Sitelink
A sitelink is an ad asset that adds clickable links to specific pages of a website below the main search ad, letting users navigate directly to what they need.
A sitelink is an ad asset in Google Ads that adds extra clickable links below the main search ad, each pointing to a specific page on the website, giving users a shortcut to the section most relevant to their needs.
What Sitelink Means in Marketing
A search ad without sitelinks takes every user to the same landing page. A search ad with sitelinks gives users a choice: the main ad click for the primary offer, or a sitelink for a specific section they care about. A user searching for a hotel might click the main ad to see an overview, or click a sitelink directly to the “Family Rooms” or “Meeting Facilities” page.
That navigational shortcut does two things. It makes the ad more useful by reducing the steps between a click and what the user actually wants. And it increases the physical size of the ad on the results page, which increases visibility and click-through rate even for users who click the main headline.
Sitelinks are part of the broader ad extensions (now assets) family in Google Ads.
How Sitelink Works
Sitelinks are created at the account, campaign or ad group level. Each sitelink has two headline lines (up to 25 characters each) and two description lines (up to 35 characters each). The description lines are optional but recommended: they appear on some desktop impressions and add more information below each link.
Google decides how many sitelinks to show on a given impression. Desktop ads often show four sitelinks; mobile may show two or three. Having more sitelinks in the account gives Google more combinations to choose from, which improves relevance matching.
Effective sitelinks cover distinct destinations: product categories, pricing pages, a booking or contact page, a specific campaign landing page, a review or case study section. Poor sitelinks duplicate the same destination or point to pages with little relevance to the ad.
Performance metrics for sitelinks are available in the Google Ads interface, showing impressions, clicks and click-through rates per sitelink. Replacing underperforming sitelinks with alternatives is a routine optimisation task.
Sitelink Example
A software company’s search ad for “project management software” includes sitelinks for “Features Overview”, “Pricing Plans”, “Free 14-Day Trial” and “Customer Success Stories”. A user who is in the early research phase clicks the Features page. A user ready to commit clicks directly to the trial signup. The sitelinks serve different stages of the decision process from a single ad, reducing friction for each type of visitor.
Why Sitelink Matters for Marketers
Sitelinks increase ad size and usefulness at no extra cost. They direct high-intent users to exactly the right page rather than requiring them to navigate from a generic landing page. For branded campaigns especially, sitelinks capture the navigational intent of users searching for a specific page or product.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many sitelinks should I add to a campaign?
Add at least six to eight sitelinks per campaign. Google shows between two and eight sitelinks on a given impression depending on the device, position and space available. Having more than the minimum means Google can select the most relevant combination for each query. Each sitelink should point to a page genuinely different from the others and different from the main landing page. Avoid duplicating the same destination across multiple sitelinks.
Does each sitelink click cost the same as a main ad click?
Yes, if a user clicks a sitelink, you pay the same cost per click as for a click on the main headline. The sitelink click takes the user to the specific page that sitelink is linked to, rather than the campaign's default landing page. Because users who click sitelinks are navigating to a more specific page, conversion rates on sitelink clicks are often higher than on main ad headline clicks for the same campaign.
Can I add sitelinks in SEO as well?
Sitelinks appear organically in two ways. For branded navigational searches, Google may automatically display sitelinks under the main organic listing if the site has a clear structure and the brand query is navigational. These organic sitelinks cannot be directly configured but are influenced by site architecture, clear internal linking, and having key pages linked from the homepage. You cannot create organic sitelinks directly: Google generates them automatically when it determines they would help users.
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