Google Ads callout assets: limits, levels and what gets disapproved

Google Ads callout assets are short lines of non-clickable text, up to 25 characters each in most languages, that appear under a Search ad to state facts the headlines had no room for, such as "Free returns" or "Open 7 days". They cost nothing to add, they can be set at account, campaign or ad group level, and the most specific level wins when more than one exists.

That is the short version. The rest of this guide covers where callouts actually show, how they differ from sitelinks and structured snippets, how many to write, which level to put them at, what gets them disapproved, how they connect to Ad Rank, and how to read their numbers in the assets report without fooling yourself.

What google ads callout assets are and where they show

A callout is a piece of text attached to a Search ad. It has no URL of its own and no description line. Its job is to carry one specific selling point in a few words. Google can show callouts with ads at the top and the bottom of the search results page, on the Search Network, and in Search campaigns that have opted into the Display Network.

The layout changes by device. On a computer, callouts sit on one line, separated by dots. On mobile and tablet they wrap into paragraph form beneath the ad. Google can show up to 10 callouts in addition to the ad text, but how many actually appear in a given impression depends on character spacing, the browser and the device.

Callouts do not show on every impression. The system picks, from your eligible pool, the callouts it predicts will help that ad perform best in that auction. So adding a callout makes it eligible; it does not guarantee it will appear.

There are also dynamic callouts. Google can generate callout text automatically from your site and show it alongside, or instead of, the callouts you wrote. Google's own help page recommends keeping dynamic callouts on. If an automatically created callout says something you do not want shown, you can pause or remove that individual asset.

Callouts vs sitelinks vs structured snippets

These three asset types sit in the same space under an ad and are easy to confuse. The difference comes down to what each one does when someone looks at it.

• Callouts are free text, up to 25 characters, not clickable. Use them for benefits and proof points: "24-hour support", "No setup fee", "Thai and English staff".
• Sitelinks are clickable links to specific pages on your site. The link text is also limited to 25 characters in most languages. A click on a sitelink is charged at the same rate as a headline click, and you are not charged for more than 2 clicks per ad impression.
• Structured snippets are a header chosen from Google's fixed list (such as Brands, Courses, Destinations, Service catalog, Types) followed by at least 3 values. They are not clickable either, and they describe the range of what you sell rather than why someone should pick you.

A useful way to split the work: sitelinks send people somewhere, structured snippets list what you have, callouts say why you. If a phrase would make sense as a page on your site, it is probably a sitelink. If it is a list of items in one category, it is a structured snippet. If it is a claim about service, price policy or delivery, it is a callout.

Character limits and how many callouts to add

The limit is 25 characters in most languages and 12 characters in double-width languages, which Google names as Chinese, Japanese and Korean. Thai is not on that double-width list, so Thai callouts work against the 25-character limit. Thai vowel and tone marks can make a line look shorter than its character count, so trust the counter in the editor rather than your eye.

Google does not publish a minimum number of callouts you must add. Since up to 10 can show and the system chooses among what you supply, giving it a pool of several distinct callouts at the level that serves an ad is more useful than giving it one or two. A pool also gives the system room to rotate options on a phone, where space is tight, and on desktop, where more fit.

Shorter usually shows more often. If two of your callouts say similar things, cut one and replace it with a different fact. Duplicates do not help, and as covered below, repetition can get a callout disapproved.

A worked example (illustrative)

An illustrative aircon cleaning business in Bangkok might write these callouts at campaign level: "Same-day booking" (16 characters), "Fixed price per unit" (20), "Technicians in 50 districts" (27, too long, so cut to "Covering all of Bangkok", 23), "Weekend slots" (13), "Thai and English service" (24). The numbers in brackets are character counts; the business, district count and offers are examples only, not data.

Account, campaign and ad group level callouts, and which one wins

You can add callouts at three levels: account, campaign and ad group. When callouts exist at a more specific level, they prevent the higher-level callouts from serving for those ads. An ad group with its own callouts will not use the campaign callouts. A campaign with its own callouts will not use the account callouts.

This catches people out. A common mistake is adding one specific callout to a single ad group, for example "Free first consultation" for a promo, and not noticing that the ad group has just lost every general callout from the campaign above it. If you add anything at ad group level, add the general callouts you still want there too.

The practical split that Google's help page suggests: put general callouts that apply to the whole business at account or campaign level, and put specific ones at ad group level. "Licensed since 2010" (an example) can live at account level. "Next-day delivery on printers" belongs in the printer ad group.

Editing a shared callout changes it everywhere it is used, in every campaign and ad group that shares it, and its performance statistics are kept. That is convenient for a typo fix, but think twice before rewriting the meaning of a callout used in twenty ad groups. If the claim changes, a new asset gives you a clean set of numbers.

Scheduling callouts

Callouts can carry a schedule. Under Advanced options you can set start and end dates, and add day-of-week and time-of-day timeframes. That makes them useful for time-bound facts: "Open until 10pm" scheduled only for the evenings it is true, or a seasonal offer that ends on a fixed date. Never leave a callout running past the date it stops being true. An out-of-date offer is a broken promise in the ad and a likely complaint.

