What Are Sitelinks in Google Ads and How Do They Boost Your Campaign?

What Are Sitelinks in Google Ads?

Sitelinks (now managed as sitelink assets) are additional clickable links that can appear with your ads. Instead of sending everyone to the same landing page, sitelinks give people multiple “next steps” right from the ad—like Pricing, Services, Locations, Book a Demo, or Sale Items. Each sitelink can point to a different URL, which is exactly why they’re so effective at matching different user intents within the same search.

Practically, sitelinks expand your ad’s real estate and make it easier for a prospect to self-select the most relevant page. That usually means higher engagement and better-quality clicks, because users can jump straight to the section of your site they care about.

Where sitelinks can appear (and how many you might see)

Sitelinks can be eligible across several campaign types, including Search, Performance Max, YouTube video campaigns, and Demand Gen. The way they render depends on device, placement, and ad position.

In Search and Performance Max placements, your ad can show multiple sitelinks. On desktop, you may see up to six sitelinks, often stacked or arranged side-by-side. On mobile, you may see up to eight sitelinks, commonly in a swipeable carousel. For Video and Demand Gen contexts, sitelinks can also appear, typically with fewer total links visible at once (commonly up to four).

One key operational detail: your account generally needs at least two sitelinks available for the device type for sitelinks to be eligible to show at all. If you only built one, you’ve essentially built a “maybe someday” asset, not a reliable system.

How Sitelinks Boost Your Campaign Performance

They improve visibility and user navigation (which lifts CTR and conversion rate)

Sitelinks do two things at once: they make your ad bigger (more attention) and they make your ad more useful (more relevance). When someone sees four to six clear options beneath a headline, it reduces friction. Users don’t have to land on a generic page and hunt—they can choose the right path immediately.

This is why sitelinks often lift click-through rate, but the bigger win is usually conversion efficiency. A click that lands on Pricing or Book Appointment is typically closer to purchase than a click that lands on a generic homepage.

They strengthen the overall ad experience (including Ad Strength in RSAs)

In modern Google Ads, assets aren’t “nice-to-haves”—they’re part of how you build a complete ad experience. Strong sitelink coverage (especially when you add descriptions) increases the relevance and diversity of what your ad can show, which can contribute to stronger ad quality signals and better performance options in auctions.

Also note an important nuance: responsive search ad headlines and description lines can sometimes serve in areas that historically were reserved for sitelinks when that layout is predicted to perform better. The takeaway isn’t to fear sitelinks—it’s to build a deep, relevant asset set so the system always has high-quality choices.

They create multiple “conversion doors” without additional setup cost

There’s no extra fee to add sitelinks. You pay for clicks as usual. In Search and Performance Max, a click on a sitelink is charged the same as a click on the headline within that same ad impression—so you’re not “paying extra” for using sitelinks; you’re simply giving users better routing.

Another safeguard advertisers appreciate: you generally won’t be charged for more than two clicks per ad impression, and rapid multi-click behavior can be treated as duplicate/invalid interaction and not billed.

How to Build High-Performing Sitelinks (Strategy First, Then Setup)

Start with intent-based sitelinks (not “random site navigation”)

The best sitelinks reflect the decisions a user is trying to make. If you sell services, your sitelinks should usually map to service categories, pricing, proof, and the next step. If you sell products, they should map to best-selling categories, promotions, shipping/returns, and brand or model groupings.

As a rule, I recommend writing sitelinks so they answer: “What is the next question the user will ask after reading the headline?” That’s how you turn sitelinks from extra links into conversion accelerators.

Use the right structure level: account vs campaign vs ad group vs asset group

Sitelinks can be associated at multiple levels, including account, campaign, ad group, and (where applicable) asset group. Higher-level sitelinks can be eligible to serve alongside lower-level sitelinks within the same account “branch,” and the system will choose from the eligible pool to maximize performance.

In practice, I like to build a strong account-level baseline first (links that truly apply everywhere), then add campaign or ad-group sitelinks for tighter relevance. This creates both coverage and specificity without turning sitelinks into an unmanageable mess.

Write sitelinks for maximum eligibility and clean rendering

Short sitelink text tends to render more frequently and in higher counts because it fits more easily across devices. Keep sitelink text concise and specific. In most languages, sitelink text is limited to 25 characters (with shorter limits in certain double-width languages). If you consistently hit the limit, you’re usually trying to say too much in the link text—move the detail into the landing page and use the sitelink to label the destination.

