Creative Formats & Assets

Image Assets vs Sitelink Assets: Photo or Extra Links

In short: Both attach to a text search ad to give it more room on the results page, but they extend it in different directions. Image assets add a picture that clicks through to the same landing page the ad already uses. Sitelink assets add extra text links that each carry their own URL and description, letting one ad serve several intents at once. Choose image assets when the product or service sells itself visually, choose sitelinks when you have several distinct pages worth sending traffic to.

By the AdFlint research team · Fact-checked against current Google and Meta platform behavior · Last reviewed July 2026

Image Assets

Adds a square or landscape image to a text search ad, shown mainly on mobile results alongside the headlines and description.

Previously image extensions, these attach visual inventory to an otherwise text-only search ad, and Google serves them when it predicts a lift. Images must meet size rules and cannot be collages or carry heavy text overlays and corner logos. The mistake is uploading marketing banners, because text-laden creative gets rejected in review, while a plain product or service photograph passes and renders cleanly beside the ad.

Full definition

Sitelink Assets

Extra clickable links shown beneath a search ad, each pointing to a different page and carrying its own short description text.

Formerly called sitelink extensions, these expand the ad's footprint and let one ad serve several intents at once, such as pricing, locations, or a specific product. Google decides how many to show and which ones, based on query and device, so add at least four to qualify for larger layouts. The common mistake is pointing every sitelink at the homepage, which wastes the space.

Full definition

Side by side.

The differences that actually change what happens in your account.

 Image AssetsSitelink Assets
What it adds to the adA single photo rendered beside or within the ad text.A row of extra clickable links, each with its own short description.
Where a click goesThe same landing page the rest of the ad already points to.Whatever URL you assigned to that specific link, which can differ from the main ad.
Data you supplyOne image file that meets Google's size and content rules.Link text, an optional description line, and a URL for each sitelink.
Review focusVisual rules: no collages, no heavy text overlay, no corner logos.Policy and relevance of the link text, not visual composition.
Device weightingShows mainly on mobile search results.Shows across devices, format varies by device and available space.
Minimum to be usefulOne approved image is enough to be eligible.Google recommends at least four so it can qualify for the larger link layouts.
Failure modeA banner-style upload with text and logos gets rejected outright.Every link pointing at the homepage wastes the extra space without adding intent.

What actually separates them.

01

Clicking an image asset sends the searcher to the same landing page as the headline click, while each sitelink can carry a completely separate URL and message.

02

Image assets go through a visual content review that rejects collages, logos, and heavy text overlays, while sitelink review checks the link text against ad policy, not imagery.

03

A sitelink adds a whole new line of clickable copy plus a description that Google can factor into ad rank, an image adds no additional text at all.

04

Sitelinks require a full set of fields per link - text, description, URL - while an image asset is a single upload with no accompanying copy.

05

Losing an approved image just reverts the ad to plain text with no functional loss, but removing a strong sitelink removes an entire alternate path, like a pricing page, from the ad.

Which one should you use?

Use Image Assets when

  • Your product or service is visually differentiating, like a renovation, a dish, or a physical product.
  • Most of your search traffic is on mobile and you want a visual break in the results feed.
  • You already have compliant, on-brand photography without overlay text or logos.
  • You want to test whether a visual presence lifts click-through without touching the landing page.

Use Sitelink Assets when

  • Your site has more than one page a searcher might actually want, like pricing, locations, or categories.
  • You want one ad to serve several different intents at once instead of funneling everyone to the same page.
  • You have at least four meaningfully different destinations worth linking to.
  • You want extra descriptive text lines that won't fit inside a headline.

Common questions.

Can I run image assets and sitelinks on the same ad?

Yes. Both attach independently to the same ad and Google decides which combination to show for a given impression based on predicted value and available space. There's no need to choose only one.

Why isn't my image asset showing even though it's approved?

Approval only makes it eligible - Google still decides per impression whether showing the image is predicted to help, and it may simply favor other assets or plain text for some queries. This is normal and doesn't mean the asset is broken.

How many sitelinks do I actually need?

You can run with fewer, but adding at least four gives Google enough variety to qualify for the larger sitelink layouts and to rotate the best performers. Fewer than that limits both the format and the data you get back.

Can I point an image asset at a different URL than the ad?

No. An image asset click always lands on the ad's own final URL - it has no separate destination field the way a sitelink does.

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