Why is my promotion extension not displaying?

What it really means when a “promotion extension” isn’t displaying

If you’re looking for a “promotion extension,” you’re not crazy—Google Ads renamed extensions to assets. So the issue is usually that your promotion asset is either not eligible to serve, not approved, or it’s eligible but simply not being selected in the auction.

It’s also important to level-set expectations: even a fully approved promotion asset is never guaranteed to show on every search. Assets are assembled dynamically, and the system will only show the combination it predicts will perform best—provided your ad clears the thresholds to show additional assets in the first place.

Eligibility issues: the asset can’t show (or can only show in specific places)

1) You’re checking the wrong surface (Search vs Maps vs YouTube placements)

Promotion assets can serve with Search Network text ads and can also appear with Shorts and in-stream video ads. If you’re expecting a promotion asset to show in a place it doesn’t serve (or you’re testing in a way that doesn’t trigger that placement), it will look like it’s “not working” when it’s actually behaving normally.

A common gotcha: QR code and barcode promotions don’t serve on Search (and don’t serve on Shorts or in-stream video either). Those are Maps-only experiences. If your promotion is QR/barcode-based and you’re refreshing Search results looking for it, you’ll never see it.

2) Your scheduling or date setup prevents serving (especially with “Occasions”)

When you pick an “Occasion” (like Black Friday, Back-to-school, etc.), you’re opting into an allowed date window for that occasion. You can narrow it down, but you generally can’t set dates outside that occasion’s range. If you need full control over dates, don’t use an occasion—set your own start/end dates and (optionally) days/hours.

Also note that promotion assets can be scheduled very precisely (date ranges, days of week, times of day). If your campaign is active but your promotion asset is scheduled outside the times you’re testing, it will appear as if it’s not eligible.

3) Your occasion-based promotion is “stale” and automatically stopped

Occasion-specific promotion assets have an extra rule that catches advertisers every year: they must be created or edited within a defined time window before the occasion begins (and if they haven’t been modified for a long period, they can automatically stop serving). Practically, that means copying last year’s promo and “turning it back on” without editing it can fail silently—everything looks fine, but it won’t serve.

4) The asset is attached at the wrong level (or being overridden)

Promotion assets can be added at the account, campaign, or ad group level. The most specific level wins. So an ad group-level promotion asset will override campaign-level and account-level promotion assets, and campaign-level overrides account-level.

This becomes a real issue when you swear you “added the promotion,” but you added it at the account level while a campaign (or ad group) has its own promotion assets—or vice versa. Your asset may be approved, but it’s simply not the one that’s eligible to serve for that particular ad group.

Status and policy issues: the asset is limited, under review, or disapproved

1) The asset (or the ad) is still under review

Most reviews complete within one business day, but some can take longer. If you launched a new promotion and immediately started searching for it, you may just be too early. This is especially common when you create multiple assets quickly or make several edits in a short window.

2) The asset is “Approved (limited)” or the ad is “Eligible (limited)”

Limited statuses typically mean the system can run your ad/asset, but not in all situations due to policy restrictions (for example, certain restricted categories or trademark-related limitations). In real life, that can look exactly like “it’s not showing,” because your tests happen to fall into the restricted scenarios.

If you’re troubleshooting “not showing,” always look at Policy details for the asset and the ad. That’s where the system tells you what’s being restricted and why.

3) Promotion-asset-specific compliance problems (very common)

Promotion assets are subject to standard ad policies, plus additional requirements. One of the most frequent disapproval triggers is the promo code field: it must contain an actual promo code—not a product description, phone number, or general promotional statement.

Beyond that, promotion assets are often impacted by issues that feel “basic” but are enforced consistently: clarity and formatting (capitalization, symbols), relevance (the promotion details must match the advertiser and the offer being advertised), and offer accuracy/availability (users must be able to find the offer easily on the landing page, and the offer must match what the asset implies).