What to write, and what gets disapproved

Good callouts are specific and checkable. "Great service" says nothing. "Reply within 1 hour" says something a person can hold you to. A few categories that tend to produce useful callouts:

• Price policy: "No hidden fees", "Free quote", "Pay on delivery".
• Speed and availability: "Same-day dispatch", "Open on Sundays".
• Proof points you can back up: years trading, certifications, warranty length.
• Service details: languages spoken, areas covered, payment options.

Every claim has to match the landing page and the real offer. If the callout says "Free installation" and the page lists an installation fee, the ad is misleading the user and the click is wasted at best.

Google's callout requirements page covers three areas:

1. Punctuation and symbols used only to draw attention. That covers exclamation marks, punctuation at the start of the text, and decorative symbols such as arrows.
2. Repetition. Text cannot repeat within a callout, or repeat text from other callouts, the ad text or sitelink text in the same ad group, campaign or account. Google's own example: if the ad text and an account-level callout both say "Free shipping", the callout gets disapproved.
3. Trademark misuse. Google can remove ads or assets after a complaint from a trademark owner, and the advertiser is responsible for using trademarks properly.

Callouts also follow the standard Google Ads policies that apply to all ads. The repetition rule is the one most worth checking in practice, because it is easy to write "Free delivery" in a headline and then add it again as a callout without thinking. Use the callout for a fact the headlines do not already state.

Do callouts affect Ad Rank and CTR?

Yes, Google lists assets as an Ad Rank factor. Ad Rank considers the expected impact of your ad assets and other ad formats alongside your bid, ad and landing page quality, Ad Rank thresholds, auction competitiveness and the context of the search. Google Ads estimates how the assets you use will affect your ad's performance, and that estimate feeds into the ranking.

The relationship also runs the other way. Ad Rank decides whether your ad is eligible to appear with assets at all. An ad with low Ad Rank may show with no callouts even when you have added plenty.

On click-through rate, the honest answer is that it depends. Callouts make an ad take more space and carry more information, which can make it more likely to be clicked. But a callout that promises something irrelevant to the search does nothing, and Google decides per auction which callouts to show. Judge callouts by your own account numbers, not by a general rule.

Reading the assets report

Callout performance lives on the Assets page, which you reach from the Campaigns menu. The page lists assets with their status (whether each one is eligible to appear), impressions, clicks, CTR, cost and average CPC. Callouts are listed in the Associations table view, together with sitelinks, call assets and structured snippets; switch the Table view drop-down if you do not see them.

Two things to know before reading the numbers. First, the Clicks column on this page combines headline and asset clicks, and a callout has no link of its own, so read a callout's clicks as clicks on the ad while it was showing. The Click type segment separates headline clicks from asset clicks for asset types that can be clicked, such as sitelinks. Second, dynamic callouts may not appear in the Associations table. Their data sits in the account-level automated assets report, which you open from the three-dot menu at the top right of the table.

Add the Policy details column to see why a callout is disapproved or limited. Check it after any bulk change, since one repeated phrase can affect several ads.

What the report cannot tell you is the causal effect of one callout. An ad with callouts and the same ad without them do not run as a clean test inside this report. Treat callout impressions as a sign of what the system is choosing to show, and compare CTR between callouts only as a rough guide.

What this means for advertisers in Thailand

Callouts need to follow the language of the ad they sit under. A Thai-language ad group should carry Thai callouts, an English ad group English ones. Because Thai is not a double-width language for this limit, you get the full 25 characters. Keep each callout to one idea.

The other Thai-market point is about claims. Statements such as delivery times across provinces, payment methods like cash on delivery or bank transfer, and language support are concrete things a Thai buyer weighs, and they fit the callout format well. The same rule applies as anywhere: only state what the landing page and the business can back up.

Managing callouts across several campaigns, languages and schedules is the sort of detail that slips when an account grows. A Google Ads management service can keep the asset set in line with the real offer and check the policy column after changes.

FAQ about google ads callout assets

How many characters can a Google Ads callout have?

A callout can have up to 25 characters in most languages, or 12 characters in double-width languages such as Chinese, Japanese and Korean. Thai uses the 25-character limit.

Are callouts clickable?

No, callouts are not clickable and have no URL of their own. If you want a clickable link to a specific page under your ad, use a sitelink asset.

Why is my campaign-level callout not showing in one ad group?

The most likely reason is that the ad group has its own callouts, and callouts at a more specific level stop the higher-level ones from serving. Add the general callouts to that ad group as well, or remove the ad group callouts.

Why was my callout disapproved?

The usual causes are attention-grabbing punctuation or symbols, such as exclamation marks, and repetition of text already in the ad, other callouts or sitelinks. Turn on the Policy details column on the Assets page to see the exact reason.

Do callout assets cost money?

No, adding callouts is free. You pay the normal cost of a click on the ad, and callouts themselves cannot be clicked.

If you want a second pair of eyes on your asset setup, the Relevant Search Google Ads service covers account structure, assets and reporting. You can also start from the main Google Ads page to see how campaigns are planned and managed.