.

Google Ads assets close that gap. They add links, images, prices and contact options to your ad at no extra cost, giving people more reasons to click. This guide walks through all 13 asset types, their specs, how to set them up, and the mistakes worth avoiding.

What are Google Ads assets?

Google Ads assets are content pieces that make up your ad with useful business information, such as links to specific pages, phone numbers, images and prices. They combine with your headlines and descriptions to build the final ad a searcher sees, and Google selects which assets to show on an auction-by-auction basis based on the query, the device and predicted performance.

If you learned Google Ads a few years ago, you knew these as “extensions.” Google renamed extensions to assets in 2022, and the two words still get used interchangeably across the industry. The function has not changed: assets expand your ad and give people more ways to engage with it.

Because Google mixes and matches assets per search, you will not see every asset with every impression. The more relevant assets you supply, the more combinations Google can test, and the better your ad can adapt to each query. Assets are one of the simplest ways to strengthen the organic and paid visibility you are already building.

Assets vs Google Ads campaign types

People often search for “the types of Google Ads” and mean one of two different things, so it helps to separate them.

Asset types are the components covered in this guide: sitelinks, callouts, images and the rest. Campaign types are the formats your ads run in: Search, Performance Max, Shopping, Demand Gen, Video, App and Display. Google has been consolidating this list, and standalone Display campaigns are being folded into Demand Gen through 2026, so older guides may show a slightly different set. The two interact, because the assets available to you depend on the campaign type you choose.

A Search campaign leans on text assets like sitelinks and callouts. A Performance Max campaign uses a broader asset group of images, videos and logos. So when you plan assets, start from the campaign type, then add the assets that format supports.

Why assets matter (and how they affect Ad Rank)

Assets earn their place for three connected reasons: more space, more information and better ad quality.

First, assets take up more room on the results page, which makes your ad more prominent and gives it greater visibility than a plain text ad. Second, they answer more of what a searcher wants to know before they even click, which tends to lift your click-through rate.

Third, and easy to miss, assets feed into Ad Rank. Google estimates the expected impact of your assets when it decides whether your ad shows and where. Better assets can improve your ad quality, and stronger ad quality can lower the price you pay per click. So assets do more than dress up the ad. They influence the auction itself.

Do assets cost anything? (and how they affect your budget)

Assets are free to add. You are only charged when someone interacts with your ad, and a click on a sitelink or a call button costs the same as a click on your headline.

That matters for a small budget. If assets lift your click-through rate and ad quality, your cost per click can fall, so the same daily spend buys more clicks. Whether a figure like $10 a day is “enough” depends far more on your niche and its average cost per click than on assets alone, but assets are one lever that helps a modest budget work harder rather than thinner.

Manual vs automated assets

Google Ads gives you two ways to create assets, and they can run side by side.

Manual assets are the ones you create and control. You write the sitelink, choose the callout text, upload the image. This gives you full command of the messaging and is the approach we usually recommend for anything tied to your brand.

Automated assets are generated by Google when its systems predict they will improve performance. Google may pull them from your landing page, your existing assets or your ad copy. They can be convenient at scale, but you trade away control over exactly what appears.

How to turn off automatically created assets

If automated assets drift off-brand or send people to the wrong page, you can switch them off. For account-level automated assets, go to Assets within the Campaigns menu, open the Associations tab, select the three-dot menu, then choose Account level automated assets and open the advanced settings. From there you pick which asset to turn off, give a reason and save.

There is also a newer setting inside AI Max. For automatically created text assets, you can deselect text customization under the Asset optimization panel in a campaign’s settings. Google has been known to re-enable automated settings over time, so it is worth checking back periodically rather than assuming a one-time switch sticks.

The 13 types of Google Ads assets

Here are the 13 asset types you can use, grouped by what they do:

• Text and information: sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets, headlines and descriptions
• Contact and location: call, location, affiliate location, lead form
• Visual and brand: image, business name and logo
• Commercial: price, promotion
• App: app

Not every asset is available for every campaign, and some carry eligibility requirements. The sections below cover each one: what it is, why you would use it, its specs and a best-practice tip.

Sitelink assets

Sitelink assets add extra links below your main ad, sending people to specific pages rather than only your homepage. You might link to a pricing page, a product category, a free trial or your reviews.

They work well because they surface several calls to action in a single ad, and they can show across account, campaign or ad-group levels. Google shows a variable number of sitelinks depending on the device and your ad position, and each one takes a link, a short headline and optional description lines.