Auction dynamics: the asset is eligible, but the system chooses not to show it

1) Your Ad Rank/position isn’t high enough to earn the extra real estate

Google Ads requires a minimum Ad Rank before showing additional assets with your ad. Even if your promotion asset is approved and perfectly set up, it may not appear if your bids and/or overall ad quality aren’t strong enough to clear the thresholds where extra assets are allowed.

On top of that, there’s limited space on the Search results page—especially above the organic results. Higher-position ads generally get the first opportunity to show more assets. Lower-position ads often show fewer (or no) incremental assets because the system won’t give an ad in a lower position a “bigger” format if it expects that the better outcome would be winning a higher position instead.

2) Another asset combination is predicted to perform better

In each auction, Google Ads typically shows the most useful combination of eligible assets and formats. If you have multiple assets enabled (sitelinks, callouts, images, structured snippets, prices, etc.), your promotion asset may lose the slot to a different combination that’s expected to generate a higher click-through rate or better overall performance for that specific query, device, and user context.

A practical troubleshooting workflow (the fastest way I diagnose this in real accounts)

• Confirm the promotion type and where it can serve. If it’s QR/barcode-based, stop testing on Search and validate on Maps-eligible scenarios instead.
• Check the asset’s Status and Policy details. Look for Under review, Disapproved, Approved (limited), or any policy notes that restrict serving.
• Check the ad’s Status and Policy details too. If the ad is Eligible (limited) or not eligible, the asset won’t matter.
• Verify association and level. Confirm the promotion asset is attached to the right account/campaign/ad group and not being overridden by a more specific promotion asset elsewhere.
• Audit scheduling. Check start/end dates and days/hours. If you used an Occasion, confirm you didn’t accidentally box yourself into an occasion date window that doesn’t match your intended run dates.
• Reality-check Ad Rank and position. If your ads rarely appear in strong positions, assume assets will be inconsistent. Improve quality signals and/or bidding to earn formats with additional assets.

How to make promotion assets show more often (without trying to “force” them)

Build the promotion like a user—and a reviewer—will experience it

The easiest win is aligning the promotion asset to a landing page that makes the offer unmissable. If the promo requires a code, ensure the code is clearly presented and works; if there are conditions (minimum spend, eligibility, expiration), present them cleanly and consistently. Promotion assets are meant to reduce friction, not create it—and the system tends to favor assets that deliver a reliable user experience.

Use clean, compliant inputs (especially promo codes and formatting)

Keep the promo code field strictly to a real code. Avoid stuffing extra copy, phone numbers, or “salesy” language where it doesn’t belong. Keep capitalization and symbols professional and readable. If you’ve ever thought, “This looks a little spammy, but it might increase CTR,” assume it will either be disapproved or limited—and even if approved, it may be less likely to serve consistently.

Earn the right to show more assets by improving Ad Rank drivers

If your promotion asset is eligible but rarely appears, the fix is often not inside the asset—it’s in the auction strength of the campaign. Improving relevance (tighter ad group themes, stronger ad-to-keyword alignment, landing page consistency), reducing wasted spend that drags performance, and using bids/bidding strategies that actually win competitive auctions will typically increase how often you see richer ad formats, including promotion assets.

Reduce internal competition between assets when promotion visibility is the priority

If your account is asset-heavy, your promotion asset may be constantly competing with other formats for limited space. When a major sale is the business priority, I often simplify the “message stack” by ensuring the promotion is the most compelling incremental detail for that period. You don’t have to remove other assets permanently—but temporarily tightening and clarifying your asset set can help the system more confidently choose the promotion message when it matters.

If you’re still unsure why your promotion extension (now a “promotion asset”) isn’t showing, it often comes down to a small eligibility detail—like looking in the wrong UI section, testing on an ineligible surface (Search vs Maps), a date/occasion window that blocks serving, an attachment override at a more specific level, pending or limited policy status, or simply Ad Rank and competing assets winning the slot. Blobr can help you stay on top of these kinds of issues by plugging into your Google Ads account, continuously monitoring changes and statuses, and surfacing clear, prioritized actions to investigate and fix—while specialized AI agents can also support related work like improving ad copy and aligning landing pages so your promos have the best chance to serve consistently.