Add both description lines whenever possible. Descriptions make sitelinks more informative and can unlock more prominent formats. Importantly, adding descriptions doesn’t reduce the number of sitelinks that can show, so you’re not “trading quantity for detail”—you’re usually increasing overall usefulness.

Schedule sitelinks like a merchandiser

Sitelinks can be scheduled with start/end dates and even day-of-week/time-of-day windows. This is a simple lever most accounts underuse. If you run promos, seasonal services, or office-hour-driven conversion paths (like “Call Now” alternatives), scheduling keeps your ad aligned with operational reality and avoids sending users into dead ends.

Use dynamic sitelinks carefully (they’re powerful, but you still need governance)

Dynamic sitelinks are created automatically and can show alongside or instead of your manual sitelinks when they’re expected to improve performance. They’re especially helpful for advertisers who can’t keep sitelinks perfectly updated across a large site, because they can surface relevant deep links without manual work.

That said, automation doesn’t mean “set and forget.” You should review what’s being generated. If a dynamic sitelink points to a page you don’t want to promote, you can pause or remove individual dynamic sitelinks, and you can opt out entirely if necessary (though I generally treat that as a last resort after you’ve cleaned up site structure and sitelink governance).

Policy and Eligibility Pitfalls (The Stuff That Silently Breaks Sitelinks)

Common disapproval triggers you can prevent

Sitelinks are subject to standard ad policies, but there are a few sitelink-specific requirements that trip advertisers up. Repeating the same link text across multiple sitelinks is not allowed, even if the destinations differ. Also, sitelink URLs are generally expected to match the domain of the ad’s final URL. There are limited exceptions for third-party destinations, but those require very clear, descriptive link text that includes the full domain so users understand where they’re going.

Another easy mistake is using excessive punctuation, symbols, or gimmicky formatting to draw attention. If punctuation doesn’t add meaning, it can be a compliance issue and can reduce the likelihood of approval or serving.

Why sitelinks don’t show even when they’re approved

Approval is not the same as serving. Sitelinks may not show if eligibility requirements aren’t met (for example, too few sitelinks available for the device) or if the system predicts low performance for that auction. This is normal behavior and is why sitelink strategy should focus on relevance, coverage, and clean structure—not just “creating a few links and hoping.”

How to Measure and Optimize Sitelinks (So They Keep Getting Better)

Track sitelink performance the right way

To optimize sitelinks, you need to evaluate them like mini landing-page campaigns. Use asset reporting to see impressions, clicks, and performance over time, and segment results so you can distinguish clicks on individual sitelinks versus clicks on other parts of the ad. This tells you which intent paths users actually want—and which sitelinks are just taking up eligibility space.

Be careful when interpreting totals. When multiple sitelinks serve together in one impression, each sitelink can receive its own impression count, but the “total” row may count that impression only once. If you don’t know this reporting behavior, it’s easy to misread scale.

A fast diagnostic checklist (when performance is flat)

Coverage: Do you have at least 4 sitelinks at the account level and at least 6 for high-volume areas, with at least 2 eligible for each device type?
Relevance: Are sitelinks tightly aligned to the campaign/ad group’s intent (not generic navigation that competes with your main CTA)?
Uniqueness: Is every sitelink’s text distinct (no near-duplicates like “Services” and “Our Services”)?
Descriptions: Are both description lines filled in for sitelinks you want to scale?
Scheduling: Are sitelinks scheduled in a way that accidentally limits eligibility during your peak ad serving hours?
Landing pages: Do sitelinks point to fast, conversion-focused pages rather than broad pages that dilute intent?

The optimization move that usually wins

If you only do one improvement, make it this: build sitelinks around your top converting user journeys (not your internal site structure). For example, instead of “About Us,” a lead-gen brand often performs better with “Pricing,” “Case Studies,” “Book a Call,” and “Industries.” That shift aligns sitelinks with decision-making, which is what drives real campaign lift.

