Image assets in Google Ads: specs, eligibility and review

This guide is built from Google Ads Help: About image assets for Search campaigns, the Advertising Policies page Image assets format requirements, About dynamic image assets and About image assets for Performance Max campaigns. The overview of all asset types (sitelinks, callouts, call, price and the rest) is in our sitelinks and assets guide; this page goes into images only.

What image assets are

Image assets add pictures to a text ad on Google Search. When one shows, Google lists what the searcher sees: your headlines, your descriptions, your URL and your image. Google says image assets can also serve on YouTube Search through the Search Partner Network.

The image changes how much text fits. Google's note: "Description position 2 may be truncated if an image is shown." Headlines or descriptions pinned to Headline position 1, Headline position 2 or Description position 1 always show, so Google says legally required text belongs in one of those three positions. Pinning itself is covered in our responsive search ads guide.

Who can use them

Image assets for Search are not open to every account. The Help page lists these requirements:

• The account has been open for at least 60 days.
• It has a good history of policy compliance.
• It has active campaigns.
• It has active text ads, and Search spend in the last 30 days is greater than 0.
• It is in an eligible vertical or sub-vertical. The policy page names sexual content and gambling as examples of sensitive verticals that are not eligible.

Google adds that the option to create image assets "automatically appears only when you meet all the requirements." If the Image option is missing under Assets, check this list before anything else. A new account or one that has had no Search spend for a month will not see it.

Sizes, ratios and files

For Search, square images are required and landscape images are optional but recommended. The numbers below are from Google's Search image asset page and the format requirements page.

• File formats: PNG or JPG.
• Maximum file size: 5120 KB.
• Safe area: Google recommends putting the important content in the center 80% of the image.
• You can upload up to 20 images, and Google notes this is "a total limit across your entire campaign."
• Images that are not 1:1 or 1.91:1 have to be cropped in the image picker before they can be added.

You do not choose the layout. On mobile, Google lists one square image or 3 square images side by side; on desktop, layouts range from a single square or landscape image to 5 square images in a row. Google says the format is "auction-dependent" and recommends 4 unique images at the ad group or campaign level, with at least one square and one landscape image, "to maximize serving eligibility."

Image rules that cause disapprovals

Image assets must follow all Google Ads and personalization policies, and Google also reviews each one against a separate set of image asset requirements, which take priority when there is a conflict. Google calls these requirements "more restrictive than the ads requirements for other platforms and surfaces", and a disapproved image asset may continue to run on Google's other properties.

The format requirements page lists what is not allowed:

• Text or graphic overlays, including brand logos or a logo used as the image. The Search image asset page is blunt: images with "digitally added text, logos, or graphic overlays" are "immediately disapproved." Performance Max is the exception (see below).
• Too much blank space, where the product or service cannot be recognized.
• Collages combined in post-production. Naturally occurring collages, such as scrapbooks, greeting cards or catalogues, are allowed with limitations.
• Blurry or unclear images.
• Distorted images, skewed or warped so the subject is hard to understand.
• Poorly cropped images where the subject is hard to distinguish.
• Nudity and sexually suggestive images. Modeled clothing is allowed with good coverage; lingerie and swimwear only as a flat lay or on a mannequin.

One exception to the overlay rule: labels that disclose AI-generated or AI-edited content "will not be in violation of Google policies prohibiting text overlays and watermarks."

Rights matter too. By creating image assets you confirm that you own all legal rights to the image and have permission to share it with Google for advertising use. For dynamic image assets the confirmation goes further and covers letting Google "modify and create derivative works." If the photos on your site came from a stock library or a photographer, check the licence covers ad use; our guide to website photos and image licensing explains what to look for.

Adding images and where they live

In Google Ads, go to Assets in the Campaigns menu, select the plus button, choose Image and pick the campaign or ad group. Google lists five sources for the images: Suggested, Asset library, Upload, Website or social, and Free stock images.

The level you choose matters. Google says ad group level gives "the strictest relevance, assuming you have a well structured account," while campaign level is faster when the images fit every ad in the campaign. If your ad groups each cover one service or product line, ad group images are the better match; how to plan those themes is in our account structure guide.

Google's best practices for Search images:

• Add at least 4 unique, relevant images at ad group or campaign level.
• Use both square and landscape images, with square first since it is required.
• Make images relevant to the queries, the text ads they show with, and the landing page.
• Use images to show selling points or information that is hard to say in text.
• Keep the subject in the central 80% and use simple backgrounds.
• Try a range of styles: product shots, lifestyle images and visuals of abstract ideas.

Dynamic image assets

Dynamic image assets are an account-level automated asset. Once you opt in, Google picks images from your ads' landing pages and shows them with your Search ads. Google says they "only show when they're expected to boost your ad's performance," and a click on one goes to the same landing page as the headline.

The requirements are shorter than for uploaded images: a good policy history, an eligible vertical (again, sexual content and gambling are named as ineligible) and an account open for more than 60 days. Extracted images go through automated and manual quality checks and must meet the same format requirements. If no image on the landing page passes, nothing shows.

