HOW TO ADD SITELINK EXTENSIONS IN GOOGLE ADS

Knowing how to add sitelink extensions in Google Ads is one of the first practical skills any advertiser picks up, the interface is not complicated, and Google's own documentation walks through the steps clearly. What the documentation does not cover is why so many accounts that have sitelinks correctly set up still see them underperform: wrong level, empty description lines, generic link text, or a pool too small for the algorithm to rotate meaningfully. This article covers both layers, the literal steps of how to add sitelink extensions in Google Ads and the operational decisions that determine whether those sitelinks actually show, compete for the expanded format, and drive clicks.

The mechanics matter more than most advertisers realize. Sitelinks are not a passive decoration on your ad. They are assets that enter the auction independently, get scored for expected impact against each query, and can meaningfully affect both impression share and click-through rate when configured correctly. How to use Google Ads sitelink extensions is therefore not just a UI question, it is a strategy question that touches copy, account structure, and asset management. The following sections address both dimensions in the order that makes sense operationally: what sitelinks are, how to create them, where to attach them, and what details determine whether they perform once live. If you are already familiar with the basics and want to go deeper on best practices for writing sitelinks, that guide covers copy strategy and pool management in detail.

What sitelink extensions are and when Google shows them

A sitelink extension, now called a sitelink asset in the current Google Ads interface, is an additional link that appears beneath a Search ad, pointing to a specific page on the advertiser's website. Each sitelink consists of a link text (up to 25 characters in most languages), a final URL, and two optional but highly recommended description lines (35 characters each). When a Search ad shows with sitelinks, users can click either the main ad headline or any of the sitelinks, each taking them to a different destination.

Google does not show sitelinks on every impression. The decision is governed by Ad Rank: sitelinks appear when the ad is predicted to be competitive enough to qualify for the extended format, which typically means a top-of-page position. The number of sitelinks shown in a given impression varies, a compact row may show two, three, or four links side by side on desktop; a single sitelink may show beneath the ad on mobile in certain formats. The expanded format, where each sitelink displays its two description lines vertically, only renders at positions 1 or 2 and requires both description fields to be populated in the asset.

This context is fundamental to understanding how to use Google Ads sitelink extensions strategically. The advertiser controls which sitelinks exist and what they say; Google controls which ones appear on any given impression, selecting the combination predicted to perform best for that query. The more sitelinks available in the pool, and the higher their individual quality, the more effectively the algorithm can differentiate between different search intents within the same campaign. According to Google's official sitelink assets documentation, sitelinks are compatible with Search campaigns, Performance Max campaigns, Video campaigns on YouTube, and Demand Gen, though the setup path and display behavior differ by campaign type. This article focuses on Search campaigns, where the setup decision and asset hierarchy have the most direct performance impact.

What sitelinks contribute to Ad Rank

One of the most commonly misunderstood aspects of sitelinks is their relationship with Ad Rank. Sitelinks contribute to expected impact, the auction factor that rewards assets predicted to improve click probability. An ad with high-quality, relevant sitelinks is more likely to win a competitive position than the same ad with no sitelinks or generic ones, even if bid and Quality Score are identical. This is why how to add sitelink extensions in Google Ads is not just an administrative task but a direct lever on competitiveness. It also explains why empty description lines and generic link text are not neutral choices, they actively reduce the expected impact score and therefore the ad's auction strength. From account observation across multiple industries, campaigns that move from zero to six well-written sitelinks see measurable improvements in impression share at equivalent bids, not just more frequent display of the sitelinks themselves.

How to add sitelink extensions in Google Ads: the exact steps

The current Google Ads interface refers to sitelinks as assets rather than extensions, reflecting the 2022 rebranding of all ad extensions. The navigation path has shifted as a result, but the underlying setup logic remains the same. Here is the step-by-step process for how to add sitelink extensions in Google Ads using the current interface.

Step 1: Navigate to Assets

Sign in to your Google Ads account. In the left-side navigation menu, locate the Campaigns section. Within it, find Assets (this may appear under a submenu depending on your interface version). Click Assets to open the asset management view. If you are adding sitelinks to a specific campaign or ad group rather than at account level, navigate to that campaign or ad group first, then access Assets from within that context. The level you are currently viewing determines where the new sitelink will be attached by default, though you can override this in the creation flow.

