Google Ad Specs – Your Guide for 2025

February 03, 2025 at 16:35 PM EST

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Originally Posted On: https://www.veuno.com/google-ad-specs-your-guide-for-2025/

Google Ad Specs – Your Guide for 2025

Considering implementing Google Ads into your paid marketing strategy? Here’s your guide to all Google Ad specs, along with our expert campaign tips:

The Different Types of Google Ad Campaigns

There are 7 types of Google Ad Campaigns:

- Search
- Performance Max
- Display
- App
- Video
- Shopping
- Discovery

As of September 2022, all Smart campaigns have been automatically upgraded to Performance Max. These campaigns help you reach more shoppers across all Google Ads channels.

As of July 2022 you can no longer create a Local Ads campaign, and all current Local Campaigns will be automatically upgraded to Performance Max Campaigns.

As of June 30, 2022, you can no longer create or edit expanded text ads. They will continue to display on the Google Ad network. You will still be able to pause, resume or remove them if needed.

When creating your first Google Ad campaign, switch to expert mode for full control.

Google requests you set a campaign goal, but we recommend you create one without a goal’s guidance.

After selecting this option, you’ll be able to choose your campaign type and the ad format you’d like to use.

The format you choose depends on your strategy. How much your brand will need to invest time-wise and budget-wise will vary with each.

Ad formats available are Text, Image, App Promotion, Video, Shopping, and Call-only ads.

We break down the specs of the most popular Ad formats within each of the 7 different Google campaign types.

Here are the Google Ad specs for each campaign type:

Search Campaigns

Google Search Campaigns are text ads that show when someone performs a Google search. Search ads appear either at the top of the page above the organic search results or at the very bottom of the page. Search ads rely on keywords (words or phrases prospective customers use when searching for a product or service). You can also use Audiences based on a person’s Google profile information. Search campaigns are easy to set up and great for driving traffic, leads, sales, and email sign-ups. The average ROI for search ads is 200%!

Here’s what Google Search Ads look like:

Google Ad Specs for Responsive Search Ads

Responsive Search Ads cycle through up to 15 headlines and four descriptions to serve tailored ads in response to individual queries.

Character lengths:

Headline: up to 15 headlines, 30 character limit
Description: up to 4 descriptions, 90 character limit
Path field: 15 characters
Final URL: up to 2048 characters

Note: Special characters such as the umlaut and cedilla will show in your ad, it’s okay to include them. From June 30, 2022, you will no longer be able to create or edit expanded text ads. They will continue to display on the Google Ad network. You will still be able to pause, resume or remove them if needed. Tip 1: Set up conversion tracking before getting started with any of your campaigns. This is your way of telling Google what success means for you. For example, if you’re an eCommerce store, a conversion would be someone who purchases. If you are a SaaS company a conversion would be someone who submits your lead gen form. Tip 2: Specify location targeting to include or exclude locations depending on where you want to target.

Performance Max Campaign

With Performance Max campaigns you can access all available inventory from one single campaign. The intent is to support and boost your keyword-based Search campaigns, by displaying the same ads across all of Google’s channels including YouTube, Display, Search, Discover, Gmail, and Maps. Google Ads Performance Max campaigns are goal-based, designed to find you more conversions for your business, providing additional reach beyond keyword searches, and maximizing conversion value (hello ROAS). It is best to use Google Performance Max campaigns if you have specific goals in mind, such as driving more purchases or lead form submissions

Google Ad Specs for Performance Max Ads

When creating Performance Max Campaigns you need to provide assets that will serve as YouTube, Search, Gmail, Display, Maps and Discover ads. Assets consist of:

Image x 15
Logo x 5
Video x 5
Headline x 5
Long Headline x 5
Short Description x 1
Long Description x 4
Call-to-action
Business Name
Display Path

You also need to create an audience signal. Performance Max Google Ads uses this as a starting point to find new conversions across Google. Your audience signal can be based on current audiences, demographics, or a combination. Images

Landscape
- Aspect ratio: (1.91:1)
- Pixels: 1200 x 628 (minimum of 600 x 314)
- 1-20 images
Square
- Aspect Ratio: 1:1
- Pixels: 1200 x 1200 (minimum of 300 x 300)
- 1-20 images
Portrait (Optional)
- Aspect Ratio: 4:5
- Pixels: 960 x 1200 (minimum of 480 x 600)
- 1-20 images

