Callout Extensions

Callout Extensions (now called Callout Assets) are short, non-clickable text phrases added to your Google Ads that highlight specific features, benefits, or offers such as “Free Shipping,” “24/7 Support,” or “No Long-Term Contracts.” They appear as additional text below your ad description and help differentiate your business from competitors.

Key Takeaways

• Callouts are short text snippets (25 characters max each) that are not clickable
• Google shows 2-10 callouts per ad impression depending on available space
• Best used for unique selling points, guarantees, and competitive differentiators
• Free to add and do not incur additional CPC charges
• Add at least 4 callouts per level (account, campaign, or ad group) for optimal display

What Are Callout Extensions

Callout Extensions are the simplest Ad Extension type to implement and one of the most effective for communicating your competitive advantages. Unlike Sitelinks, callouts are not links — they are text-only highlights that appear as a comma-separated line beneath your ad.

Feature	Callout Extensions	Sitelink Extensions
Clickable	No	Yes
Character limit	25 characters	25 characters (link text)
Has URL	No	Yes
Purpose	Highlight features/benefits	Link to specific pages
Typical display	2-10 per ad	2-8 per ad

Callouts work best for information that does not require its own landing page — short, punchy statements about what makes your business worth choosing.

How It Works

Creating callout extensions in the 2026 Google Ads interface:

1. Go to Ads & assets > Assets and select Callouts
2. Write 6-10 callouts — each should be a distinct, concise selling point
3. Keep them short — 15-20 characters performs better than maxing out at 25
4. Avoid redundancy with ad copy — callouts should add new information, not repeat headlines
5. Set scheduling (optional) — time-sensitive callouts (e.g., “Same-Day Delivery Before 2PM”) can be scheduled

Google selects which callouts to display per auction based on:

• Predicted relevance to the search query
• Available space on the results page
• Device type (mobile shows fewer callouts)
• Combination with other assets

Callout best practices:

Do	Do Not
”Free 2-Day Shipping"	"We Offer Shipping” (vague)
“98% Customer Satisfaction"	"Great Reviews” (unspecific)
“No Setup Fees"	"Contact Us Today” (that is a CTA, not a callout)
“Licensed & Insured"	"Best Company Ever” (subjective, unverifiable)

Practical Example

A managed IT services company creates callouts at three levels:

Account level (applies everywhere):

• 24/7 Monitoring
• SOC 2 Certified
• 99.9% Uptime SLA
• No Long-Term Contracts

Campaign level — Cybersecurity campaign:

• Endpoint Protection
• Threat Detection
• HIPAA Compliant
• Free Security Audit

Ad group level — Small Business IT:

• Plans from $499/Month
• 1-Hour Response Time
• Dedicated Account Manager
• 500+ SMBs Served

Performance across 90 days:

Configuration	CTR	CPA	Leads/Month
No callouts	4.1%	$142	38
Account callouts only	4.8%	$128	44
Account + campaign callouts	5.2%	$118	48
All three levels	5.6%	$109	52

The progression shows incremental improvement as callouts become more specific to the ad group context. The most specific callouts (“Plans from $499/Month,” “1-Hour Response Time”) address the exact concerns of small business buyers, reducing friction and improving conversion.

Total impact: 14 additional leads per month at $33 less per lead, or $1,254 in monthly savings plus 37% more lead volume — from non-clickable text that costs nothing to implement.

Why It Matters

Callouts solve a common advertising challenge: limited character space in ad copy. Your headlines and descriptions must focus on the primary message and call to action, leaving little room for supporting details that could tip a decision. Callouts provide that extra space for trust signals, guarantees, and differentiators.

The cumulative effect of callouts, Sitelinks, and Structured Snippets working together is substantial. Each asset type adds a different dimension of information, creating a comprehensive ad that answers multiple user questions at a glance. Prioritize callouts that are specific, quantifiable, and unique to your business — generic statements add no value and waste valuable ad space.