Step 2: Create a new sitelink asset

Click the blue plus button to create a new asset. From the asset type list, select Sitelink. A creation panel will open. In the "Add to" dropdown at the top of the panel, confirm the level, Account, Campaign, or Ad group, where you want the sitelink to live. If you are adding to a campaign, select the specific campaign from the dropdown that appears. If you want to reuse an existing sitelink already in your account's shared library, select "Use existing" and pick from the list. Otherwise, select "Create new" and continue to the next step.

Step 3: Fill in all four fields

The creation form has four fields: Link text, Final URL, Description line 1, and Description line 2. Link text is the only required field in a technical sense, but from a performance standpoint, all four fields should be treated as mandatory. Link text is capped at 25 characters (12 in double-width languages like Chinese, Japanese, and Korean). Final URL is the landing page the user reaches when clicking this specific sitelink, it should be a distinct, relevant destination that is different from the main ad's landing page. Description lines 1 and 2 are each capped at 35 characters. Both must be populated to unlock the expanded sitelink format. Write each description line as an independent claim, one primary benefit, one differentiator or risk-reducer, rather than restating the link text or padding with filler. Once all fields are complete, click Save.

Step 4: Repeat to build a sufficient pool

A single sitelink does nothing useful on its own. Google requires at least four to display the four-link compact row format that significantly increases ad real estate. The practical minimum from account experience is six, this gives the algorithm enough variety to begin learning which combinations perform best for different query signals. Eight to ten is the range where consistent impression share gains appear, because the algorithm can differentiate meaningfully between high-commercial-intent queries and broader navigational queries within the same campaign. Repeat the creation process, or use the bulk import via CSV in Google Ads Editor for efficiency when building out a full set, until the pool meets this threshold. For the full reference on limits per field and how character counts work across languages, the dedicated page on character limits covers every constraint in detail.

Step 5: Schedule if needed

Google Ads allows sitelinks to be scheduled by day of week and time of day, and by start and end date. This is relevant for promotional sitelinks, a Black Friday offer, a seasonal campaign, a limited-time pricing promotion. Within the asset creation flow, click "Advanced options" after saving the sitelink to access the scheduling settings. Set a start and end date to ensure time-sensitive sitelinks stop serving automatically without requiring manual intervention. This step is optional for evergreen sitelinks but essential for any asset tied to a specific promotion window. The full setup process is documented in Google's Add sitelink extensions guide, which includes the interface path for both the standard flow and bulk editing via the table view for accounts with large asset sets.

Account, campaign, and ad group level: choosing where to attach sitelinks

The level question is where most accounts make their biggest how to add sitelink extensions in Google Ads mistake, not in the UI steps, but in the structural decision. Google resolves sitelink conflicts by specificity: ad-group-level assets override campaign-level assets for impressions in that ad group, and campaign-level assets override account-level assets. The most specific level always wins. Understanding this hierarchy is central to how to use Google Ads sitelink extensions across a real account structure with multiple campaigns and varied intent.

Account level: start here for universal links

Account-level sitelinks are the broadest layer. They are eligible to serve with any campaign in the account that does not have its own campaign-level or ad-group-level sitelinks overriding them. The right assets for account level are the links that are genuinely relevant to every campaign: a contact page, an about page, a high-level pricing or plans overview. These are the links that make sense regardless of what campaign or keyword triggered the ad. Creating account-level sitelinks first is operationally efficient because they provide coverage immediately across the entire account, and Google recommends starting here for that reason. The caveat is that account-level copy must be broad enough to be relevant across all campaigns, which usually means it cannot be the most specific or intent-matched copy the account is capable of producing. That specificity lives at campaign or ad group level. It is also worth knowing that what are sitelink extensions at a structural level before deciding which destinations deserve to be in the account-level pool, not every page on your site qualifies.

