The ultimate guide to Google Ads assets
Article topics
- What are assets?
- What are the benefits of using assets in Google Ads?
- How to assets work?
- How do you add assets?
- Are all assets available across all ad types?
- Does Microsoft Advertising (Bing) use assets?
- What assets can you use in Google Ads?
- Top tips for implementing Google Ads assets
When you’re creating a marketing campaign for your eCommerce store, you want to provide customers with as much information about your business as possible.
How can you do this when creating a pay-per-click (PPC) campaign in Google Ads? Through additional pieces of content known as assets (formerly known as ad extensions).
In this article we’ll explain what assets are, the different types of assets you can attach to your ads, and how to optimise your assets to boost clicks and conversions.
Want to know how to get started with PPC? Check out the ultimate guide to PPC advertising!
What are assets?
A Google Ads asset is a piece of content you can add to your ad to provide more information about your business.
In the case of Google Search ads, your headline and descriptions are required assets – you need to add these in order for your ad to go live.
However, there are additional optional assets you can use too. We’ll look at these later on.
What are the benefits of using assets in Google Ads?
One of the great things about assets is that they’re free to use when you create a Google Ad – you only pay when someone interacts with them.
Here are some of the other reasons why you should make the most of assets in your campaigns.
They help customers make an informed choice
Using assets can increase your quality score, which in turn can lower your CPC, meaning you spend less when people click on your ads.
Two of the three criteria Google Ads uses to determine quality score are expected click-through rate and ad relevance.
Assets make your ads more targeted and relevant to customers, meaning you save on your ad campaigns.
They make your ad stand out more
PPC advertising is highly competitive. Not only are you competing against other PPC ads, but you’re competing against organic, unpaid listings too.
Assets mean you take up more space in the search results, resulting in more eyes on your ad. For example, take this ad from Schuh, which doesn’t have any assets attached:
Then take this ad from the same brand, which uses sitelink, callout and price assets to create a larger, more enticing advert.
How do assets work?
You can’t specify which assets will appear in your Google Ads, or if they will appear at all.
Google Ads will only show assets if it thinks it will improve the performance of your ad. This means assets are more likely to show if your ad ranks highly in the results.
Google Ads then uses artificial intelligence and your previous ad data to determine which combination of assets to show to get the best results.
Relevance of the user’s search query also plays a part. So for example, if someone is searching for ‘cheap coffee machine,’ the price asset is more likely to appear.
How do you add assets?
You can add most assets when you create a campaign in Google Ads. Some assets, like reviews, are pulled from other data sources.
Google Ads can automatically create some assets for you based on your ad copy and website content. For example, it can generate dynamic sitelinks, callouts, and structured snippets by reviewing your site.
You can also add assets manually by setting them up in Keywords and Ads.
If you want to edit your assets or add them at a later date, you can do so by clicking on Assets within the campaigns menu. From here you can specify whether you want your ads to appear at ad group or campaign level.
If you plan to use the same assets across your whole Google Ads account, you can create a shared asset library. We’ll show you how to do this later in this article.
Are all assets available across all ad types?
Assets are most frequently seen in Google search ads, but you can use them across other Google Ad types too.
For example, you can upload:
- Images and videos to Display ads and App campaigns
- Images to Discovery ads
- Videos to YouTube ads
Performance Max campaigns, which place ads across an array of advertising channels, also take advantage of assets.
Does Microsoft Advertising (Bing) use assets?
Yes – if you use Microsoft Advertising instead of Google Ads, you can take advantage of assets (or ad extensions as they are called) there.
Microsoft Advertising ad extensions are very similar to the ones Google Ads offers; however the platform also offers ‘action extensions.’
These extensions add a call-to-action button to your search ads, encouraging viewers to visit your website, find a store, or make a reservation.
What assets can you use in Google Ads?
Earlier in the article we mentioned that there are lots of optional assets you can append to your ads to optimise them.
Here’s a rundown of all the assets you can use and how they work.
1. Sitelink
Sitelink assets add additional website links to your ad. This allows you to point customers directly to pages that there’s a high chance of them converting on.
These sitelinks will look different depending on whether you view the ad on desktop or mobile. Mobile sitelinks appear as a carousel that customers have to swipe across.
Your ad will show up to six links on desktop and up to eight on mobile, up to 25 characters each. You can also add two description lines for each sitelink. These may not necessarily appear, but provide Google Ads with more context about your links.
2. Callout
3. Structured snippet
Structured snippets highlight specific aspects of your business. You can use them to add what are referred to as ‘headers’ to your ad, which include:
- Building amenities
- Brands you sell
- Courses and degree programmes you offer
- Destinations you travel to
- Hotels you feature
- Insurance coverage you offer
- Models of car you sell
- Neighbourhoods and regions you provide services to
- Services you offer
- Shows you sell tickets to
- Styles and types of products you sell
You can add up to ten values for each header, and Google Ads will show up to two headers on desktop, and one on mobile. Google Ads will choose the values it thinks are most relevant to search engine users.
It may be the case that structured snippets don’t apply to your business. If not, that’s okay, just focus on the other types of assets available.
4. Image
Image assets allow you to add an image (or images) to your ad. According to Google Ads, adding an image to a search ad leads to a 6% increase in click-through rates.
There are certain requirements in place to add an image to a search ad. Your account needs to have been open for more than 60 days, be in good standing, and be actively spending money.
You also need to be in an eligible vertical – some sensitive subject areas aren’t eligible for images.
You can upload up to 20 images per campaign. Google Ads will show up to three images on mobile and up to five images on desktop.