Best practice: match sitelinks to the intent behind the keyword. A high-intent purchase campaign benefits from product-page sitelinks, while a brand campaign might point to case studies or your story.

Callout assets

Callout assets are short, non-clickable snippets of text that highlight what makes you different, such as “Free delivery,” “24/7 support” or “No lock-in contracts.” They sit below your description and add credibility without needing a click.

Each callout runs to a maximum of 25 characters, and you can add them at the account, campaign or ad-group level. Because they are not clickable, they keep the focus on your headline while still expanding your ad.

Best practice: be specific and avoid repeating your headlines. “Same-day dispatch” earns attention; “Great service” wastes the space.

Structured snippet assets

Structured snippet assets show a header followed by a list of values, such as “Courses: Google Analytics, Google Ads, Google Tag Manager.” They give a searcher a quick sense of your range before they click.

Unlike callouts, you pick from Google’s predefined header categories, which include Amenities, Brands, Courses, Destinations, Models, Service catalog, Styles and Types, among others. You add at least three values, each up to 25 characters.

Best practice: choose the header that fits your business most closely and lead with your most relevant offerings. This asset captures searches like “structured snippets examples” when you use real, specific values.

Image assets

Image assets let you add a relevant visual beside your text ad, which stands out on the results page, especially on mobile. They give Google another way to make your ad more engaging than text alone.

The specs are worth getting right. Google requires a square image at a 1:1 ratio, with a minimum of 300 by 300 pixels and 1200 by 1200 recommended, plus an optional landscape image at 1.91:1 (600 by 314 minimum, 1200 by 628 recommended). Files must be JPG or PNG and no larger than 5,120 KB, and text should not dominate the image.

One catch: image assets are not available to brand-new accounts. Your account generally needs a history of policy compliance, active campaigns and recent Search spend before they unlock.

Best practice: use clean, authentic images that show your product or service, not generic stock photos or graphics buried under text.

Call assets

Call assets let people ring your business straight from the ad. On mobile, tapping the button opens the dialler; on desktop, Google shows the number. They suit local services and any high-intent search where someone is ready to act.

You can schedule call assets to show only during business hours, and you can enable call reporting to track calls as conversions. Vanity, premium-rate and fax numbers are not allowed.

Best practice: only show call assets when someone can actually answer. A missed call during a busy period is a wasted click and a poor first impression.

Lead form assets

Lead form assets let people submit their details straight from your ad, without visiting a landing page. This can reduce friction and lift lead volume, particularly on mobile where extra steps cost you drop-off.

They carry the strictest eligibility of any asset. You typically need completed advertiser verification, a privacy policy, a conversion-focused bidding strategy and, for some placements, a spend history, and only responsive search ads can serve them. In-ad lead quality can run lower than website forms, so testing matters.

Best practice: add a qualifying question, such as budget or timeline, to filter out low-quality submissions before they reach your CRM.

Location assets

Location assets show your address, a map pin and the distance from the searcher, which helps drive foot traffic to a physical store. To use them, you link your Google Business Profile to your Google Ads account.

Once linked, Google can display your address alongside your ad when someone searches nearby, and the asset can carry a call button too.

Best practice: keep your Google Business Profile accurate and current. An out-of-date address or opening hours creates a poor experience for anyone who acts on the ad.

Affiliate location assets

Affiliate location assets show the nearby retailers that stock your product, rather than your own premises. They suit manufacturers and distributors whose goods sell through third-party stores.

You set them up at account level and choose the retail chains that carry your product, and they can appear on Search, Display and YouTube much like standard location assets.

Best practice: if you would rather people buy direct from your own site, weigh whether sending them to a retailer serves your margins before you switch this on.

Price assets

Price assets display products or services with their prices as a set of cards, each with a header, a short description, a price and a link. They pre-qualify clicks, because someone who sees the price and still clicks is closer to buying.

You can show several cards below your ad and organise them by tiers, packages or categories. If your prices change often, treat these as something to keep current.

Best practice: be specific about what each price includes so the click sets accurate expectations, which is especially useful for price-sensitive niches.

Promotion assets

Promotion assets highlight a specific offer, such as a seasonal sale or a discount code, with optional occasion presets and start and end dates. They create urgency and stand out when competitors are not running offers.

Because you can schedule them, the offer can switch on and off automatically around your sale dates.

Best practice: schedule promotions ahead of the sale so they clear review in time, and remove expired offers promptly so nobody clicks a deal that has ended.