Campaign level: the default for most advertisers

Campaign-level sitelinks are the most common configuration in practice, and they are appropriate when all ad groups within a campaign target the same or closely related intent. A single-product campaign where every keyword is a variant of the product name is a good candidate: the ad groups do not differ meaningfully in what the user wants, so campaign-level sitelinks serve equally well for every impression. The best campaign-level sitelinks reflect the campaign's primary offer, pricing options, specific product features, comparison tools, or a lead generation entry point that is relevant to this campaign specifically but not to others in the account.

Ad group level: when intent diverges

As soon as intent differs meaningfully between ad groups, pricing intent, feature comparison intent, competitor comparison intent, ad-group-level sitelinks become the highest-leverage intervention available. A user searching "google ads sitelink pricing" who sees a sitelink labeled "Compare All Plans" and "Request Custom Quote" has a far more relevant experience than the same user receiving a generic "About Our Agency" sitelink inherited from campaign level. Expected impact, the auction factor that rewards assets for predicted click contribution, is directly sensitive to this relevance match. In accounts I manage, ad-group-level sitelinks on intent-specific groups consistently produce higher impression share for those sitelinks than campaign-level fallbacks would. The operational cost is additional creative work and a slightly more complex asset structure to maintain, both worth it at scale. Before building out ad-group-level assets, it is worth reviewing the policy requirements for sitelinks, violations are enforced at the asset level and can silently suppress individual sitelinks without a clear warning in the interface.

Description lines: the step most advertisers skip

When walking through how to add sitelink extensions in Google Ads, the description lines are the most commonly skipped step, and the one with the most direct performance consequence. Both description lines must be populated to unlock the expanded sitelink format. This is not a recommendation or a best practice suggestion; it is a hard eligibility gate. A sitelink with one description line filled and one empty is permanently excluded from the expanded format regardless of Ad Rank, bid, or Quality Score.

The expanded format renders each sitelink with its two description lines visible beneath the link text, stacking the sitelinks vertically rather than in a compact horizontal row. This format takes up significantly more vertical space on the search results page and appears at positions 1 and 2 only, the most competitive placements. From account observation, sitelinks displayed in expanded format generate measurably higher click-through rates than compact sitelinks at equivalent positions. The performance difference is not marginal. This is why writing both description lines is the single highest-return action most advertisers can take when learning how to use Google Ads sitelink extensions beyond the basic setup.

What to write in 35 characters per line

Thirty-five characters per line is enough for one precise declarative claim. Treat description line 1 as the primary benefit of clicking this specific sitelink, what the user will find, expressed as a concrete outcome rather than a vague promise. Treat description line 2 as a secondary differentiator: a price point, a guarantee, a feature count, a specific credential, or a risk-reducer. For a sitelink labeled "Enterprise API Plans": line 1 might read "From €499/month, SLA-backed" and line 2 "Dedicated onboarding included." Both lines add information that the link text cannot carry, and neither restates what the label already says. Restating the link text in the description passes the format gate but contributes nothing to expected impact, Google's algorithm assesses each field independently, and redundant copy produces a weaker asset score than complementary copy. If you find yourself at a loss for what to write, the Google Ads system can auto-generate descriptions for sitelinks when you are opted into dynamic sitelinks, but from experience, manually written descriptions that include specific claims consistently outperform auto-generated ones, particularly for high-intent commercial campaigns where the copy precision matters most.

Dynamic sitelinks and what they mean for your manual assets

Google now generates dynamic sitelinks automatically when the system predicts they will improve performance, either supplementing manual sitelinks or appearing when no manually created assets are eligible. Dynamic sitelinks pull from landing page content, existing ads, and other signals within the account. They have the same visual format as manual sitelinks and appear at no additional cost, you are only charged when a user clicks through. The implication for setup is important: if your manual sitelinks are low quality, generic link text, empty descriptions, destinations that do not match the ad's intent, the algorithm may replace them with dynamic alternatives. The practical response is to treat the how to add sitelink extensions in Google Ads process as an ongoing quality maintenance task, not a one-time setup. Keep manual assets specific, fully populated, and regularly refreshed. Dynamic sitelinks are a useful fallback, not a substitute for intentional copy. For deeper personalization beyond static manual copy, the guide on keyword insertion in sitelink extensions explains when dynamic keyword insertion adds value to the pool and when it introduces more noise than signal.