Google Ads extensions, now officially called assets, are free add-ons that expand your ad with extra information and clickable options directly in search results. The types of Google Ads extensions include sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets, call, location, price, promotion, image, lead form, and app assets. Each type serves a distinct purpose, from directing users to specific pages to capturing leads without a landing page visit. Used well, these assets increase ad real estate, improve click-through rates, and strengthen your position in the ad auction without raising your bids.
1. Sitelink extensions: more clicks, more control
Sitelinks expand ad real estate by adding up to four additional clickable links beneath your main ad, each pointing to a different page on your site. This gives users multiple entry points, whether they want pricing, a contact form, a specific product category, or a case study. The result is less friction and a higher likelihood that the right user lands on the right page immediately.
The advantages of sitelink extensions go beyond user experience. Google factors the expected impact of extensions into Ad Rank during the auction, meaning well-configured sitelinks can improve your placement without increasing your cost-per-click. Ads with strong, relevant assets can outperform competitors on visibility even at similar bid levels.
Best practices for sitelinks:
- Write sitelink headlines that are distinct from your main ad headline
- Point each sitelink to a unique, relevant destination page
- Add two lines of description text to each sitelink for richer display
- Rotate and test different sitelink combinations monthly
- Exclude sitelinks that consistently underperform in your asset reports
Pro Tip: Schedule sitelinks to align with promotions or seasonal offers. A sitelink pointing to a “Summer Sale” page during January will waste impressions and confuse users.
2. Callout and structured snippet extensions
Callout extensions are short, non-clickable phrases displayed beneath your ad that highlight specific benefits or features. Think “Free Delivery,” “No Lock-In Contracts,” or “Australian Owned.” They do not link anywhere, but they add persuasive weight to your ad copy and signal trust to users scanning results quickly.
Structured snippets work differently. They use predefined categories, such as Services, Products, Destinations, or Brands, to present a formatted list of offerings. A law firm might use the Services category to list “Family Law, Commercial Litigation, Conveyancing.” A software company might use the Brands category to name the platforms they integrate with.
Together, these two extension types:
- Increase the information density of your ad without extra cost
- Improve expected click-through rate by giving users more reasons to choose you
- Signal relevance to Google’s auction algorithm, supporting better Ad Rank
- Reduce qualifying clicks from users who are not a good fit for your offer
The importance of Google Ads extensions like callouts and snippets is often underestimated because they are not directly clickable. However, they shape the user’s first impression and influence whether they click the main headline at all.
3. Call and location extensions for mobile and local businesses
Call and location extensions are the most direct conversion tools available for businesses that rely on phone enquiries or physical foot traffic. Call extensions add a clickable phone number to your ad, enabling users on mobile to call you with a single tap. Location extensions pull data from your Google Business Profile and display your address, a map pin, and the distance from the user’s current location.
For a local café, a dental clinic, or a retail store, these two extensions together create a complete local presence within the search result itself. Users do not need to visit your website to find you. That reduction in steps directly increases conversion likelihood.
Setup and optimisation tips:
- Link your Google Business Profile to your Google Ads account to activate location extensions
- Set call extensions to display only during business hours to avoid missed calls
- Use call reporting to track which campaigns drive the most phone conversions
- Combine location extensions with location bid adjustments to increase bids for nearby users
Pro Tip: For service businesses running mobile campaigns, enable call-only ads alongside call extensions. This removes the website visit entirely and sends users straight to a phone call, which suits high-intent searches like “emergency plumber near me.”
4. Price, promotion, and lead form extensions
These three extension types target users at the bottom of the buying funnel and are the most commercially focused assets available.
Price extensions
Price extensions display specific products or services with their prices directly in the ad. A user searching for “accounting software” sees your plans listed at $29, $59, and $99 per month before they click. This pre-qualifies traffic by filtering out users whose budget does not match your offer, reducing wasted spend.
Promotion extensions
Promotion extensions highlight a specific discount or seasonal deal with a dedicated visual treatment in the ad. They support occasion-based promotions like Black Friday, EOFY sales, or product launches. The visual contrast they create in search results draws attention and lifts click-through rates during competitive periods.
Lead form extensions
Lead form extensions reduce friction by embedding a contact form directly within the ad. Users submit their name, email, and phone number without ever leaving the search results page. This is particularly effective on mobile, where landing page load times and form abandonment rates are higher.
| Extension type | Best use case | Key benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Ecommerce, SaaS, service tiers | Pre-qualifies clicks by budget |
| Promotion | Seasonal campaigns, flash sales | Increases CTR during sale periods |
| Lead form | B2B, service businesses, mobile | Captures leads without a landing page |
One critical point: asset information must match your landing page exactly. If your promotion extension advertises 20% off but your landing page shows full price, you lose the conversion and damage trust. Consistency between your ad assets and destination pages is not optional. You can explore lead generation best practices to understand how to build this alignment across your full campaign structure.
