The Complete Guide to Google Ads Extensions

What are ad extensions?

Google now calls them "assets," but everyone still says extensions. They're extra pieces of information that appear below your main ad — phone numbers, additional links, business highlights, and more.

Why should you care? Because extensions make your ad physically larger in search results, which means you take up more space, push competitors down, and give people more reasons to click. Ads with extensions consistently see higher click-through rates.

The best part: most extensions are free to add. You only pay when someone actually clicks.

Sitelink extensions

These are additional links that appear below your ad, pointing to specific pages on your site.

Example for a roofer:

• Free Estimate | Roof Repairs | New Roof Installation | About Us

Best practices:

• Use 4-8 sitelinks per campaign
• Link to your most important service pages, not just your homepage
• Write short descriptions for each (two lines, 25 characters each)
• Make each sitelink go to a different page

Sitelinks are the single most impactful extension. If you only set up one type, make it this one.

Callout extensions

Short text snippets that highlight key selling points. They show up as a line of text under your ad but aren't clickable — they're purely informational.

Good callout examples:

• Free Estimates
• Licensed & Insured
• 24/7 Emergency Service
• Locally Owned
• 5-Star Rated
• Same-Day Service

Keep each callout to 2-4 words. Think of them as bullet points for your ad. Use 4-6 per campaign.

Call extensions

This one's simple: a clickable phone number appears with your ad. On mobile, people can tap to call you directly without ever visiting your website.

This is essential for any service business. If phone calls are how you get leads, call extensions should be active on every campaign. You can even set them to only show during business hours so you're not paying for calls you can't answer.

Location extensions

These show your business address, a map pin, or the distance from the searcher to your location. They pull from your Google Business Profile.

Important for: Any business with a physical location customers visit — restaurants, retail stores, dental offices, etc.

Less important for: Service-area businesses like plumbers or landscapers who go to the customer. But still worth having for credibility.

To use these, you need to link your Google Ads account to your Google Business Profile. It takes five minutes and it's worth doing regardless.

Structured snippets

These let you highlight specific aspects of your services using predefined categories like "Services," "Types," "Brands," or "Neighborhoods."

Example for an HVAC company:

• Services: AC Repair, Furnace Installation, Duct Cleaning, Maintenance Plans

Example for a law firm:

• Types: Personal Injury, Workers' Comp, Car Accidents, Slip and Fall

Pick the header category that fits best and list 3-6 values. Keep them concise.

Image extensions

You can add relevant images to your search ads. This is newer and Google doesn't always show them, but when they do appear, they make your ad stand out significantly.

Tips:

• Use clear, high-quality images relevant to your service
• Avoid text-heavy images (Google may reject them)
• Test different images to see what performs best

Which extensions should you use?

Short answer: all of them that apply to your business. Google picks and chooses which extensions to show for each search, so having more options gives Google more to work with.

At minimum, every local business should have:

• Sitelinks — always
• Callouts — always
• Call extensions — if you want phone calls
• Location extensions — if you have a Google Business Profile
• Structured snippets — if you offer multiple services

The mistake most people make

Setting up extensions once and never touching them again. Your extensions should evolve:

• Seasonal updates — promote relevant services for the time of year
• Performance review — check which extensions get clicks and which don't
• New services — add sitelinks and callouts when you expand your offerings

At Prowl Marketing, extensions are part of our standard Google Ads management. We set them up, monitor their performance, and adjust them regularly. It's one of those details that separates a mediocre campaign from one that actually performs.