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Section	Core Idea	Key Details & Best Practices	Practical Actions	Relevant Google Ads Docs
What sitelinks are	Sitelinks are now managed as sitellink assets that add extra clickable links beneath your main ad, each pointing to a different URL.	Use sitelinks to give users clear next steps like “Pricing,” “Services,” “Locations,” or “Book a Demo.” They expand your ad’s real estate and let users self-select the most relevant landing page, improving engagement and click quality.	Map 4–8 high-intent pages (e.g., pricing, key categories, lead-gen CTAs) and build them as sitelink assets instead of sending all traffic to a generic homepage.	About sitelink assets About assets
Where sitelinks can appear	Sitelinks are compatible with Search, Performance Max, YouTube Video, and Demand Gen campaigns, but formats and counts vary by device and placement.	In Search and Performance Max, ads can show multiple sitelinks: up to six on desktop (stacked or side-by-side) and up to eight on mobile (usually a carousel). Video and Demand Gen placements typically show fewer links (commonly up to four). You generally need at least two eligible sitelinks per device type for them to show at all.	Ensure you have at least two high-quality sitelinks that make sense on both mobile and desktop, and build additional sitelinks for top Search/Performance Max campaigns where extra depth is valuable.	How sitelink assets appear
How sitelinks boost performance	They increase both visibility and usefulness of your ads, which can lift click-through rate and improve conversion efficiency.	Sitelinks make ads larger and more prominent while reducing friction by letting users jump directly to the content they care about. Clicks to deeper-intent pages like “Pricing” or “Book Appointment” are often closer to conversion than clicks to a broad homepage.	Review your top-converting landing pages and replicate those paths as sitelinks to capture higher-intent clicks, instead of using generic navigation labels.	Sitelink asset benefits and cost Assets and cost-per-click
Ad experience & Ad Strength	Sitelinks are part of a complete asset strategy that improves overall ad quality, flexibility, and the options Google has in each auction.	Strong sitelink coverage (especially with descriptions) increases relevance and gives the system more layout options. Responsive search ad headlines and descriptions can sometimes be shown in areas that historically housed sitelinks when predicted to perform better, so the goal is breadth and quality in your overall asset mix.	Audit your top campaigns for sitelink coverage; add descriptive sitelinks to fill obvious gaps (e.g., “Pricing,” “Case Studies,” “Contact,” “Free Trial”) so Google can assemble stronger combinations.	About assets and when they show
Cost & click behavior	There’s no extra fee to add sitelinks; clicks on sitelinks are billed like headline clicks, with protection against excessive multi-click charges.	In Search and Performance Max, a click on a sitelink is charged the same as a click on the main headline within that impression. You’re typically not charged for more than two clicks per ad impression, and very rapid multi-click behavior can be treated as duplicate or invalid and not billed.	Confidently add more sitelinks without worrying about “extra” charges; focus on using them to route users to the best-converting destinations.	Sitelink assets and billing Cost of clicks on assets
Intent-based sitelink strategy	Build sitelinks around user decision-making, not just your site’s navigation structure.	For services, sitelinks should reflect categories, pricing, proof (case studies, testimonials), and the next step (book, contact). For ecommerce, focus on top categories, offers, shipping/returns, and major brand or model groupings. A good rule: each sitelink should answer “What is the next question the user will ask after reading the headline?”	Rewrite generic sitelinks (“Home,” “About Us”) into intent-based options (“Pricing,” “Book a Call,” “Case Studies,” “Best Sellers”) that move users closer to conversion.	Best practices for sitelink assets
Account vs campaign vs ad group vs asset group	Sitelinks can be associated at multiple levels, and higher-level sitelinks can serve alongside more granular ones within the same hierarchy branch.	Account-level sitelinks can serve across all eligible campaigns. Campaign-level sitelinks apply to all ad or asset groups within that campaign, and ad group or asset group sitelinks add extra specificity. Only sitelinks in the same account > campaign > ad group or asset group “branch” can serve together.	Create a strong, evergreen account-level baseline (e.g., Pricing, Contact, Key Category), then layer campaign- or ad-group-level sitelinks for specific offers, product lines, or audiences.	Sitelink assets at different levels
Writing & formatting sitelinks	Short, distinct link text and descriptive lines improve eligibility and how sitelinks render.	Sitelink text is generally limited to about 25 characters in most languages, with shorter limits in some double-width languages. Shorter text tends to render more often and in higher counts. Every sitelink’s text should be unique; repeating or near-duplicate text can prevent them from serving together. Adding both description lines makes sitelinks more informative and can unlock more prominent layouts without reducing how many sitelinks can show.	Rewrite sitelinks to be concise, specific labels (e.g., “Enterprise Pricing” instead of “Learn About Our Flexible Pricing Options”) and add two clear description lines to priority sitelinks.	Sitelink formatting and limits Sitelink asset requirements
