Key Takeaways

Extensions are essential for visibility and performance – sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets, images, and promotions all enrich ads, boost CTR, and lower CPC when used strategically.
Match the right extension to intent – price and call assets work best for high-intent searches, while image, structured snippets, and promotions excel in awareness and engagement campaigns.
Layer multiple extensions for maximum impact – ads with four or more assets consistently outperform, especially when refreshed regularly and tested against seasonal or audience-specific goals.

In the ever-evolving world of digital advertising, it’s no longer enough to simply run text ads and hope for the best. Search results pages are increasingly competitive and cluttered, and brands need to maximise every opportunity to stand out. One of the most effective ways to achieve this within Google Ads is by using ad extensions (now more formally referred to as assets).

Ad extensions enrich your ads with additional information, visuals, and interaction points, improving visibility and click-through rates. When implemented strategically, they enhance user experience, take up more space on the search results page, and often directly contribute to higher quality scores and lower cost-per-clicks.

Google continues to expand and evolve the types of extensions available, from traditional sitelinks and callouts to newer, more visual formats such as image extensions and the latest assets that integrate with Performance Max (PMax) campaigns.

If you want to make your paid search strategy future-proof, here are the essential Google Ads extensions you should be using in 2025.

1. Sitelink Extensions

Sitelink extensions are one of the most widely used and impactful assets. They allow you to add clickable links beneath your main ad copy, directing users to relevant pages on your website.

For example, an e-commerce brand could use sitelinks to send traffic to “New Arrivals,” “Sale Items,” “Size Guide,” or “Customer Reviews.” A travel operator could highlight “City breaks,” “Beach holidays,” and “Last-minute deals.”

The key benefit is choice and relevance. Instead of pushing every click to your homepage or a generic landing page, you give users options to jump straight into the section that matches their intent. The result is often a much higher click-through rate (CTR) and improved post-click engagement.

Pro tip: Always test seasonal sitelinks. During Black Friday, Christmas, or summer sale periods, make sure your sitelinks reflect timely offers to capture demand spikes.

2. Structured Snippets

Structured snippets allow you to highlight a predefined list of products, services, or features underneath your ad. Unlike sitelinks, these are not clickable but they do provide additional context that makes your ads feel richer and more complete.

For instance, a SaaS platform might list “CRM, Marketing Automation, Analytics, Integrations.” A clothing retailer could highlight “Dresses, Coats, Knitwear, Accessories.”

The benefit is speed of understanding. Users can quickly see the breadth of your offer without leaving the search page. This reduces wasted clicks from people who were looking for something outside of your range and attracts those who are genuinely interested in what you provide.

3. Callout Extensions

Think of callouts as quick, punchy bullet points that showcase your USPs. They don’t link anywhere but provide reassurance and incentives for users to click.

Typical examples include:

Free next-day delivery
24/7 customer support
Easy returns
100% organic ingredients

The power of callouts lies in repetition of value. They reinforce your selling points across multiple impressions and can make the difference when a customer is deciding between you and a competitor.

4. Price Extensions

Price extensions allow you to display specific pricing information alongside your ad. This makes your ads more transparent and helps prequalify the audience.

For example:

City breaks from £199
SEO packages from £450/month
Yoga classes – 5 sessions £40

If your prices are competitive, this can be a major advantage. Even if your prices are premium, it helps filter out irrelevant clicks, saving you money and focusing your spend on those who are ready to buy.

Price extensions can also dynamically pull in sale or promotional prices, which is especially effective during limited-time campaigns.

5. Location Extensions

For any business with a physical presence, location extensions are indispensable. They display your business address, distance from the user, and a clickable link to Google Maps for directions.

This is particularly powerful for retail stores, restaurants, gyms, and service providers. Not only do location extensions make your ads more useful, they also build trust and credibility by showing there’s a real, tangible place behind the digital ad.

You can even combine location extensions with call or callout extensions to drive both footfall and enquiries.

6. Call Extensions

Although not in the original list, call extensions remain one of the highest-impact assets for service-based businesses. They allow users to click and call directly from the ad.

This is especially valuable in industries where speed matters, such as healthcare appointments, local trades, travel agents, or takeaway restaurants. With mobile searches now dominating, making it easy for people to call you straight away can drastically improve conversion rates.

7. Image Extensions

One of the biggest recent developments in Google Ads is the rollout of image extensions. These let you add rich visuals alongside your text ads, transforming what was once a plain block of copy into something far more eye-catching.

Imagine searching for “luxury beach resorts” and seeing not just a text listing but a beautiful image of a tropical villa overlooking the ocean. Visuals instantly convey emotion and context that words alone cannot achieve.

Use image extensions for:

Travel (destinations, hotels, resorts)
Retail (products, seasonal promotions, new collections)
Food & drink (menus, bestsellers, new launches)
Automotive (cars, features, test drives)

The best results come from professional, high-quality images optimised for both desktop and mobile.

8. Lead Form Extensions

Lead form extensions embed a form directly within your ad, allowing users to submit details without leaving the search results page.

They are perfect for industries where capturing leads is the main objective, such as education, finance, B2B services, and events. Users can request a quote, sign up for a newsletter, or book a demo in just a few clicks.

The advantage is frictionless conversion. By removing the need to click through to a landing page, you reduce drop-off and capture more leads directly from the ad unit.

9. Promotion Extensions

Promotion extensions enable you to highlight specific offers with a visible price tag or discount label. For example:

“20% Off All Trainers – This Week Only”
“Black Friday Deal – Save £100”

These work especially well in competitive categories where price sensitivity is high. They add urgency and can significantly lift CTR during key sales periods.

10. Performance Max Search Assets

With the rise of Performance Max campaigns, Google has introduced a new layer of flexibility in how assets are displayed. PMax automatically pulls in and tests different assets – including text, images, logos, and videos – across multiple channels such as Search, Display, YouTube, and Maps.

What matters for advertisers is the ability to feed PMax with high-quality, diverse assets. This includes:

Multiple variations of headlines and descriptions
High-resolution product and lifestyle images
Short and long-form videos
Customer testimonials or review snippets

By giving Google a richer pool of assets, you enable the algorithm to match the right creative to the right user at the right moment. The extension-like elements within PMax (such as sitelinks, images, and promotions) ensure your ads appear dynamic, personalised, and competitive across every surface.

Best Practices for Using Ad Extensions

Extensions are only as effective as the strategy behind them. Here are a few best practices:

Use multiple extensions together – Ads with at least four assets typically perform better. Layer sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets, and images to dominate the search results page.
Keep copy concise and compelling – Every word counts. Prioritise clarity over jargon.
Refresh assets regularly – Seasonal promotions, new product launches, and updated USPs should be reflected in your extensions.
Test and optimise – Monitor performance at the asset level in Google Ads and pause underperforming ones while doubling down on those driving results.
Match assets to intent – For high-intent searches, prioritise price and call extensions. For awareness campaigns, use image and structured snippets.

Final Thoughts

Google Ads has moved far beyond simple text listings. Extensions – or assets – are now a vital part of any successful paid search strategy. From classic sitelinks and callouts to newer, visually-driven options like image extensions and PMax assets, these tools allow advertisers to stand out, deliver more value, and convert more effectively.

In 2025, the brands that win on Google are those who maximise the full range of extensions available, tailoring them to user intent and feeding Google’s machine learning with rich, high-quality assets.

If you’re not using ad extensions to their fullest potential, you’re leaving visibility, clicks, and revenue on the table.

Looking for a PPC agency in Manchester? Get in touch today.

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