Liz MooreheadYour Black Friday sale ended on Monday. It’s Wednesday, and one of your Search ads still has a link that says “25% Off Boots.”
The headline is fine. The page has regular prices again. The sale link is the thing nobody remembered to switch off.
That’s the part of Google Ads assets I want to talk about. Picking six sitelinks is easy enough. Picking six that make sense for the campaign, keeping them accurate, and knowing whether anyone actually clicked them takes a little more work.
Key takeaways
- Use sitelinks to give shoppers another place to go and callouts to give them a reason to buy. Use structured snippets for product range, promotion assets for discounts, price assets for price points, and image assets to show the product.
- Put store-wide information at account level and category-specific details closer to the campaigns or ad groups they belong to. The serving rules vary by asset type.
- Set the dates shoppers see on a promotion and schedule when the asset can serve. Check the destination and the offer before it goes live.
- In Assets → Associations, check where an asset is attached and whether it’s serving. Use Click type to separate direct sitelink clicks from clicks elsewhere on the ad.
What are Google Ads assets?
I’m using “assets” here for the extra information that can appear with a Search ad, such as links, prices, and images. If someone on your team still calls them extensions, that’s the old name Google used before it renamed extensions to assets.
You can add them without a separate setup charge from Google. A sitelink click on Search costs the same as a headline click in the same ad. Adding a sitelink gives a shopper another place to go, and that click can still be billed.
Even an approved asset may get few impressions. Google considers Ad Rank, ad position, and the expected impact of the available assets when deciding what to show. I build each ad so it makes sense on its own, then give Google useful additions to choose from.
Sitelinks: Give shoppers a shortcut
If someone searches for your store by name, a Best Sellers link may help them get started. If they search for women’s waterproof boots, a link straight to that collection is more useful. I’d keep Shipping & Returns at account level if the policy applies across the store. A seasonal Boot Sale link belongs with the campaigns and dates it applies to.
Google requires at least two sitelinks to show them on Search and recommends at least six with descriptions for high-volume campaigns and ad groups. In English, link text can be up to 25 characters, with two optional description lines of up to 35 characters each. If you use descriptions, fill in both fields.
Here’s one I’d use:
- Link text: Women’s Waterproof Boots
- Description line 1: Shop waterproof styles
- Description line 2: Find your size and fit
- Final URL: The women’s waterproof boots collection
Write distinct link text that describes each destination. Sitelinks generally need to use the same domain as the ad’s final URL, so I’d link Customer Reviews to a relevant page on the store’s own site.
Callouts: Put the buying detail in the ad
A callout is a short line of text with no link. I’d use Free Shipping Over $50 or Free 60-Day Returns if the store actually offers them. Both tell me something I can use to make a decision. “Great Service” could belong to anyone.
Google’s callout guidance gives you up to 25 characters per callout in most languages. I’d start with four distinct details and avoid repeating the headline. If the warranty only applies to one product line, attach the warranty callout to that part of the account.
Structured snippets: Show what you carry
A structured snippet lists examples under one of Google’s preset headers, such as Brands, Styles, or Types. For boots, I might use Styles and enter Chelsea, Combat, Ankle, and Knee-High. Use a separate field for each item. Google adds the commas.
The structured snippet asset supports 3–10 values of up to 25 characters each. I’d start with four if the collection has enough variety. Keep offers such as free shipping in callouts or promotion assets, as appropriate. Google doesn’t allow promotional text in snippet values.
Promotion assets: Give the sale a schedule
Use a promotion asset when there’s a real discount to show. You can set a monetary or percentage discount and add a promo code or minimum order requirement where applicable. If the deal is 25% off selected boots with code BOOTS25, send shoppers to the eligible boots. I’d test the code at checkout before launch.
Google’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday occasions are eligible from October 15 to December 15. That’s the occasion window. Your own sale may run for four days. In the promotion asset setup, check both fields:
- Displayed promotion dates tell shoppers when the deal runs.
- Advanced options → Asset scheduling controls when the asset can serve. Set it to match the live offer.
Google says occasion-specific assets need to be created or edited within six months of their start date to be eligible. If you’re reusing last year’s asset, check the dates, code, destination, and affected campaigns before saving. If you also have a seasonal sitelink, schedule that sitelink separately.
Price assets: Show the price before the click
I’d use price assets when the price helps shoppers choose a product or tier. A mattress store could use Product tiers and show The Essential from $599, The Hybrid from $899, and The Luxe from $1,299. Use From only when shoppers can actually buy an eligible configuration at that starting price.
