Google Ads extensions (now officially called "assets" in the Google Ads interface) are additional pieces of information that appear alongside your text ads in search results. They expand the footprint of your ad, provide more reasons to click, and do not cost extra per click. Despite this, a significant proportion of UK Google Ads accounts we audit have either no extensions set up or only a fraction of the available types implemented. This represents a direct, unnecessary reduction in ad performance that costs nothing to fix.
Why Do Google Ads Extensions Matter?
Extensions improve ad performance through two distinct mechanisms.
The first is size: ads with multiple extensions occupy significantly more vertical space on the search results page, pushing competitor ads and organic results further down. A text ad with sitelinks, callouts, and a structured snippet can occupy two to three times the space of a bare text ad. More space means more visual prominence and higher click-through rates.
The second is relevance: extensions provide specific information that increases the likelihood of clicking for a searcher whose intent matches. A phone number shown for someone searching on their smartphone at 6pm is more likely to generate a click than the same ad without it. A price extension showing products in a specific price range screens out non-buyers and attracts high-intent ones.
Google also uses the presence and quality of extensions as a component of Ad Rank, the system that determines your ad position and effective cost per click. Accounts with richer, more relevant extensions earn better Ad Rank at the same bid level, which means lower CPCs and better positions compared to accounts without them.
Which Google Ads Extensions Drive the Most Clicks in 2026?
Sitelinks
Sitelinks are additional links beneath your main ad that direct users to specific pages on your site. They are the most widely used extension and consistently show the largest impact on click-through rate. Each sitelink includes a short title (up to 25 characters) and two lines of description (up to 35 characters each).
Set up at least six sitelinks per campaign or ad group (Google typically shows two to four at a time). Each sitelink should point to a distinct, relevant destination that adds genuine value for the searcher. For a digital marketing agency, this might include links to specific service pages (SEO, PPC, Content Marketing), a case studies page, a contact page, and a free audit offer.
Avoid duplicating your main landing page URL in sitelinks. Every sitelink should offer something different and additional.
Callout Extensions
Callouts are short snippets of text (up to 25 characters) that appear beneath your ad copy. They cannot be clicked separately; they add context to your main ad. Good callout text highlights specific benefits, credentials, or unique selling points that do not fit in your headline and description.
Examples of effective callouts for a UK service business:
- "No lock-in contracts"
- "UK-based team"
- "Free initial audit"
- "Google Premier Partner"
- "Same-day response"
Add ten or more callouts at the account level and let Google select the most relevant for each auction. Refresh them quarterly to test new messages.
Structured Snippets
Structured snippets display a list of specific values under a predefined header. Headers include options like "Services," "Destinations," "Featured Hotels," "Brands," and several others. For most service businesses, the "Services" header is the most useful.
A structured snippet for a digital marketing agency might list: SEO, PPC, Content Marketing, GEO, Social Ads, Conversion Rate Optimisation. This gives searchers a quick overview of your offering scope, which improves click quality by attracting users whose specific need matches your services.
Call Extensions
Call extensions add your phone number to your ad, allowing mobile users to call you directly from the search results. For businesses where phone enquiries are valuable (high-ticket services, local businesses, emergency services), call extensions are among the most impactful available.
Enable call reporting in Google Ads to track calls generated by your ads as conversions. This data is essential for understanding the true value of call extension clicks, which do not appear as website conversion events.
Set scheduling on your call extension so your phone number only shows during hours when someone can answer it. A call extension displaying outside business hours generates expectation of a response that cannot be met.
Location Extensions
Location extensions pull your address from your linked Google Business Profile and display it beneath your ad. They are particularly important for local and retail businesses where physical proximity to the searcher is relevant to the buying decision.
Location extensions also enable ads to appear in Google Maps search results. For businesses that receive significant foot traffic or where location trust matters (a dental practice, a gym, a restaurant), location extensions directly support the conversion.
To use location extensions, your Google Business Profile must be linked to your Google Ads account and verified.
Price Extensions
Price extensions display individual products or services with their prices in a card format beneath the ad. They are particularly effective for e-commerce, service packages with defined pricing, and any advertiser where price transparency is a competitive advantage.
Price extensions filter click quality effectively: a searcher who sees your prices and clicks is more likely to convert than one who clicks without knowing the cost. This typically improves conversion rates at the cost of slightly lower click-through rates, which is the right trade-off for most businesses.
Image Extensions
Image extensions display a visual alongside your search ad on mobile devices. Google reports consistent click-through rate improvements from image extensions on mobile. Images must be high quality, at least 1200 x 628 pixels, and clearly relevant to the ad content.
For product-focused advertisers, use product images. For service businesses, use images that convey quality, the team, or the outcome of your service rather than generic stock photography.
Lead Form Extensions
Lead form extensions (available in select account types) allow users to submit a contact form directly from the search result without visiting your website. This reduces friction for high-intent searchers and can significantly improve lead capture rates for campaigns where your landing page conversion rate is low.
Lead forms collect name, email, and phone number by default, with the option to add custom questions. The trade-off is that leads captured via form extension have not visited your website, which may mean lower engagement and slightly lower close rates than enquiries submitted after reviewing your full site.
What Extensions Should You Prioritise Setting Up First?
If you are starting from scratch or auditing an existing account, the priority order is:
- Sitelinks (highest impact, universally applicable)
- Callouts (easy to set up, immediate relevance benefit)
- Structured snippets (improves quality of clicks)
- Call extensions (critical for service businesses, can be set up in minutes)
- Location extensions (essential for local businesses)
- Image extensions (material impact on mobile CTR)
- Price extensions (high value for businesses with transparent pricing)
- Lead form extensions (test for specific campaigns where landing page friction is identified)
Set extensions at the account level first for broad coverage, then override with campaign-specific extensions for campaigns that target distinct audience segments or services.
How Do You Know Which Extensions Are Performing?
Google Ads provides asset-level reporting in most extension types. Navigate to Ads and Assets > Assets in the Google Ads interface and filter by asset type to see impressions, clicks, and CTR for each individual asset. This data allows you to identify which sitelinks, callouts, and structured snippets are driving clicks and which are not.
Pause underperforming assets and replace them with variants. Test different sitelink descriptions, different callout messages, and different structured snippet values to continuously improve extension performance.
Dynamically manages Google Ads accounts with comprehensive extension strategies as a baseline requirement. If your account is running without full extension coverage, you are paying for positions that are smaller and less compelling than they need to be. Get in touch for a PPC account audit.
