Show or hide extensions in the preview
Preview settings controls what a search ad's live preview shows: which extensions appear, your own assets or sample ones, how many snippet values show, and two or three headlines. It is the sliders icon in the bar above the live preview.
Open Preview settings
On a responsive search ad, the sliders icon sits in the bar above the live preview, after the Desktop view and Mobile view icons. Hover over it to see Preview settings. Click it, make your changes, then click Apply. Cancel closes it with no change.
On Performance Max, the same icon has switches for Sitelinks, Callouts, and Structured snippets, Values shown per snippet, and on the Search tab the headline choice too. Performance Max has no Asset source choice. Demand Gen and the other formats do not have Preview settings. To hide a whole placement instead, such as a Gmail or Discover view, see Placements.
How do I turn off callouts or sitelinks in the preview?
Turn off callouts, sitelinks or any other extension in Preview settings. Click the sliders icon above the live preview, switch off Callouts or the row you want hidden, then click Apply. Under Ad extensions there is a row each for Sitelinks, Callouts, Structured snippets, Call extension, Image assets, and App extension. Turn a switch off to hide that extension in the preview, then click Apply. Turn it back on to show it again.
Each row counts the ones that show for the campaign or ad group on screen, such as 3 added. When there are none, the row says Not set up and has Set up instead of a switch. Click Set up to add one. App extension always has a switch. With Asset source set to Placeholder, the counts are for the sample extensions.
When you have turned a row off, the sliders icon is amber with a dot. New previews start that way, because App extension starts off. Hiding an extension only changes the preview. It does not delete anything. A hidden extension is also left out of Copy as image and Download variations as ZIP.
If a row said Not set up and you then add or check one of that extension for the ad group, the row turns itself back on. A row you turned off while it still had extensions stays off until you turn it on.
Who sees my Preview settings?
Everyone who opens the preview. The extension switches, Asset source, and Values shown per snippet are saved on the preview, so your teammates and your client see the same thing. The headline choice is the exception, see below.
Your client cannot change Preview settings from a client link. They see the sliders icon only when something is hidden, and it is greyed out. If saving fails, the preview shows Couldn't save preview settings. Please try again. If your workspace is view-only, Preview settings cannot be changed.
Choose which extensions show on an ad group
Click a sitelink, callout, or snippet on the live preview, or click Set up in Preview settings. On a search ad, hovering over one shows Click to edit. A list opens, such as Sitelinks on this ad group, with the subtitle Check the ones that should show on this ad group. Check the ones that should show, then click Apply to ad group. The footer counts how many will be associated and how many will be de-associated. One you leave unchecked stays off that ad group, even when it is shared with the whole account. To add another, click + New sitelink, or the matching button for that extension. The pencil on a row edits it.
The list holds the extensions that belong to this dashboard: the ones created in it, and the ones already used by its campaigns or ad groups.
Why an extension edit does not show
- Its switch is off. Open Preview settings and check its row.
- Asset source is set to Placeholder. Placeholder shows sample extensions instead of yours. Pick Actual assets and click Apply.
- It is not checked for the ad group on screen. The preview only shows the extensions set for the campaign or ad group you are looking at. Click one on the preview to open its list, check it, and click Apply to ad group. You can also check its association in Assets.
- It belongs to another dashboard. The live preview only loads extensions and business names that belong to this preview's dashboard, meaning the ones created in it plus the ones used by its campaigns or ad groups. One you made in another client's dashboard does not show here, even when it is shared with the whole account, until you use it on a campaign or ad group in this dashboard.
- It is in rotation. Each ad in the preview shows one structured snippet, one image, and a share of your sitelinks and callouts. The rest rotate between ads. Click Shuffle, or show Three Ads or Five Ads, to see the others. To keep one in place, pin it from its card in the asset library with Pin position.
Remove Install app from a search ad
The Install app line on a search ad preview is the App extension. It is a sample app-download button, not one of your assets, and its text cannot be edited. To remove it, open Preview settings, turn off App extension, and click Apply. New previews start with it off.
How many snippet values show
When structured snippets are on, Values shown per snippet sets how many values each snippet shows. Default is each placement's standard, all values on desktop and up to 4 on mobile. Use the minus and plus buttons to step from Default to 3, then up to 10, then All. A number shows the first that many values everywhere. All shows every value in the snippet. The control only appears while Structured snippets is switched on and has at least one snippet.
Show two or three headlines
Under Headlines shown in preview, pick Standard (2H) for two headlines or Expanded (3H) for three, then click Apply. Standard is how most Google ads appear. Expanded is shown when Google finds the ad eligible. A headline pinned to position 3 does not show in the two-headline layout, and the card says Pinned position 3 won't show in 2-headline layout. Unlike the extension switches, this choice is saved in your browser, not on the preview, so a teammate keeps their own choice. A client link you copy while Standard (2H) is on opens with two headlines.