Why are my callout extensions not showing?

How callout assets actually “show” (and why “Eligible” doesn’t mean “Visible”)

Serving is decided auction-by-auction, not by your settings alone

Callout extensions (now called callout assets) are not guaranteed to appear every time your ad appears. In each auction, the system decides whether adding callouts is likely to improve expected performance for that specific search, on that device, in that placement. Even when everything is set up correctly, you can still see callouts show sometimes, show with different combinations, or not show at all.

Also, the ad needs to clear a minimum threshold for assets to show. Practically, that means Ad Rank and position matter: when you’re barely showing (or showing low on the page), callouts are often the first thing to drop off. When your ad is strong enough to earn more prominence, assets are much more likely to appear.

Assets compete for limited space—and the system picks winners

Your callouts don’t exist in isolation. If your account is eligible for other assets (sitelinks, images, structured snippets, call, location, automated assets, etc.), the system prioritizes the combination expected to perform best within the space available. So a very common scenario is: “My callouts are approved and eligible, but sitelinks (and/or images) are taking the available real estate, so callouts don’t render.”

Level matters: ad group assets can block campaign/account assets

Callout assets can be added at the account, campaign, or ad group level. A subtle but important rule: if you have callouts at a more granular level, those can prevent higher-level callouts from serving. In other words, even one ad group-level callout can make your campaign-level callouts ineligible for that ad group. This trips up a lot of advertisers who “see callouts in the library” but don’t see the ones they expect on live ads.

Device and placement change the layout (and the number of callouts)

Callouts can show differently by device and context. On desktop they often appear in a single line separated by dots; on mobile they may wrap more like short phrases in a paragraph-style block. Between device type, query length, and which other assets are showing, the same ad group can display anywhere from zero callouts to multiple callouts.

The most common reasons your callout extensions aren’t showing (and how to diagnose them fast)

1) You’re using a campaign type where callouts won’t serve

Callout assets are designed primarily for Search campaigns (and Search campaigns opted into the Display Network). If you’re expecting callouts to show in other campaign types, you may be looking for something that isn’t supported in that format. The quickest check is to confirm you’re actually looking at a Search campaign where callout assets are eligible.

2) Your callouts are scheduled… but not for the moment you’re checking

Callouts can be scheduled with start dates, end dates, and day/time schedules. I regularly see “not showing” cases where the callouts were set up for a past promo window, or only weekdays, or a time zone mismatch caused the asset to be inactive during the advertiser’s spot checks.

3) The callouts are disapproved (often for punctuation, repetition, or trademark issues)

Callout assets follow standard policy and also have specific requirements. The most common disapproval patterns I see are attention-grabbing punctuation/symbols and repetition. Repetition is especially sneaky: if your callout repeats text that’s already present in another callout, in your ad text, or even in sitelink text within the same scope, you can run into serving limitations or disapprovals depending on the exact situation.

4) You created callouts—but at the “wrong” level for how your account is structured

If you add callouts at the campaign level and later add even a single callout at the ad group level, you may unintentionally block the campaign-level set from serving for that ad group. This makes it look like “callouts stopped showing,” when in reality the system is now choosing only from the ad group-level pool (which might be tiny, weaker, or scheduled differently).

5) Your ad isn’t ranking high enough to earn asset space consistently

If you’re often in lower positions (or drifting in and out of impressions due to budget, bids, or quality), callouts can be suppressed. This is one of the most common root causes when advertisers say, “But my callouts are eligible.” Eligibility is necessary, but your ad still needs enough Ad Rank in that auction for the format to render with assets.

6) Other assets are simply outperforming your callouts

Even when your ad has strong rank, the system may show other assets instead. This is normal. If you have sitelinks with strong engagement, for example, they may be prioritized, and callouts may only appear in auctions where they add incremental value.

