Which ad extensions can serve automatically in Google Ads? Automatically created assets explained (2026 Guide)

Google Ads automatically serves eight ad extensions called Automatically Created Assets (ACAs).

These are generated using machine learning that reviews your website content, ad copy, and user behavior without manual setup.

ACAs are free to add beyond the normal cost-per-click and only appear when Google predicts they will improve ad performance.

Since ads with relevant assets often drive higher engagement, ACAs are considered one of the most effective optimization tools for marketers.

This article explains how these extensions work, the requirements for each type, how Ad Rank affects their display, ways to optimize them, and whether automated or manual extensions perform better.

What are automatically created assets in Google Ads?

Automatically Created Assets are ad components, including sitelinks, callouts, images, ratings, and other features that are created using data from three sources: website content, pre-existing ad content, and user behaviour information like search queries, device, location, and time of day.

In 2022, Google rebranded this ad extension feature from “automated ad extensions” and now considers it as essential as any other part of an advertising campaign, not merely a secondary component.

All active ACAs can be viewed in your dashboard under Ads > Assets > Automatically Created.

How does Google decide when automatically created assets appear?

ACAs don’t appear in all ads. It’s controlled by Ad Rank, which Google uses for each auction. According to Google’s Ad Rank documentation, Ad Rank is determined by five factors: bid price, ad relevance, expected impact of assets on CTR, context, and auction competitiveness.

If Google believes that the specific ACA will improve CTR, then the expected impact of that asset increases your Ad Rank, making it more likely to show up.

The result is a feedback loop in which better assets improve Ad Rank, which in turn leads to their appearance.

What are the 8 ad extensions that serve automatically in Google Ads?

1. Dynamic Sitelinks

These links appear below your primary ad and point to specific pages on your website. Google should choose the pages based on their relevancy to the user’s search, good internal linking, and traffic.

Practical example: When advertising “running shoes” using Nike ads, Google may automatically suggest Sitelinks that point to “Men’s Running”, “Women’s Running”, “Sale”, and “Running Guides” sections, all from pages found on your website without any additional work. According to Think with Google, getting up to 6 Sitelinks per campaign will increase conversion rates by 3.5% and CTR for branded searches by 20-30%.

2. Callout Extensions

These are short text elements that promote your products or services but are not clickable, for example, “Free Returns”, “24/7 Customer Support”, or “No Subscription Fee”. Such extensions are identified by Google from both your website and manually added callouts.

Practical example: Monzo’s website features phrases like “No hidden fees” and “Instant spending notifications,” which Google is likely to pick and show as effective callout extensions. Generic or promotional content on your website will only yield generic results from Google.

3. Structured Snippets

A categorised list of your products, services, or destinations organised using pre-set categories within Google, including Services, Brands, Destinations, Courses, or Types. The content comes from your website, whereas the category name is designated by Google.

Example: If Booking.com runs travel ads, Google might automatically display the following snippet based on their destination pages: “Destinations: Paris, Rome, Amsterdam,” while for Deloitte, Google might automatically pull “Services: Audit, Tax, Consulting.” You can’t customise the category name, but you have more control over the content within it by making sure your website contains relevant information.

4. Call Extensions

Displaying your business telephone number in your ad lets users call directly from the results page. Very effective on mobile devices, as click-through rates are much higher than on desktop computers.

Example: Bupa Dental shows the telephone numbers of the clinics on its contacts and locations page. If a user searches for “dentist open Saturday,” Google will automatically show these numbers on the results page in a call extension.

5. Location Extensions

The physical location of your business is represented as a map pin and proximity to the user’s actual location. Automatically created whenever your Google Business Profile is connected to your Google AdWords account.

Real-world example: Costa Coffee promotes its “coffee near me” offers, which provide the exact location of the nearest coffee branch and the approximate walkable distance. As mentioned in Google’s guide on conversion tracking, offline conversions can be tracked through clicks on your location asset, without even clicking on your ad.

6. Seller Rating Extension

The average customer rating and number of reviews associated with your ad. Automatically appears if you meet the criteria specified by Google.

Real-world example: Gymshark, which has earned over 100 reviews on both Trustpilot and Google Customer Reviews, all rated 3.5 stars or higher, will receive a seller rating extension beneath its ad campaigns. This extension is not available in all countries or verticals. Eligibility is detailed in the Google Ads Help Center.

7. Image Extensions

An image extension that attaches itself to your search ad text based on the images available on your landing pages. The image needs to be high-resolution and policy-compliant, with no text.

Real-world example: IKEA can include their products in ads, such as “dining tables,” using image extensions based on images from their website. However, not all accounts can use this kind of extension due to various eligibility rules.

8. App Extensions

A download link that shows a prompt for users to download your application while you run your search ad. It displays information such as the application name, the store rating, and a download link.

Real-world example: Deliveroo can add its application to a search ad about “Ordering food online”. It will display an app extension that includes the application’s name, its rating in the store, and a download prompt.

What are the eligibility requirements for each automatically created asset?

Not all ACAs are available to every advertiser. The table below summarises the eligibility conditions for each extension type, based on the Google Ads Help Center documentation.

Should you use automated or manual ad extensions?

The right answer would be: use both, intentionally and concurrently.

Manually extended messages are fully under your control, making them ideal for your key selling points, legally mandated disclosures, and proprietary phrases that must remain consistent regardless of the query.

Automated extensions are great when scaling up and optimizing for query relevancy. They respond to every unique query, highlight website content you might have missed in your manual extensions, and require no effort once set up.

As per Google’s asset best practices guide, top-performing accounts always feature a base layer of manually created assets supplemented by automated assets on an as-needed basis during auctions.

How can you optimize automatically created assets?

1. Always consider your website the main source of assets; Webpages with distinct value propositions, a list of services, and clear navigation yield higher-quality assets than those with generic descriptions.
2. Leverage both manually and automatically generated assets: Generate manually created assets for your messages that you cannot negotiate. Leave the automated assets to cover query-specific information and other messages.
3. Check your automatically created assets report: Access the Ads>Assets>Automatically Created to determine which assets you are using, their impression share, and click-through rate. Google tends to highlight out-of-date material; detecting this early saves your campaign from being affected by these assets.
4. Update your website content frequently: Website pages that contain expired product information, outdated prices, and eliminated services result in low-quality automated assets.
5. Disable automated assets when needed: Industry-regulated advertisers can exclude specific ACA types or all automatically generated assets by setting it in Settings > Automatically Created Assets in Google Ads.

What are the limitations of automatically created assets?

1. The lack of control over messaging is the main disadvantage: you will not be able to determine which pages will be used as sitelinks, which keywords should be highlighted in the callout section, or which pictures will be featured.
2. Eligibility constraints limit ACAs because they are not always accessible: Seller ratings, image extensions, and application extensions all have eligibility requirements, and access depends on factors such as location, sector, and account status.
3. Dependence on Ad Rank prevents automatic placement: Poor-quality ads, websites lacking enough substance, or policy-limited accounts might not receive any ACA placements.

The best strategy to address all of these issues is the same across all three categories. It requires developing a professional website with updated content, regularly reviewing the Automatically Created Assets report, and utilizing manual extensions to ensure consistent messaging.

Abisola

Meet Abisola! As the content manager at ClickPatrol, she’s the go-to expert on all things fake traffic. From bot clicks to ad fraud, Abisola knows how to spot, stop, and educate others about the sneaky tactics that inflate numbers but don’t bring real results.

View all posts by Abisola (Abisola)

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