To switch them on: Assets, then the 3-dot menu, Account-level automated assets, Advanced settings, turn on Dynamic image assets, tick the rights confirmation and save. You can remove any dynamic image that serves, or turn the setting off again on the same account-level automated assets page.

Google recommends using uploaded and dynamic images together; both are eligible to serve. Because the images come from your own pages, those pages need clear, uncluttered photos of what you sell. Large, slow images hurt the page itself as well, which our website image optimization guide covers.

Generated images and AI labels

Google Ads has generative image tools in campaign setup, ad and asset group editing, the Asset library and some recommendations. You can write prompts, or review images Google suggests from your text assets or landing page. Generated images stay in the Asset library for 14 days unless you use them in a campaign.

Prompted generation is restricted. Google lists these conditions: the account uses the Google Ads interface in English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese or Spanish; it is active and has been running ads for at least 30 days; it has a history of policy compliance; it has not completed Election Advertising Verification; and it is not in a sensitive vertical. Google also says the tools are rolling out gradually, so they may not be available yet even to eligible accounts.

Two points to keep in mind. First, generated assets "aren't guaranteed to be approved"; they face the same policy review as any other image, and Google asks advertisers to check them for accuracy before publishing. Second, AI rules in the European Union, India, New York, California, South Korea and Vietnam require labels or disclosures on certain AI-generated or AI-edited ads. Google Ads has an AI label setting per asset; for campaigns targeting those locations, labelled assets get a visible label on the ad. Google adds that using the setting "doesn't guarantee your compliance," so legal advice still applies.

Images in Performance Max

Performance Max asset groups use more image types than Search, and you can reuse your Search images there. The specs from Google's Performance Max image page:

Overlays are treated differently here. Performance Max accepts images with text or graphic overlays, but Google recommends at least one image without overlays for each aspect ratio. Logos with a transparent background may be rendered on white, so Google advises against a mostly white logo on a transparent background. After upload, Google suggests waiting about 2-3 weeks before judging Ad strength and asset group status and replacing weak assets. Campaign setup is in our Performance Max guide.

Review, cost and reporting

Every new or edited image goes through review. According to Google's ad review process page, most reviews finish within one business day; changes to an ad or asset restart the review. A disapproved image cannot show anywhere; our Policy Manager guide covers fixing and appealing.

Image clicks cost the same as headline clicks. Google says images are clickable and "charged the same CPC as a click to a text headline," for both uploaded and dynamic images.

To see which images serve, open Assets and the Image summary card. Dynamic images can be filtered with "Added by" set to "Google AI". For Performance Max, the asset report compares assets within one campaign or across several.

Google quotes a 6% average CTR increase when image assets show with Search ads, from its own internal data for April 2023. That is an average across advertisers, not a forecast for one account. To measure your own effect, compare with and without images in an experiment rather than a before-and-after view.

Our image checklist

This is how we prepare images for client accounts; it is our practice, not a Google rule.

• Confirm the account meets the 60-day, spend and vertical requirements before shooting or buying photos.
• Collect real photos of the product, the team or the finished work, with a licence that covers advertising.
• Export each image twice, 1200 x 1200 and 1200 x 628, with the subject in the middle and no added text or logos for Search.
• Upload 4 or more per ad group where each ad group has its own service; use campaign level only when the images fit everything.
• Decide on dynamic images after checking that the landing pages carry photos you would be happy to see in an ad.
• Label any AI-generated or AI-edited image before launch if the campaign targets a region that requires it.
• Check the asset table a few days after launch for disapprovals and again after a month for which images serve.

If you would like help preparing images or the pages they come from, our website team can help.

Frequently asked questions

Why can't I add image assets to my Search campaign?

Google only shows the option when the account meets all requirements: open for at least 60 days, a good policy compliance history, active campaigns and text ads, Search spend greater than 0 in the last 30 days, and an eligible vertical.

What size should Google Ads image assets be?

For Search, a square 1:1 image is required (minimum 300 x 300, recommended 1200 x 1200) and a landscape 1.91:1 image is recommended (minimum 600 x 314, recommended 1200 x 628). Files must be PNG or JPG and no larger than 5120 KB.

Can image assets include text or a logo?

Not for Search image assets. Google disapproves images with digitally added text, logos or graphic overlays. Performance Max accepts overlays, but Google recommends at least one image without overlays for each aspect ratio. AI disclosure labels do not break the overlay rule.

How many images can I upload?

Up to 20 images, which Google says is a total limit across the whole campaign. Google recommends at least 4 unique images at ad group or campaign level, including at least one square and one landscape image.

Do image clicks cost more than normal clicks?

No. Google charges image clicks on a cost-per-click basis at the same CPC as a click on a text headline, for both uploaded and dynamic image assets.

For more on Google Ads, see our guides to sitelinks and other assets, responsive search ads, Performance Max and Demand Gen campaigns.