GOOGLE ADS SITELINK EXTENSION CHARACTER LIMIT: 25 AND 35

The google ads sitelink extension character limit is two numbers: 25 characters for the link text users see and click, and 35 characters per description line. Those constraints define the entire copywriting surface of a sitelink asset. They determine how many extensions sitelinks can render in a single row, whether an ad extensions format expands or stays compact, and how much ad copy space you have to influence a user's decision.

Most advertisers inside a google ads account treat the 25-character cap as a nuisance. In practice it is a rendering signal: shorter text allows more links to fit side by side; longer text forces Google to drop links from the row on mobile. What follows is grounded in Google's official specifications and in what I observe consistently in day-to-day google ads management.

The google ads sitelink extension character limit, field by field

Each sitelink asset consists of three text fields: link text, description line 1, and description line 2. The destination URL has no character cap. You can attach ads assets at the campaign or ad group level , the most specific level wins. Here is the complete reference, documented in the official About sitelink assets:

*For description lines in double-width scripts, the character count displayed in the interface may still show 35, but each double-width character consumes proportionally more visual space. Write conservatively.

Why 25 and 35, specifically

The 25-character link text cap has a physical origin. On desktop, a sitelink row typically fits four to six links side by side. A label of 25 characters in a proportional font occupies roughly the horizontal band that allows four links to coexist without truncation. Shorter link text means more sitelinks can show, that is the mechanical reason. The 35-character description cap is more generous because descriptions stack vertically; they do not compete for horizontal space the same way. To improve ad coverage across devices, keeping link text well under 25 characters is consistently the better choice.

Double-width languages

For Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, the google ads sitelink extension character limit on link text drops to 12 characters. A single CJK character is roughly twice the width of a Latin character, so 12 double-width characters fill approximately the same horizontal space as 25 single-width ones. The Google Ads interface enforces this at input and rejects text beyond 12 characters when the campaign targets a double-width language. Multilingual campaigns require separate creative per language group, there is no blended counting.

How the character limit connects to rendering and format eligibility

The google ads sitelink extension character limit is not just a validation rule, it is tied directly to which ad format Google can render in each auction. There are two fundamentally different sitelink display formats, and the presence or absence of description content is the gate between them.

Compact format vs. expanded format

When link text is present but both description lines are empty, sitelinks render in the compact format: a single horizontal row of blue links beneath the headline. When both description lines are populated, the sitelink becomes eligible for the expanded format, a significantly taller layout where each link shows its descriptions below. The expanded format only renders at position 1 or 2 and requires sufficient Ad Rank. Populated descriptions help users understand the destination before clicking and can lift click through rates. As explained in our article on how sitelink extensions work in the auction, Ad Rank eligibility and asset quality are evaluated together in every impression.

What I observe when description lines are partially filled

A common mistake is filling only description line 1 and leaving line 2 empty. Google does not render expanded format for sitelinks where only one description line is present, both must be populated. Descriptions that restate the link text also add no conversion value. The 35-character limit per line is enough for one crisp supporting claim. Treat each line as a micro-headline for the landing page, not as a repetition of the link text above it.

Mobile rendering and the shorter effective limit

On mobile, link text beyond 18\u201320 characters may be truncated in certain layouts, especially when four sitelinks display simultaneously. Google does not publish per-device rendering specs, so the exact threshold is inferred from account observation. The consistent pattern: sitelinks with link text in the 12\u201318 character range show more uniformly across devices. This does not mean you must stay under 18 characters, it means you should watch truncation on mobile when link text is near the 25-character cap. A lower cost per click for the same position is sometimes the result of better-formatted assets that keep Ad Rank strong at a lower bid.

Writing within the google ads sitelink extension character limit

The 25-character cap forces one discipline: you cannot explain, you can only name. The link text is a label; the description lines are where context lives. When you create sitelinks, this division makes writing within the google ads sitelink extension character limit considerably easier. For the full copywriting framework, see our guide on sitelink extension best practices.

The 25-character discipline for link text

Generic labels fail not because they are short but because they carry no intent signal. "Products" (8 chars) is wasted space. "Enterprise Pricing" (18) is specific and intent-matched. "30-Day Free Trial" (17) communicates a conversion-relevant offer. None approach the 25-character ceiling, brevity and specificity are the same goal. The ad copy discipline that applies to RSA headlines applies here equally. Write the label you want, count the characters, then remove modifiers until it fits. The meaning almost always survives.

Making 35 characters per description line work

Thirty-five characters per description line is enough for one short declarative sentence. Description line 1 carries the primary benefit; line 2 carries a secondary differentiator. "Plans from \u20ac29/month, no contracts" (34 chars) and "Cancel anytime, instant activation" (33 chars) are both under cap and both add information the link text cannot carry.

The google ads sitelink extensions character limits 2026 have not introduced new field constraints, 25 and 35 are identical to prior years. What has changed: when sitelinks are in dynamic mode and descriptions are absent, Google can auto-generate description text from other ads assets. This fallback does not replace manually written descriptions where expanded format eligibility matters.

Reusing link text is prohibited

Google's policy prohibits duplicate link text within the same asset set, even when sitelinks point to different URLs. Each label must be unique, forcing distinct language for each entry point. To see how this plays out across verticals, our collection of real sitelink examples shows label patterns that perform well within these constraints.

What account experience tells me about the character limits in practice

The google ads sitelink extension character limit is a hard ceiling enforced at the interface level, the platform will not accept input that exceeds 25 characters for link text or 35 for each description line. What the interface does not tell you is anything about the relationship between character length and rendering probability. That comes only from account observation and inference during ongoing google ads management.

Shorter link text and impression share

Across accounts where I have tested link text length systematically, replacing longer labels with shorter equivalents, the pattern is consistent: shorter link text correlates with higher sitelink impression share at the same Ad Rank. Google's rendering model appears to assign a higher probability of display to sitelinks where multiple links fit in a single compact row. A set of four sitelinks averaging 12 characters each is more likely to render all four simultaneously than one where average length is 22 characters. The longer set forces Google to drop one or two links per impression.

Description length and expanded format frequency

For sitelinks where both description lines are populated at or near the 35-character cap, expanded format appears more frequently at position 1 than on sitelinks with short descriptions. My working theory: Google's auction treats information-dense descriptions as higher-quality signals for the expected impact of assets factor, they help users understand the destination and raise pre-click relevance. The google ads sitelink extensions character limits 2026 remain fixed, but how you use the space within those limits has measurable consequences for format eligibility. For seasonal campaigns where copy changes frequently, our guide on sitelinks for high-frequency campaign cycles covers this in detail.

When to trust the interface character counter

The Google Ads interface shows a live character counter for each sitelink text field. It counts reliably for standard Latin scripts. For mixed-script content, an English phrase followed by a Chinese brand name, it may undercount the rendering cost of double-width characters. If your ad copy mixes scripts, write conservatively relative to the displayed count and preview the ad in the Ad Preview tool before publishing. The official specifications for all asset limits are consolidated in Google's About assets page.