Scheduling sitelinks	You can schedule sitelinks by date and by day/time, which is underused but powerful for promos and time-sensitive paths.	Start/end dates and day-of-week or time-of-day windows keep sitelinks aligned with promotions, seasonal services, and operational hours (e.g., “Chat Now” only when support is online). Poor scheduling can silently limit sitelink eligibility.	Add schedules for promo- and season-specific sitelinks, and review schedules during big campaigns to ensure your highest-value paths are eligible during peak ad serving hours.	Scheduling sitelink assets
Dynamic sitelinks	Dynamic sitelinks are automated assets that Google creates from your site when they’re predicted to improve performance.	They can show alongside or instead of manual sitelinks, especially useful on large sites where keeping every deep link manually updated is hard. However, they still need governance: you should regularly review which dynamic sitelinks are being generated and remove or pause any that lead to low-value or off-brand pages. You can opt out completely if needed, but that’s usually a last resort after cleaning up site structure and manual sitelink coverage.	Turn on dynamic sitelinks if you have broad inventory, then review automated assets regularly and disable any that don’t align with your goals or compliance requirements.	About Google Ads automated assets Automated vs manual assets
Policy & disapproval pitfalls	Sitelinks must follow standard ad policies plus some sitelink-specific rules that commonly cause disapprovals.	Reusing identical or very similar link text across multiple sitelinks is not allowed, even if each goes to a different page. Sitelink URLs are generally expected to share the same domain as the ad’s final URL; limited exceptions (like third-party sites) require clearly descriptive link text that includes the destination’s domain name so users understand where they’re going. Excessive punctuation, symbols, or gimmicky formatting can lead to policy issues and lower approval/serving likelihood.	Audit existing sitelinks for duplicate or near-duplicate text, off-domain destinations, and “attention-grabbing” formatting; rework or remove anything that may conflict with sitelink asset requirements.	Sitelink asset requirements
Why approved sitelinks don’t always show	Approval ≠ serving; sitelinks only show when eligibility and performance thresholds are met.	Even eligible sitelinks may not appear if you have too few for the device type, if scheduling or structure limits their availability, or if Google predicts that showing them won’t help performance in a particular auction. This is normal and underscores the need for broad, relevant coverage rather than relying on a small set of assets.	If sitelinks rarely show, first check quantity, schedules, and hierarchy (account/campaign/ad group), then iterate on relevance instead of assuming a technical issue.	When sitelink assets are eligible to show
Measuring sitelink performance	Treat sitelinks like mini campaigns and use asset reporting to see which paths users actually choose.	The Assets view lets you see impressions, clicks, and cost for sitelinks at account, campaign, and ad group levels. Individual sitelink rows show impressions per sitelink; the total row counts unique impressions where any sitelink appeared, so it may not equal the sum of individual rows when multiple sitelinks show together in one impression.	Regularly review sitelink asset reporting, segmenting by individual sitelink to find top performers and underperformers. Remove or replace sitelinks that get impressions but low engagement or poor conversion outcomes.	Measure ad asset performance Upgraded assets reporting
Diagnostic checklist	A structured review helps troubleshoot flat performance and limited sitelink serving.	Check: (1) Coverage – at least four sitelinks at account level and six in high-volume areas, with at least two per device type; (2) Relevance – sitelinks aligned to the campaign’s intent, not generic navigation that competes with your main CTA; (3) Uniqueness – no duplicate or near-duplicate text; (4) Descriptions – two lines filled in for sitelinks you want to scale; (5) Scheduling – no accidental exclusions during peak times; (6) Landing pages – fast, conversion-focused destinations that match the sitelink promise.	Run this checklist quarterly (or before major campaigns) and update sitelinks accordingly to maintain strong eligibility and performance.	Sitelink asset setup and tips Sitelink requirements and restrictions
High-impact optimization move	Design sitelinks around top converting user journeys, not internal site architecture.	Replacing low-intent or informational sitelinks (like “About Us”) with high-intent decision paths (such as “Pricing,” “Case Studies,” “Book a Call,” “Industries”) usually delivers the biggest lift. This aligns sitelinks with real decision-making stages instead of simple navigation.	Identify your top conversion paths in analytics, then rebuild sitelinks to mirror those journeys and test impact on conversion rate and cost per lead/sale.	Use asset performance data to refine sitelinks

If you’re starting to treat sitelinks as a core part of your Google Ads strategy (not just a nice-to-have), Blobr can help you operationalize the work: it connects to your account, reviews your existing sitelink assets across account, campaign, and ad group levels, and highlights what’s likely holding them back—like duplicate text, thin coverage, or links that don’t match user intent. In particular, Blobr’s Sitelink Extension Optimizer agent can crawl your site and use performance signals (including Google Ads and Search Console landing-page data) to suggest concise, intent-based sitelinks with optional descriptions, so you can route clicks to pages like Pricing, Case Studies, or Book a Demo and then track which paths actually perform in asset reporting.