5. Image and app extensions
Image extensions
Image extensions increase ad prominence by adding a square or landscape visual alongside your text ad in search results. On mobile, this creates a noticeably larger ad unit that stands out from competitors running text-only ads. The visual element is particularly effective for product-based businesses, hospitality, and lifestyle brands where imagery communicates quality faster than words.
For image extensions to perform, the creative must be high quality and directly relevant to the search query. A generic stock photo adds little value. A clear product shot or a real photo of your premises builds credibility and earns the click. You can read more about visual assets for marketers to understand how creative quality affects engagement.
App extensions
App extensions add a direct link to your app’s listing in the App Store or Google Play beneath your search ad. For businesses with a mobile app as a primary product or service channel, this extension type drives installs from users who are already showing high intent through their search behaviour.
High-quality creative assets in app campaigns improve performance and reach by resonating with diverse users. Variety and quality of assets help maximise placements and reduce performance fluctuations. This means you should prepare multiple image and app asset variants and let Google’s system identify which combinations perform best across different placements.
Key recommendations for image and app extensions:
- Use original photography over stock images wherever possible
- Maintain a 1:1 aspect ratio for square images and 1.91:1 for landscape
- Refresh creative assets every 60 to 90 days to prevent ad fatigue
- For app extensions, deep link to a specific in-app screen rather than the app store listing when possible
Key takeaways
Google Ads extensions improve ad rank, click-through rates, and conversion outcomes at no additional cost, making them one of the highest-return levers available in any paid search campaign.
| Point | Details |
|---|---|
| Extensions improve Ad Rank | Google factors expected extension impact into auctions, improving placement without higher bids. |
| Sitelinks reduce friction | Multiple destination links help users reach the right page faster, lifting click-through rates. |
| Lead forms capture mobile leads | Embedded forms remove landing page steps, reducing dropout on mobile devices. |
| Price and promotion extensions pre-qualify traffic | Showing pricing upfront filters out users outside your target budget, cutting wasted spend. |
| Asset-to-landing-page alignment is non-negotiable | Mismatched offers between extensions and destination pages destroy conversion efficiency. |
Why I think most advertisers are using extensions backwards
I have reviewed hundreds of Google Ads accounts over the years, and the pattern I see most often is this: advertisers add extensions as an afterthought. They set up sitelinks once, point them at the homepage and the about page, and never revisit them. Then they wonder why their campaigns plateau.
The real opportunity with Google Ads assets is treating them as a messaging layer, not a technical checkbox. Each extension type is a chance to answer a different objection or serve a different user intent within the same ad. Sitelinks for navigation. Callouts for trust signals. Price extensions to pre-qualify. Lead forms to remove barriers. When you think of them that way, you stop adding extensions randomly and start building a coherent ad experience.
The other mistake I see constantly is ignoring the advanced bidding strategies that compound the value of extensions. Extensions improve Ad Rank, and better Ad Rank means your smart bidding algorithms have more room to work. These systems reinforce each other, but only if you are monitoring asset-level performance reports and removing what is not contributing.
My honest recommendation: audit your extensions quarterly. Pull the asset report in Google Ads, sort by click-through rate and conversion rate, and cut anything that is dragging down your averages. Then test two or three new variants. The advertisers who treat extensions as a living part of their strategy consistently outperform those who treat them as a one-time setup task.
— Samar
How Beyondclix helps you get more from every ad
Beyondclix works with businesses across Australia and New Zealand to build Google Ads campaigns that use every available asset type to its full potential. We do not just activate extensions and move on. We monitor asset-level performance, test new creative variants, and align your extension messaging with your landing pages to protect conversion rates.
Whether you are running ecommerce campaigns that need price and promotion extensions, or service campaigns that depend on call and lead form assets, our team builds the structure around your specific goals. Clients working with Beyondclix regularly see returns exceeding 10:1 on their ad investment, and extensions are a consistent part of that result. Visit our Google Ads management services page to see how we can put this to work for your business.
FAQ
What are Google Ads extensions?
Google Ads extensions, now called assets, are free additions to your ad that display extra information such as phone numbers, sitelinks, prices, and images. They increase ad size and provide more reasons for users to click.
Do extensions cost extra to add to ads?
Extensions do not carry an additional cost to add. You pay only when a user clicks on the extension itself, at the same cost-per-click rate as your main ad.
How do extensions affect Ad Rank?
Google includes the expected impact of extensions as a factor in Ad Rank calculations. Well-configured extensions can improve your ad placement without requiring a higher bid.
Which extension type is best for lead generation?
Lead form extensions are the most direct tool for lead capture, as they allow users to submit their details without leaving the search results page. This reduces dropout rates, particularly on mobile devices.
How many extensions should I add to a campaign?
Add every relevant extension type for your campaign goal. Google selects which combinations to display based on context and predicted performance, so having more high-quality assets available gives the system more options to optimise with.
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