Image Assets

Image assets let you attach a photo to a text Search ad. Google used to call them image extensions. The image shows on the Google Search results page alongside your headlines, descriptions, and URL, and it can also serve on YouTube Search through the Search Partner Network. You cannot choose the layout, because it depends on the auction. On mobile, formats include three side-by-side squares or a single square, and desktop has several square and landscape combinations. The ad gets bigger on the page without becoming a different campaign type. The picture adds visual weight to a result that would otherwise be plain text, which matters most on small phone screens.

Eligibility and specs are specific. Your account must be open at least 60 days, with a good policy compliance history, active campaigns with active text ads, and search spend in the last 30 days. Sensitive verticals are not eligible. A square (1:1) image is required, and a landscape (1.91:1) image is optional but recommended. Minimums are 300 by 300 for square and 600 by 314 for landscape, with recommended sizes of 1200 by 1200 and 1200 by 628. Files must be PNG or JPG up to 5120 KB, and key content should sit in the center 80 percent of the frame. Note that the eligibility rules are account-wide, so a new account will need to build history and spend before the asset is available.

Quantity and billing work like this. You can upload up to 20 images, and that limit applies across the whole campaign. For best serving eligibility, Google recommends at least four unique images at the ad group or campaign level, including at least one square and one landscape. Clicks are billed the same way as a click on a text headline, so adding an image does not create a new pricing model. One detail: headlines pinned to position 1 or 2 or description 1 always show, while description 2 may be truncated when an image appears, so pin legally required text to one of the first three positions. Because the format is chosen by the auction, test image quality across crops rather than designing for a single layout.

Most rejections come from content rules. For Search, Google says images with digitally added text, logos, or graphic overlays are immediately disapproved. That rules out most banners, promotional badges, and corner logos. Images must also be relevant to the queries, the ads, and the landing page, so a stock photo of a handshake that has nothing to do with the service is a poor choice. Another mistake is uploading only one shape and then wondering why the asset rarely serves. You must also own the rights to every image and permit Google to use it for advertising. Photos of real work usually pass review and also build more trust than polished stock pictures with the same subject.

This week, check your account against the eligibility list and add images if you qualify. Use real photographs of your work, storefront, team, or product, shot cleanly with the subject centered. Upload at least four, in both square and landscape. Then watch the asset report and the segment by asset type to see whether image-enabled impressions convert better or worse than text-only ones. If images are rejected, read the disapproval reason, since overlays and logos are the usual cause, and replace them with plain photos. Refresh images every few months, and retire any that no longer match what you sell.