A price asset supports three to eight items, and Google recommends five or more where you have enough relevant items. Each item’s header and description can be up to 25 characters. A dedicated page is useful if it takes shoppers straight to the advertised tier. If all three tiers live on a comparison page with their prices clearly visible, Google allows the rows to share that URL.
Image assets: Show the product you’re advertising
I’d start with a clean product photo that still makes sense when it’s small. Save the “25% OFF” graphic for a format that allows overlays. Google’s Search image asset policy restricts text and graphic overlays.
Google’s Search image eligibility requirements include an account open for at least 60 days, good policy history, active campaigns and text ads, positive Search spend in the previous 30 days, and an eligible vertical. The specs are:
- Square (1:1), required: At least 300 × 300 pixels. Google recommends 1200 × 1200.
- Landscape (1.91:1), optional: At least 600 × 314 pixels. Google recommends 1200 × 628.
- Format: JPG or PNG, up to 5,120 KB per file. The 20-image limit applies across the campaign.
How I’d set up assets for a Women’s Boots Search campaign
- In Campaigns → Assets, select + → Sitelink. Choose Account under Add to, create Shipping & Returns, enter the URL and descriptions, and save. Use this level if the policy applies to the whole account.
- Repeat the sitelink setup at Campaign level for Women’s Waterproof Boots. Check the collection on mobile before saving. Both sitelinks can be eligible to show in the same campaign because sitelinks at different levels in the same branch can serve together.
- Select + → Promotion, attach it to the Women’s Boots campaign, and enter the discount, eligible product or collection, final URL, and code if needed. Fill in the display dates and serving schedule for the actual sale.
- Open Assets → Associations and filter to the relevant asset types and campaign. Confirm each asset is attached where you intended, check its status, and verify the dates before launch.
I check hierarchy by asset type. More specific callouts and structured snippets can prevent higher-level assets of the same type from serving. If I add a boot-specific callout at ad group level, I check whether I still want the shipping message available there and add it at that level if needed.
Where automated assets fit
Account-level automated assets include dynamic sitelinks, callouts, and structured snippets. Review them in Assets → three-dot menu → Account-level automated assets. Use Advanced settings if you need to turn off a particular type. If Google keeps pulling an old shipping threshold, I’d fix the source page and check the generated assets again.
Text customization in AI Max for Search generates responsive search ad headlines and descriptions. Google says automatic upgrades to AI Max began in September 2026 for Search campaigns already using text customization, formerly called automatically created assets. If you’re reviewing those settings, my Google Ads AI Max guide walks through the controls and what to test.
How I’d review performance
Each row in the Associations view represents an asset attached at a specific level. If there are no impressions, check the association, approval status, schedule, and eligibility first. If everything checks out, remember that serving still depends on the auction. I wouldn’t rewrite a good sitelink just because it hasn’t shown yet.
When the row does have traffic, the default clicks can include clicks on the headline while the asset was displayed. Segment by Click type to see clicks on the sitelink itself. Callouts and structured snippets don’t have a destination, so use their rows to see when they appeared and how the accompanying ads performed.
If I swap a generic sitelink for a category link, I’ll check direct sitelink clicks and look at campaign purchase performance alongside them. A change in CTR after the edit can also reflect the sale, bids, or traffic mix. When testing two ways of presenting a discount, keep the deal equivalent where possible. If you change the deal itself, check purchase volume and margin before deciding which one to keep.
Google Ads assets FAQ
How many sitelinks should I add?
Google needs at least two eligible sitelinks to show them on Search and recommends at least six with descriptions for high-volume campaigns and ad groups. I’d start with six destinations shoppers would actually use.
What’s the difference between a sitelink and a callout?
A sitelink takes the shopper to a page. A callout gives the shopper a short piece of information, such as the shipping threshold. You can use a Shipping & Returns sitelink and a Free Shipping Over $50 callout together if both are useful.
Can I add a Black Friday promotion before the sale starts?
Yes. Create it ahead of time and use asset scheduling to make it eligible during the live sale. Set the display dates to match what you tell shoppers on the site.
Will adding assets improve Quality Score?
Google can consider the expected impact of assets in Ad Rank. It also accounts for the impact of assets when evaluating expected CTR, so I’d add assets for the information and destinations they give shoppers.
Want a second set of eyes on your Search ads?
If you’re heading into a sale, I’d start with the campaigns you expect to spend the most. Open every live destination, check the terms, and put the end date in Google Ads while it’s fresh in your mind. If you’re working on the wider campaign plan, our Google Ads sale strategies cover the campaign side of the event. You can also talk to us about Google Ads management if you’d like help reviewing the setup.