5. Call
Call assets allow you to add a phone number to your ad. Customers can then tap the button to call your business. This counts as a click which you will be charged for.
Customers can call you directly on mobile. On desktop they can scan a QR code which will populate their phone dialler with your number.
All numbers need to be verified by Google Ads before you can use them.
6. Location
Location assets allow you to showcase the location of your brick-and-mortar stores. Google Ads will display a link to the customer’s nearest store, which when clicked, will take them to Google Maps.
You can also use them if you’re a manufacturer, to help people find nearby shops that sell your products.
Google Ads can pull this information from your Google Business Profile, or you can add it through the Assets menu.
7. Price
Price assets let you promote specific products and services, as well as the price you charge for them, within Google Ads.
You can showcase up to eight prices in your advert, with a direct link to your website.
You are charged when a customer clicks on a price and goes to your website, but you aren’t charged if they expand the price asset to view more information.
There are strict requirements in place for each price asset, depending on what you’re selling. For example, if you’re selling a specific brand, the header can’t contain anything other than the brand name.
8. Promotion
Promotion assets highlight any sales and deals you’re running.
There’s a lot of customisation options, meaning you can celebrate a specific occasion, showcase a promo code, or advertise a monetary or percentage discount.
As well as the deal itself, you can display up to two lines of text, as well as a link to the relevant website page.
9. Lead form
Lead form assets allow customers to submit their information to you directly through your ad. Every time someone does this, it counts as a click that you are charged for.
You can add lead forms to Search, Video, Display, and Performance Max campaigns.
Your account needs to be in good standing to use lead form assets and you need to be in an eligible vertical. You also need a privacy policy in place that you can link to from your lead form. Some ad formats may also require a total spending requirement.
You can download leads directly from Google Ads or set up an integration so they appear in your customer relationship management (CRM) system.
Leads only appear in Google Ads for 30 days, so it’s vital to download them frequently so you don’t miss out on any opportunities.
10. Shop rating
Shop (or seller) rating assets allow you to display your store ratings on your Google Ad. This acts as a valuable trust signal, showing that previous customers have had a good experience.
These are ratings for your overall business rather than ratings for specific products.
Google pulls these ratings from Google Customer Reviews, an optional add-on feature provided by Google Shopping. It also gathers reviews from supported review partners including Feefo, Yotpo, and Trustpilot.
Shop ratings will only show if there are enough unique reviews within the last 24 months (this number can vary, but most businesses need at least 100) and the business has an average rating of at least 3.5 stars.
If you don’t want Google Ads to show shop ratings for your business, you can turn them off in the Assets menu.
11. App
App assets allow you to link to your mobile app, encouraging customers to download it.
Unlike the other assets on this list, app assets only appear on mobile devices.
You can link to an Android or iOS app, as long as it is live in the Google Play or Apple App Store. Only one asset of this type will appear per ad.
12. Video
This is the most recent asset added to Google Ads, being introduced in late 2024.
You can use video ads in YouTube, Performance Max, Display, and Discovery campaigns.
You can add a video from YouTube, upload a video, or create a video from Google Ad’s gallery of templates. Choose a template, add images and text, and Google Ads will add it to your campaign.
13. Logo
Adding your logo to your ad helps with brand awareness and builds trust and credibility with customers.
Your logo is optional for search ads, but mandatory for all other ads. Your business needs to be verified before you can add your logo.
Top tips for implementing Google Ads assets
We’ve looked at how Google Ad assets work and how to feature them in your campaigns. However it’s not just a case of adding them in and crossing your fingers.
Here are our expert tips for making the most of your Google Ads assets.
1. Add as many assets as possible
If you select advanced options for your asset of choice, you can implement scheduling. This is ideal if you want to promote a link or offer that’s time-sensitive, like a Black Friday deal.
You can also set your assets to only appear during set days and hours. For example, if you operate in the B2B sector, you may only want certain assets to show during working hours.
3. Set up an asset library
While you can set up assets at campaign or ad group level in Google Ads, the best strategy is to set up an asset library at account level.
This means all of your assets are in one place, there’s less chance of exceeding your ad asset limits, and you don’t have to reupload assets every time you create a new campaign.
To access your asset library go to Tools, Shared Library, and Asset Library. Then click the blue + New button to add an asset.
4. Fix any policy violations as soon as possible
Google Ads reviews your ads before they go live to make sure you aren’t breaking any international or national rules. Your assets go through the same review process.
If your assets violate any policies, you’ll get a message letting you know and explaining what you need to do to put things right.
Some reasons why your assets may not go live straightaway include:
- Low-quality images and videos
- Excessive punctuation and capitalisation
- Use of trademarked terms or copyrighted information you don’t own
- Misleading or dishonest information
- Links not working
- Use of restricted, sensitive, or prohibited content
Some assets may also have specific requirements that you need to adhere to.
While the occasional policy violation won’t cause any issues, repeat violations may lead to your account being temporarily or permanently suspended.
5. Test and refine
While Google Ads makes efforts to ensure your top-performing assets appear most frequently, it’s still important to review them, especially if you use automatically-generated assets.
To check your reports, go to the Asset menu or Asset Library. Google assigns a ‘performance rating’ to each asset so you can see how each asset does compared to other assets of its type.
Take the time to add fresh new assets, remove or amend underperforming assets, and get rid of assets that are no longer relevant.
Xigen: Amazing ads for your eCommerce business
As an eCommerce agency, we have lots of experience planning, building, and managing PPC campaigns for a wide range of online stores.
If you want to stand out in a crowded marketplace, we’ll make sure your Google Ads get your customers’ attention and bring you the sales you deserve. Get in touch today to discover how we can help.
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