The Ultimate Google Ads Character Limit Guide

Google has evolved to be more than just another search engine. With millions of people flocking to Google to search for products and services, information, news, answers and more, it is one of the best advertising channels any business can ask for.

As a paid search marketer, you must know how important it is to stay within the character count for a Google ads copy. This is why we are here to help you know the character limit for text ads, YouTube ads, display ads and call-only ads.

Google Search Ads Character Count

Search ads are the most common format of Google ads. A search ad can consist of upto three headlines, two descriptions and ad extensions. Depending on a person’s device, the third headline and second description may not appear for them. However, it is strongly recommended that you add two headlines and one description without fail when creating a search ad copy. 

You can add up to 30 characters per headline for an expanded text ad. They will appear next to each other, separated by a vertical line (|). The character limit for the two description fields is 90.

Starting 30th June 2022, Google has restricted the creation of expanded text ads. But the good part is that expanded text ads will continue to be displayed, and you’ll still be able to see their performance reports going forward, pause and resume them or remove them if required. 

If you want to create expanded text ads, it is recommended that you transition to responsive search ads instead. An expanded text ad will look similar to a responsive search ad to a searcher. The main difference between the two is the ability to add multiple headlines and descriptions. 

Google will use machine learning to mix and match both types of ads and come up with the best variation that it thinks will perform best in a given situation. Therefore, it is recommended that you create a single responsive search ad copy and let Google automatically come up with the best variations. 

For a single responsive search ad, Google allows you to add up to fifteen headline variations of 30 characters each. For descriptions, you can add up to four variations of 90 characters each and upto two display URL paths of fifteen characters each. 

For any responsive search ad, Google will show users up to 3 headlines and 2 descriptions in different combinations or orders. 

Responsive search ads save you time by allowing you to provide multiple headlines and descriptions at once and reach more potential customers by matching your ads with more queries. These ads can also adapt easily to different device widths, giving you more room to communicate your message to your customers.

Google Call-Only Ads Character Count

As the name suggests, Google call-only ads can only drive phone calls to your business, not clicks to your website. Instead, call-only ads appear on mobile devices when searchers want to connect to a business on call instead of going to its website. These ads consist of a headline, description and phone number.

For a call ad, you can add up to two headlines of 30 characters each, a business name of 25, and up to two descriptions of 90 characters each. You can also add ad extensions with Google call-only ads. Extensions are additional pieces of information that you can include in your ad to help searchers with more information about your business.

Extensions can be your site links, callouts, structured snippets, location, call button, etc. Ad extensions are not a part of your description character limit, so it is recommended that you use them. 

For a site link ad extension, the character limit is 30 for the headline and 25 for the description. For a callout ad extension, the character limit is 25. For a structured snippet ad extension, the character count is also 25.

YouTube Ads Character Count

YouTube ads are shown on the platform before, in the middle or at the end of an ongoing YouTube video. These are skippable ads where viewers can choose to skip the ad if they want to after a five-second duration. In-stream ads can also be non-skippable; in that case, the user has to wait for the entire ad to run before watching a video.

In-stream ads are the most common type of YouTube video ad format. In-stream YouTube ads consist of a headline, a description,  a display URL, a call-to-action and a companion banner. The headline character count is 15, the long headline character count is 90, and the description character count is 70. The call to action has a ten characters limit, and the display URL path has a 15 characters limit. 

Google Display Ads Character Count

Google display ads serve visually engaging ads on the Google Display Network. These ads appear on different websites, apps and Google-owned platforms like YouTube and Gmail. Display ads help you to expand your reach beyond Google Search. Responsive display ads automatically adjust their sizes and appearance to fit any available ad space. 

You must enter your display ad assets, such as the headline, description, logos, videos, etc., and Google will adjust how it appears to users. For a display ad, the character limit of the headline is 30, for the description is 90, and for the business name is 25.

Google Performance Max Ads Character Limit 

Google’s Performance Max is a goal-based campaign that allows advertisers to access all their Google ads inventory from a single campaign. It is designed to complement your keyword-based search campaign to help you find more leads that can be converted across all Google’s channels. 

Performance Max helps you optimize your performance in real-time to achieve better conversions by considering your specified conversion goals. It uses Google’s smart bidding and automation technology to optimize performance based on budget, audience, attribution, etc. 

For Google Performance Max ads, you can create up to 5 headlines of 40 characters, up to five descriptions of 90 characters, and a business name of 25 characters. 

Discovery Ads Character Limit

Google’s Discovery ads are what you see on YouTube, Google or Gmail apps. They are visually-appealing customized ads that appear on Google’s feeds. For this type of ad, the number of headlines you can create is five with 40 characters limit. For descriptions, you can create up to five of them with 90 characters limit and a business name with 25 characters limit. 

Keep this article handy for when you want to write copies for your upcoming Google ads campaigns. It will help you create your ad copies within the specified character limit and save you from the hassle of multiple edits.