Logos
- Square
  - Aspect ratio: (1:1)
  - Pixels: 1200 x 1200 (minimum of 128 x 128)
  - 1-5 images
- Landscape (Optional)
  - Aspect ratio: (4:1)
  - Pixels: 1200 x 300 (minimum of 512 x 128)
  - 1-5 images

Videos
- Videos must be longer than 10 seconds and uploaded to YouTube. You will need to copy+paste the YouTube link to upload to your Google Performance max campaign.
- If you don’t upload any videos, Google can automatically create videos using the assets you provide.
  - Video Specs:
    - Landscape (16:9): 10 seconds minimum, 1-5 videos.
    - Square (1:1): 10 seconds minimum, 1-5 videos.
    - Vertical (9:16): 10 seconds minimum, 1-5 videos.

Headlines
- Minimum of 3 headlines required, Maximum of 15
- Maximum length: 30 characters

Long Headlines
- Minimum of 1 long headline required, Maximum of 5
- Maximum length: 90 characters

Descriptions
- Minimum of one short description required
- Add one short description and up to four other descriptions
- Maximum length:
  - Short Description: 60 characters
  - Long Description: 90 characters

Call-to-Action
- Chose from the selection available or leave as automated which allows Google to automatically choose the most relevant CTA.

Business Name
- Depending on the layout of the ad, your business name may appear in the text of your ad.
- Maximum Length: 25 characters

Note: Choose images and logos that meet the recommended sizes or that can be cropped to these sizes. The maximum filesize for any image is 5120 KB.

Tip 1: Utilize the available assets space. The more assets, the better. More assets mean more combinations that can serve. The more combinations the better the chance of finding combinations with high performance.

Tip 2: Start your campaigns at least 3-4 weeks before any time-sensitive event such as a sale or a webinar. This will allow you to refresh your assets frequently and move from more generic content to conversion-focused assets. This practice allows you to do time-based promotions without compromising performance.

Display Campaigns

Google Display Campaigns have some of the lowest CPCs. They also have a large reach because the Google Display Network reaches 90% of netizens worldwide.

Google Display ads are banner ads come in many shapes and sizes, they are either text-based, image or video.

One of the reasons is that people ignore banner ads is a phenomenon known as ‘banner blindness’’. You must try to combat this issue while curating your display ad.

A Google display campaign allows you to run Responsive display ads, Uploaded display ads, and Engagement ads.

Here, we will go over Responsive display ads because they are the default ad type for the Google Display Network.

Google Ad Specs for Responsive Display Ads

Responsive display ads adapt size, appearance and format to available placements, maximizing performance.

Upload headlines, logos, images and descriptions for Google to create numerous ad variations. Google then optimizes for high-performance across the Display Network.

Google recommends starting with at least five images, five short headlines and five descriptions. Advertisers see 10% more conversions at a similar CPA when using multiple variations, than with a single set of assets.

Character lengths:

Short headline: Between 1 – 5 consisting of 30 characters max
Long headline: 90 characters max (long headlines can be shown without the description)
Description: 1 – 5 descriptions of 90 characters each
Business Name: 25 characters max
URLs: use https:// always

Images: These are the ideal sizes for Google Responsive display ad images:

Square:
- Aspect ratio: 1:1
- Pixels: 600 x 600 px (minimum of 300 x 300 px)
Landscape:
- Aspect ratio: 1.91:1
- Pixels: 1200 x 628 px (minimum of 600 x 314 px)
File type and size: JPG, PNG or non-animated GIFs, 5120KB max
Min and max requirements: minimum of two high-quality images, at least one each of the square and landscape format and up to 15 total

Logo (optional but recommended):

You can upload up to 5 different logos. We recommend you include one because if you don’t, Google will upload a neutral icon in its place!

Aspect ratio: 1:1 or 4:1 aspect ratio (it’s recommended you upload your logo using both)
File type and size: JPG, PNG, non-animated GIFs, 5120KB max

Notes: Text that covers more than 20% of the image is not allowed (including for logos)

Video (optional but recommended):

Landscape:
- Aspect ratio: 16:9
- Length: Any, 30 seconds is preferred
- Quantity: 1-5, 2 is recommended

Square:
- Aspect ratio: 1:1
- Length: Any, 30 seconds is preferred
- Quantity: 1-5, 2 is recommended

Vertical:
- Aspect ratio: 2:3
- Length: Any, 30 seconds is preferred
- Quantity: 1-5, 2 is recommended

Notes: Text that covers more than 20% of the image is not allowed (including for logos)

Tip 1: The best performing Google display ad is the Medium Rectangle (300 x 250) which appears on Mobile, Text and Display. Tip 2: Responsive display ads are sometimes shown without their description text. Google recommends making full use of your 90 characters long headline limit, so it can stand alone!