7) You’re relying on a preview that doesn’t match real auctions

It’s fine to use preview tools to confirm basic eligibility, but don’t treat a single preview as proof an asset “never shows.” Real serving varies by query, user context, device, and competition. If you want the truth, look at your asset-level performance reporting over a meaningful date range rather than spot-checking a handful of searches.

Quick diagnostic checklist (use this before you rewrite anything)

 
• Confirm campaign type: You’re checking a Search campaign where callouts can serve.
 
• Check asset status: Approved/Eligible (and not Limited or Disapproved).
 
• Check scheduling: No expired end dates; schedules match your account time zone and when you’re testing.
 
• Check level conflicts: Ad group callouts may be blocking campaign/account callouts.
 
• Check policy patterns: Unnecessary punctuation/symbols; repetition across callouts/ad text/sitelinks; trademark usage.
 
• Check Ad Rank signals: If you’re mostly lower on the page, expect fewer assets.

Solutions that reliably increase callout visibility (without gaming the system)

Fix the structure first: build a clean “callout hierarchy”

Start by deciding what belongs at each level. Put universal benefits at the account level (things that are true for your whole business), then reserve campaign/ad group callouts for genuinely specific themes. This prevents accidental blocking and helps the system pull from a strong, relevant pool.

In practice, most healthy Search accounts end up with a base set at the account level (to ensure coverage) plus selective ad group callouts only where they add meaning. If you go heavy at the ad group level everywhere, you often create complexity that reduces consistency and makes troubleshooting harder.

Write callouts the system can actually use

Callouts work best when they add information that isn’t already obvious in your headlines, descriptions, or sitelinks. Keep them short (they have tight character limits), specific, and non-repetitive. If your callout is just restating the same promise that appears in the RSA headlines, it’s less likely to be selected—and in some cases can trigger repetition issues.

Strong callouts usually fall into a few buckets: shipping/returns, availability, support, credentials, customization, speed, guarantees, and key differentiators. Weak callouts are typically generic hype, vague superlatives, or recycled headline text.

Raise the probability of assets showing by improving Ad Rank (the right way)

If callouts “never” show, don’t just keep adding more callouts—fix what’s underneath. Improving rank and relevance increases how often the ad can show with richer formats. The cleanest levers are better intent alignment (tighter ad group/keyword-to-ad alignment), stronger RSA asset variety, higher-quality landing pages that match the query, and bids/bidding strategies that keep you competitive in your key auctions.

Keep automated callouts enabled—then curate, don’t fight

Dynamic callouts (automatically created callouts) can show alongside or instead of your manual callouts when they’re expected to help performance. In most accounts, leaving them enabled increases total coverage because it gives the system more options. If you see irrelevant or on-brand-but-unhelpful automated callouts, pause or remove the specific ones rather than opting out entirely.

Use reporting to confirm what’s happening (and avoid guesswork)

When troubleshooting, I’m looking for two things: whether the callouts are eligible, and whether they’re getting impressions/clicks at the asset level. Once you have a week or two of data, you can make smarter decisions: replace low-serving callouts, shorten wordier ones, remove overlaps with sitelinks/ad text, and keep the ones that consistently earn impressions in the auctions you care about.

Callout extensions can be properly set up and still not show because Google serves assets auction by auction: if your Ad Rank is low, other assets (like sitelinks or images) are predicted to perform better, or the available space is limited on a given device/layout, callouts are often the first to be dropped. It’s also common to run into structural blockers (for example, an ad group–level callout preventing campaign- or account-level callouts from serving), simple eligibility issues (checking a non-Search campaign), scheduling/time-zone mismatches, or policy limitations and disapprovals due to punctuation, repetition, or trademark wording. If you want a faster way to diagnose what’s happening and keep your callouts both compliant and distinctive, Blobr connects to your Google Ads account and can run specialized AI agents like its Callout Extension Optimizer to review real asset-level data, spot conflicts and low-serving assets, and suggest ready-to-implement improvements based on what’s actually winning impressions.