App assets

App assets promote your mobile app and link straight to the relevant store, sending iOS users to the App Store and Android users to Google Play. They show on mobile and tablet, where the download can actually happen.

They suit businesses where app installs are a genuine goal alongside your other objectives.

Best practice: only add app assets if installs are a priority. If your main goal is website traffic, they can pull clicks away from your landing page.

Business name and logo assets

Business name and logo assets let you control how your brand shows in the ad, rather than leaving Google to pull a name and favicon automatically. A recognisable logo adds trust and helps your ad stand out.

Your logo should be square (1:1), with 1200 by 1200 pixels recommended and 128 by 128 the minimum, in PNG or JPG up to 5,120 KB. The business name runs to a maximum of 25 characters and must match your domain or verified legal name, and you need to complete advertiser verification first.

Best practice: upload a clean logo that stays legible at small sizes, since it often renders inside a small circle on mobile.

Headline and description assets

Headlines and descriptions are assets too, and they are the core of a responsive search ad. You can supply up to 15 headlines and 4 descriptions, and Google tests combinations to find the strongest per search.

Headlines run to 30 characters and descriptions to 90. Unlike other assets, you manage these at the ad level rather than spreading them across account or campaign levels, and you can pin a headline or description to a fixed position when a message has to appear.

Best practice: make every headline and description work on its own and say something different. Five versions of the same claim give Google nothing to test.

Google Ads asset specs at a glance (cheat sheet)

Use this table as a quick reference for the limits and levels of each asset type.

Asset type	Key limit / spec	Levels available	Clickable
Sitelink	Link text plus optional 2 description lines	Account, campaign, ad group	Yes
Callout	25 characters	Account, campaign, ad group	No
Structured snippet	Header plus min 3 values, 25 chars each	Account, campaign, ad group	No
Image	1:1 and 1.91:1, min 300×300, ≤5,120 KB, JPG/PNG	Account, campaign, ad group	No
Call	Verified number, mobile-focused	Account, campaign, ad group	Yes
Lead form	Verification, privacy policy, RSA only	Campaign, ad group	Yes
Location	Linked Google Business Profile	Account, campaign	Yes
Affiliate location	Chosen retail chains	Account	Yes
Price	Header, description, price, link (cards)	Account, campaign, ad group	Yes
Promotion	Occasion or custom, start/end dates	Account, campaign, ad group	Yes
App	Store link, mobile and tablet only	Account, campaign, ad group	Yes
Business name and logo	Name ≤25 chars, logo 1:1, verification	Account, campaign	No
Headlines and descriptions	15 headlines (30 chars), 4 descriptions (90 chars)	Ad level	No

How to add assets in Google Ads

You can add assets in two places: while you build a campaign, or from the Assets page at any time afterwards. Both routes let you apply an asset at the account, campaign or ad-group level.

Add assets during campaign setup

When you create a campaign, the setup flow includes an assets step alongside your budget, targeting and ad copy. You can add the relevant asset types there so your ads launch with assets already attached, rather than adding them later.

Add or manage assets from the Assets page

To add assets after launch, go to Assets within the Campaigns menu, select the plus button and choose the asset type you want. Enter the details for that asset, choose where it applies, and save. Google reviews the asset before it becomes eligible to show.

This is also where you manage existing assets, edit them and see performance data, so it is worth getting familiar with the Assets page early.

Set assets at account, campaign, or ad-group level

Most assets can sit at three levels, and the level decides how broadly the asset applies. Account-level assets suit information that is true everywhere, like a main phone number. Campaign and ad-group assets let you tailor the message to specific audiences or keywords.

Ad-group level gives you the most control, since you can match assets tightly to the keywords in that group. Where you set an asset at a more granular level, that setting generally takes priority over the broader ones.

Asset Studio and AI-generated assets

Google now bundles asset creation into Asset Studio, a single workspace inside Google Ads for creating, editing, managing and sharing your assets. You reach it through the Tools menu.

The point of Asset Studio is to keep creative work in one place rather than bouncing between a design tool, a video editor and your ad account. It bundles AI-powered image generation, image editing and video creation, along with shareable preview links so a colleague can review assets without logging into Google Ads.

At Google Marketing Live 2026, Google expanded Asset Studio with Gemini-powered generation across text, images and video from natural-language prompts. It is a genuine time-saver for creative production, but the same caution applies as with any AI creative: review what it generates against your brand before it goes live, because generic output can slip through.