Google App Campaigns

Google App Campaigns allow you to run ads that appear across the Google network. This includes Google Search, Google Play, YouTube, Gmail, Google Display Network, and Discover on Google Search. Ads are also displayed on Google search partner sites and other publishers who host app ads.

With app campaigns, you don’t need to use keywords or placements to determine where you want your ads to appear. Google Ads identifies the highest-potential placements based on your App Store listing.

Choose App promotion when picking a goal in the campaign set up to make things easier.

There are three campaign subtypes:

App Installs: encourage people to download your app
App Engagement: engage users who already have your app installed and send them to a targeted landing page.
App pre-registration (Android Only): pre-registration ads are not available to all advertisers yet. They allow you to run pre-release promotional ads to build awareness around your upcoming app before it premieres on Google Play. If you run this type of ad, people who click on it can pre-register for your app or game on the Play store.

Google Ad Specs for App Ads

When creating a Google App Ad campaign, you must enter your specs under ‘Ad Assets’. Assets are components advertisers provide including text, images, videos, and where necessary, HTML5. You can enter at least two headlines and one description though it’s recommended you add up to 5 of each. You also have the option to add up to 20 videos, images, and HTML5 assets.

Here are the specs for each asset within a Google App ad:

Text

Headline character limit: 30 characters max
Description: 90 characters max

Video

Length: 10 seconds minimum
Orientation and ratio:
- landscape = 16:9
- Portrait = 2:3
- Square = 1:1
The recommendation is one of each, but if you can only do one, choose landscape.
Resolution: (Google doesn’t specify this but we recommend)
- landscape = 1920 x 1080 px
- Portrait = 1080 x 1620 px
- Square = 1080 x 1080
The recommendation is one of each, but if you can only do one, choose landscape.

The video must be uploaded to YouTube first Images

- File type and size: JPG or PNG with a 1024KB max for landscape
- Recommended pixels:
  - 320 x 50 px
  - 320 x 480 px
  - 300 x 250 px
- Recommended orientation:
  - For native ads, landscape and portrait images are the most valuable format.
  - For interstitial ads, portrait images are the most valuable format.

Best practice tip: Include a CTA in the image text HTML5

- File type and size: .ZIP with a max of 5MB.
- File limit: no more than 512 files within the .ZIP, 20 files per Ad group.
- Recommended HTML5 sizes:
  - Landscape interstitial = 480×320
  - Portrait interstitial (variable size) = 320×480
  - Fixed size = 300×250
  - Fixed size = 320×50
- ZIP File formats: .ZIP files can contain HTML, CSS, JS, GIF, PNG, JPG, JPEG, SVG(.ZIP files cannot contain other .ZIP files)

Best practices: 90 seconds is optimal HTML5 length. Urge users to install the app with a CTA at the end! Note: Sound and video are not supported for HTML5 ads in App campaigns Tip 1: Make sure to first set up mobile app conversion tracking. Google Ads will count installations as conversions for Android apps in the Play Store. You will need conversion tracking to track all other actions you count as a conversion. Tip 2: Use the Google Ads HTML5 Validator tool before uploading your .zip file to make sure your HTML5 assets meet the requirements.

Google Video Campaigns

At 11 minutes read, we decided adding a whole section on YouTube videos here would be too much. There’s a whole other post on Google Video Ads. Head on over to our blog post all about YouTube ads

Google Shopping Campaigns

Shopping campaigns promote your online store and products, as well as boost website traffic.

They also get prime real estate on Google’s SERPs, because they often place at the top of the page. In 2025, these ads may be included in Google AI Overviews, as well as planning to offer VR try-ons!

Performance Max campaigns have become more popular than standard shopping campaigns since 2023, although these campaigns can still be used.

There are two main types of Shopping ads for advertisers: Product Shopping Ads and Local Inventory Ads.

To set up a Shopping campaign in Google you will need to create an account with Google Merchant Center and link it with your Google Ad account. It’s a requirement to send your product information to the Merchant Center for Google to create your ads.