The rise of AI inside advertising mirrors what is happening in search itself, where AI-driven search optimisation and generative engine optimisation are reshaping how people find your business. Assets are one more surface where getting the AI-assisted craft right pays off.

Assets in Performance Max (asset groups)

If you run Performance Max, assets work a little differently. Instead of adding individual assets to a Search ad, you build an asset group: a themed set of text, images, videos, logos and final URLs that Google mixes across Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail and Maps.

The grouping exists because Performance Max serves across every Google channel at once, so it needs a broad, varied pool of assets to build ads for each surface. Asset groups can also pull from your account-level asset library, so you reuse assets rather than uploading the same logo again and again.

If you are moving from Search to Performance Max, the mental shift is from “attach assets to an ad” to “supply a rich asset group and let Google assemble the ads.”

Google Ads assets best practices

Choosing assets is only half the job. Using them well is what turns them into more clicks and better-quality traffic.

Use at least four relevant asset types per campaign

Google recommends four or more asset types per campaign, such as sitelinks, callouts, images and one more that fits your goal. More relevant assets give Google more combinations to test and more chances to tailor your ad to each search.

Avoid duplication across assets

Each asset should add something new. If your callouts repeat your headlines, or your sitelinks and structured snippets say the same thing, you waste the extra space. Review your assets as a set and make sure each one earns its spot.

Match assets to campaign goals and intent

Different goals call for different assets. A store aiming for visits should prioritise location and call assets, while an online sale is better served by price and promotion assets. Start from what your audience needs at each stage, then pick accordingly.

Customise assets per campaign or ad group

Reusing the same assets everywhere rarely fits every context. A home-services firm could run different sitelinks for an “emergency plumbing” campaign than for a “bathroom renovation” one. Tailor assets to the products, services or keywords in each group.

Schedule time-sensitive assets

Some assets should only show at the right time. Restrict call assets to your opening hours, and set accurate start and end dates on promotions so an expired offer never lingers in a live ad.

Give assets time before judging (and don’t over-react to CPC)

If your cost per click rises after you add assets, resist pulling them straight away. A higher cost per click can simply mean your ad is more competitive and showing more prominently. Give assets time to gather data, and watch click-through rate and conversion rate rather than reacting to cost alone.

Review asset performance in the Associations view

To see how assets actually perform, go to Assets within the Campaigns menu and open the Associations view. It shows which assets are serving against which campaigns and how each one performs. If an asset has run a while with low impressions, update it or replace it.

Common Google Ads asset mistakes to avoid

Even experienced advertisers trip over the same asset mistakes. These are the ones worth checking your account for.

Using too few headlines or descriptions

Supplying only two or three headlines limits Google’s ability to test combinations. Fill out your responsive search ad with a full, varied set so the system has room to optimise.

Generic, vague callouts

Callouts like “Best service” or “Quality products” say nothing a competitor could not also claim. Swap them for specific, verifiable points such as “30-day money-back guarantee.”

Leaving expired promotions live

An offer that has ended but still shows sends people to a dead deal, which sours the click. Remove or reschedule promotions as soon as the offer is over.

Showing call assets outside business hours

A call asset with nobody to answer wastes the click and frustrates the caller. Schedule call assets to your actual opening hours.

Relying entirely on automated assets

Automated assets are convenient, but leaning on them completely hands control of your messaging to Google. Keep a strong set of manual assets for anything tied to your brand, and review automated ones rather than letting them run unchecked.

Google Ads assets for Singapore businesses

Most guides to assets are written for a US or UK audience, so a few points are worth flagging if you advertise in Singapore.

Google Ads spend is subject to GST for Singapore advertisers, so factor the prevailing GST rate/consumers/purchasing-remote-services-from-overseas-service-providers) into your budgeting rather than treating your daily cap as the full cost. Google charges this on your ad spend, so a $10 daily budget is not the whole picture.

For local assets, link a Singapore Google Business Profile so your location and call assets show the right address and number, and set price assets in Singapore dollars. Different verticals lean on different assets: a dental or clinic practice benefits from call and location assets, an ecommerce or Shopify store from price and promotion assets, and a service business from lead form and sitelink assets.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Assets are one of the simplest ways to get more from a Google Ads campaign without raising your budget. They give your ad more room, more information and better ad quality, and most of them take only minutes to set up.

If you have not looked at your assets recently, open the Assets page and see what you are running and where the gaps are. If you would like a hand auditing your campaigns or building an asset strategy that fits your market, our team is happy to help.