Shopping ads are visual as opposed to text-based like Google Search Ads. They include photo/video assets, with minimal text outlining pricing and product information.

They give users an overview of your product and store before they click and generate high-intent visitors.

Google Ad Specs for Shopping Ads

Here we will go over the specs for Product Listing Ads. Find more on Product Data specs for the Merchant Center here.

Character lengths:

Product title: 150 characters max, 70 characters to avoid truncation on mobile devices
URLs: must include the “http://” or “https://”

Images:

File type and size: PNG, JPEG, non-animated GIF, BMP or TIFF and no larger than 16MB
Non-apparel images: 100 x 100 px
Apparel images: 250 x 250 px
URL: http or https and replace symbols with URL encoded characters

Tip 1: Optimize your keywords in your product titles and descriptions! The algorithms Google uses for Shopping Ads is similar to SEO.

Tip 2: Avoid capitalization in your product titles as it can come across a bit spammy.

Google Discovery Campaigns

Want to reach up to 3 billion people a month with one ad campaign and drive conversions at scale? A single Google Discovery ad campaign lets you do so by allowing you to capitalise on customer intent using the bid goal and budget you set.

Reach new customers (and reconnect with old ones) with Google Discovery campaign’s audience targeting. Use visually attractive templates to combine images and text that tell your story.

Placements include: YouTube Home, Watch Next feeds, Gmail Promotions, Social tabs, and the Google Discover feed.

The Google Discover feed is a personalized, curated feed that shows when a user enters keywords into Google. Results are based on their individual Web and App Activity.

Rank on a Google users’ interest-based feed, making Discover Campaigns particularly powerful for conversions. It generates relevant content specific to user intent based on past Google activity.

Google Ad Specs for Discovery Ads

Character lengths:

Headline: Minimum of 1 and maximum of 5 consisting of 40 characters each (5 are recommended including at least one with 15 characters max)
Description: 1 – 5 with 90 characters max (1 is recommended)
Business name: 25 characters max
Call to Action: 1 only which you can select from a drop-down list (will be automated by default if not selected)
URLs: 2048 characters max. Final URL required to lead people who click on your ad to a default landing page

Images: The maximum number of images for a Google Discovery Campaign ad is 20 and for logos, it’s 5.

Landscape images
- Ratio: 1:91.1
- Pixels: 1200 x 628 (600 x 314px minimum)
- Recommended Number: 3 (1 minimum)
- File Size: 5MB
Square images
- Ratio: 1:1
- Pixels: 1200 x 1200 (300 x 300px minimum)
- Recommended Number: 3 (1 minimum)
- File Size: 5MB
Portrait images
- Ratio: 4:5
- Pixels: 960 x 1200 (480 x 600px minimum)
- Recommended Number: 1 (No minimum required)
- Note: Portrait images won’t appear on YouTube
Square Logo
- Ratio: 1:1
- Pixels: 1200 x 1200 (128 x 128px minimum)
- Recommended Number: 1 (1 minimum)
- File Size: 5MB
- Note: Transparent background is recommended.

Tip: For greater reach, make the majority of your images 1.91:1 landscape images. Increase the chance of your content appearing in the Discover feed by using large, high-quality images of at least 1200 px wide. Ensure they’re enabled by the max-image-preview: large setting, or by using AMP.

Videos:

Landscape
- Ratio: 1.91:1
- Length: 10-60 seconds
- Recommended Number: 3
Vertical
- Ratio: 9:16 or 4:5
- Length: 10-60 seconds
- Recommended Number: 3

Square

- Ratio: 1:1
- Length: 10-60 seconds
- Recommended Number: 3

Why Choose Google Ads?

As the most frequented search engine in the world, it would be daft not to take advantage of Google Ads. It allows you to advertise to a vast audience on the Google Search and Google Display Network.

Google Ads’ power lies in its ability to narrow down intent based on internet searches.

It’s critical to understand your customers’ needs, what they are thinking, and what their next move is. Google Ads reveals oodles about consumer behaviour with their unparalleled keyword research features.

There are 3 parties involved in Google Ads, the customer (Google user), the advertiser (you!) and Google. The main way Google ads reach customers is via Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).

Google Ads are super versatile, appearing on mobile, desktop and even TV. Advertisers target audiences with text, images, and videos through a variety of campaign formats.